Saturday, August 31, 2019

Effects of Soil Ph on Radish Plants Growth Essay

Background information: the soil ph can have 2 different impacts on the growth of plant roots. First and most important is how it affects the concentration of nutrients present in the soil itself. This variable varies depending on the ph tendency, in particular, nutrients like phosphorous, potassium ,sulphur, calcium and magnesium tend to drastically decrease in more acidic ph conditions (7.5) [figure 1]. The importance of these types of nutrients varies depending on the species of plant, in this case radish tends to show higher concentrations of Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Phosphorous and Sodium. These all tend to grow in more alkali or neutral soil conditions rather than acidic as showed in figure 1. Another variable affected by a change in ph is the growth of microorganisms in the soil specifically affecting their respiration rate and the PLFA (phospholipid fatty acids) concentration [figure 3], which consist in the main component of the cell membrane of most microbes, including the soil ones. In this case too the graph [figure 2] seems to show a straight directly proportional relationship between respiration rate and PLFA concentration and PH growth, meaning that microorganisms optimum ph conditions tend to be either neutral or slightly alkali, particuralrly for respiration the best fit line on the graph displays a steeper line with a bigger gradient. Conclusion As a hypothesis i would say that the best results in terms of mass gaining and length should be matched by the radish seeds growing in an alkali or neutral enviroment, rather than in an acidic one To revisit my hypothesis and understand why the base solution should provide better nutrients for the radish rather than the other ones it is very important to understand the concept of CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), this property of the soil is defined as: â€Å"The total number of cations a soil can hold–or its total negative charge–is the soil’s cation exchange capacity†[1] the capacity of the soil to contain these ions is measured in millequivalents per 100 grams of soil (meq/100g) the increase of this soil property is usually associated with an increase of fertility, the reason being that the higher the CEC the higher the maximum amount of nutrients (ions) [figure 4]the soil is capable of holding and more likely it is to improve its productivity. The increase in CEC is usually associated to a decrease in pH (showed in the graph [figure 5]). This has been prooved by Dr Lloyd A. Peterson who carried out an experiment of soil acidification through the use of N fertilizers [2] (the main chemical in these compounds is Ammonia, NH3, which as it’s released in the soil is converted into ammonium nitrate by the bacteria, during this biological process, 3 positive hydrogen ions are released in the soil per ammonia molecule converted. The increase in the H+ ions concentration makes the soil acidic.) which eventually lead to a much higher CEC rate, which should theoretically improve the soil fertility itself, but, as a side effect of the acidification is a drastic decline registered for the exchangeable base cations particularly in the ions Ca2+, which suffered of – 31% exchangeability and a – 36% for Mg2+[3] actually worsened the fertility of the soil since the ECEC (effective cation exchange capacity, calculated by adding the exchangeable base cations and the exchangeable acidity) actually turned out to be negative, meaning that the relation between pH and the ECEC itself is actually directly proportional. To conclude, in the case of radish especially, the ions suffering from base cation exchangeability decrease, which are magnesium and calcium make up a big part of the nutrients absorbed by the seeds (see the background paragraph) this causes the radish growth to be damaged by an acidification of the soil. This explains why roots growing in acidic conditions should display the worst results, while the ones living in alkali and neutral soils should grow longer and heavier, because the ECEC along with the nutrients concentration in the soil varies depending on the change in pH, in this case with a linear directly proportional rate, meaning that as pH increases (towards alkali) so does the base cations nutrients concentration in the soil and the plant growth benefits from it.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Hassan in The Kite Runner Essay

A perfect friend could be described as someone who is honest and trustworthy, they make you laugh, someone you enjoy spending time with, and most of all they know how to have a good time and pick you up when you’re down. The novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini depicts the setting of a great friendship in the best and most thoughtful way but the definition does not seem to match with what others seem to think. Hassan and Amir show utmost loyalty and humility towards each other but with one event the course of both of their lives change and both sides of their friendship do not remain equal. In their childhood days in Kabul Hassan acts as a brave, humble, considerate and hardworking, young boy who only wishes for Amir to succeed and be happy, almost to the extent of being too good to be true. Hassan displays these qualities and attributes through a number of important and notable events. First, Hassan protects Amir in any situation even if it puts him in danger. Second, after retrieving the kite from Assef, Hassan doesn’t even mention what took place to Amir showing his utmost loyalty. Third, Even after he is betrayed by Amir, Hassan continues to lie for the person he considers his best friend. Through these sets of events it will be evident how Hassan shows his attributes and how he, as a character in the novel, might be considered as â€Å"too good to be true† Hassan and Amir were raised together, grew up with each other and lived together for a large chunk of their lives. Although Amir is the only one that goes to madrehseh, school, Hassan does a very good job of trying to keep up with Amir. In Afghanistan â€Å"school smarts† don’t get you that far in public life, situations arise where a young boy cannot merely â€Å"think† his way out of it. This sort of Situation arises between Hassan, Amir and a couple of boys who seemed to be up to no good. Assef, a notorious sociopath and violent boy, and his two friends Wali and Kamal mock Amir for socializing with a Hazara, which, according to Assef, is an inferior race whose members belong only in Hazarajat. One day, he prepares to attack Amir with stainless steel brass knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, threatening to shoot out Assef’s eye out with his slingshot Amir had bought him. Assef decides to walk away promising to be back. The fact that Hassan was only being bullied and not the one being threatened and still decides to stand up to Assef shows his absolute love and true loyalty to Amir. Even though this situation is early in the book, its significance is still that of utmost importance for the fact of it showing how Hassan will protect Amir in any and all situations even if it puts him in danger. The kite fighting tournament is an event that almost every child in Kabul participates in. For each child that flies a kite, there is one who runs and grabs the kite loosing kites as they fall. Amir and Hassan form a team and they work together every year to try to win the tournament, Amir flies and Hassan runs the kites down. Against all odds they win the competition and Hassan goes to run it down. Soon enough Amir finds Hassan with Assef once again. Too scared to intervene, Amir stands and watches his most loyal friend Hassan get raped. One of the many climaxes of The Kite Runner is this scene because for the rest of Amir’s life he lives with it on his conscience, that he did not do anything to help. Amir and Hassan never speak of that moment again but both of them know what had happened that day. Just like any other average person Hassan could have gotten very mad at Amir, but the fact that he chooses not to shows how humble, caring and considerate of Amir. Not only does Hassan later want to continue their relationship how it was before but he in fact looks to take the blame as he asks Amir later on what he had done wrong to upset him. All of Hassan’s actions are shown in the most loyal and confederate way. As our novel progresses Hassan and Amir become further and further apart from each other, to the point that Amir eventually decides he would no longer like to live in the same household as him. All this time Hassan has been trying to make things wright between them but Amir would refuse to listen. Amir’s frustration ultimately leads to him framing Hassan to get him to leave. In a confusing exchange of dialogue Hassan takes the blame and apologizes, Baba accepts but Ali insists on their immediate dismissal. Again we see Hassan’s sheer love for Amir as he does not want him to get into trouble. Taking all the blame seems to be one of the best ways that Hassan can show his friendship. Doesn’t seem like much, but having the courage and bravery to do it to this extent truly makes Hassan a literally unbelievable character. Although Hassan and Amir’s relationship does not match that which others believe to be true, it is much more. The reason their friendship isn’t the same as others is because they are not friends; they are and always will be brothers. Hassan character is a brave, humble, considerate and hardworking, young boy who only wishes for Amir to succeed and be happy. Hassan displays these qualities and attributes through a number of important and notable events. First, Hassan protects Amir in any situation even if it puts him in danger. Second, after retrieving the kite from Assef, Hassan doesn’t even mention what took place to Amir showing his utmost loyalty. Third, Even after he is betrayed by Amir, Hassan continues to lie for the person he considers his best friend His character is without a doubt too good to be true because of the fact that Khaled Hosseini puts him in the wrong position, Hassan is not Amir friend nor will he ever be. They are brothers for life.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

A perfect world

Can you imagine a perfect world, a world where you had everything you wanted, no matter where you were or when it was? What would your world be like? Would your world be the same as it is now or would you change it in any way possible and create a completely different place? Well if I had to choose I would make my flawless world like it was in the essay Walden by Henry David Thoreau or even like it was in the speech â€Å"I Have a dream† by Martin Luther King Jr. In the essay Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau completely isolates himself from society and goes his own way. In my perfect world society wouldn’t be judgmental and rude and completely careless of how others felt or reacted to certain things. People will be able to walk down a street or even a hallway without getting bad looks or gestures or having to hear whispers about themselves behind their backs. People would be able to do what they want without getting judged or given bad motions or signals or even nods. People should be able to see others the way others see themselves. Nobody wants to be judged or talked about so why should they have to. In the speech â€Å"I Have a Dream â€Å"by Martin Luther King Jr. he stands up for not only himself but also all the African Americas of the world. He wanted to make sure everyone was treated equally. So in my impeccable world there would not only be no racial tension or segregation but also no discrimination of any sort and there would be peace between all no matter what race or background the person had or has. All people were created the same way why can’t they be treated the same way. Why does a person’s race, religion, background or even culture have to determine the way a person is treated? Or the rights they have been given. Why does it have to change when the person didn’t? So in my world everyone would be treated equally and no one would be judged because of their race, religion, background , or culture. Both these writings consist of the moral of standing up for yourself. Although they both also contain two different morals that are both needed in all areas of the world. Both morals that I would in want to have in a perfect world. These two morals are acceptance from society and equality between all people around the world. In conclusion, a perfect world for me would not only contain parts from the essay, Walden or the speech â€Å"I Have a Dream†. It would be a combination of both creations. Both acceptance and equality. A completely perfect world in my eyes.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Ian Strachan argues that tourism is a neo-colonial enterprise that Essay

Ian Strachan argues that tourism is a neo-colonial enterprise that marginalizes blacks. Write a research based ARGUMENT in favour of this assertion - Essay Example urism is considered to be the world’s largest industry and some regions are endowed with natural and manmade resources that are conducive to developing the economy based on these resources. But tourism or any other industry for that matter should not just be a money making endeavor for investors. It should benefit the stakeholders (including employees, the local population, and other ancillary industries) at all levels for sustenance and growth. The Caribbean islands are considered to be one of the prime tourist destinations in the world, primarily due to its natural resources. This paper is a review of the tourism industry with regard to the economic development of the local population in the region. It is based on an article by Ian Strachan, titled, ‘Paradise and Plantation’. The author is of the view that economic well being is skewed towards foreign investors at the cost of the economic development of the local population. Colonialism has caused many of its ne gative effects to continue in neo-colonial societies (after gaining independence and sovereignty). Research on this area tends to agree with what Strachan has stated from his research and studies. Ian Strachan provides a powerful argument against the exploitation or neglect of the local population in the tourism industry of the Caribbean Islands. Effective advertising about genuine tourist attractions can naturally attract people to travel to destinations of their liking. It is extremely practical or prudent for governments and other agencies to promote a place attractive to visitors. The author states that even though tourism is a big industry, it has developed, to a large extent, at the cost of the local population. In Strachan’s words, â€Å"however distant this imagined, heavily promoted, and staged Eden may be from everyday experience of the majority of the Caribbeans, it is a fantasy that the regions’ nations encourage their citizenry to maintain for the benefit of tourists† (Strachan,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

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

Marketing research project - Essay Example ow to target markets or segment markets based on consumer’s preferences is a relatively tough job to do but it is crucial for the company of Graham Elliot, who has the required experience and knowledge about high risk sports and the location where he wants to introduce adventure holidays. However, he is unsure about how to segment markets in the region and is also relatively unaware of the consumer’s attitude towards the business. The segmentation of a market will allow the company to know the prospects of the business and to allow it to know the group of people who will be most interested in the business. This detail about the market will enable the company to work on gaining the highest return on its investment. The trends in purchasing, attitudes and behaviour of consumers also needs to be studied. The company also needs to know how the business of adventure holidays can be promoted once it is established. The research conducted in the North East Market will help the company to know which types of consumers prefer adventure holidays. It will help the company of Graham Elliot to target markets to maximize their profits. The research will state whether skiing and mountain biking in the Isere and Drome Valleys will be feasible and the responses of the consumers in Ardeche and Verdon Gorges of introducing canyoning and climbing in the region. It will help in segmentation of the market and target marketing for road biking in areas of Les Deux Alps and Mount Ventoux. The research will also give a general idea of the kinds of adventurous sports that can be also introduced in the later years to promote the growth of the business and to gain a competitive advantage over the rival companies. The research will also enable the company to know the pricing strategies to be used in comparison with the rival company’s. Exploratory research will be carried out to help with the investigation. Consumers will be interviewed one by one as to their opinions, preferences, the

Monday, August 26, 2019

The American model of representation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The American model of representation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that many nations have focused on implementing democracy. From the definition of democracy, it emerges that decision-making should rely on the will of the people and promote the public interests. However, it is unrealistic for each individual to contribute to active decision making. This is the reason why representative democracy has been adopted. In the United States, representative democracy is implemented by ensuring that the people choose representatives who sit in the two houses of the Congress. The founders of the American constitution acted proactively in support of democracy. The founders ensured that two houses of the Congress existed that would complement each other in the lawmaking process. The founders of the constitution developed a rational understanding of the purpose of both houses, which is still implemented in the modern day. It is commonly referred to as the bicameral legislature. Despite its functionality over the years, it is evident that this model of representation presents certain challenges. A democratic representative serving in either the lower or the upper house has critical responsibilities of representing the people who have elected him into office. The lower house is comprised of representatives chosen from states and districts. Each state or district chooses the number of representatives in accordance with the population of each state or district.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Radio spot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Radio spot - Essay Example THE DEPARTMENT MAINTAINS THAT THE OUTSIDE APPEARANCE OF AN ORGANIZATION ENHANCES ITS CHANCES OF ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS. THIS GIVES IT AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE SALES, CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY’S ECONOMY. THE ORGANIZATION THROUGH ITS UNIQUES DECORATIVE TECHNIQUES THAT ARE AIMED AT CONSERVATING THE ENVIRONMENT HAS MADE IT POPULAR AMONG HOME OWNERS, AS WELLS AS SMALL SCALE BUSINESS OWNERS. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE AFFORDABILITY OF ITS SERVICES, AS WELLS AS THE HIGH QUALITY OF ITS PRODUCTS. THIS ATTRIBUTES HAS MADE THE ORGANIZATION TO POSSESS A STRONG BRAND NAME, EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS COCA COLA, AND NIKE. BECAUSE OF THIS ASPECTS, THE DEPARTMENTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND COMMERCE MANAGED TO NOTICE THE ORGANIZATION, THEREBY REVEIVING AN AWARD FROM THE FEDEARL GOVERNMENT. THIS IS ORGANIZATION IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW EMERGING ENTERPRENEURS, CAN MAKE IT IN THE FIERCE AMERICAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. THEY MUST COME UP WITH UNIQUE IDEAS, AND EMPHASIZE ON HARD WORK. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE AWARDS PRESENTED TO THE ORGANIZATION, VISIT ITS WEBSITE AT,

Element of Literature (theme, character, setting, conflicts, etc Essay

Element of Literature (theme, character, setting, conflicts, etc - Essay Example This paper examines all the similarities between these three works and establishes the commonality between the characters and their presentations. Tragedy has been a theme for playwrights since the beginning of literature, well explored by Greek poets like Sophocles, medieval English writers, and Elizabethan playwrights, of which Shakespeare is prominent. The most prominent cause of the tragedy in these plays would be the tragic hero fighting against his/her impending doom. ‘The tragic hero is divided "between imperative and impulse, between moral ordinance and unruly passion . . . between law and lust" (Heilman 207).’ (Brown, 2009). If we explore the similarities between the two Elizabethan dramas, Macbeth, Hamlet and the ancient Greek tragedy, Oedipus, we find that the protagonists have that fatal flaw which draws them to their downfall and all other elements that make a tragedy. When these protagonists live, they teach us many lessons with the mistakes that they commit in their life. They seem to exist to attain the ultimate goal of death.† We admire the daring, uncompromising spirit of the tragic hero wh ile recognizing that what he gains in intensity of life, he often pays for with its brevity.† (Brown, 2009). Shakespeare’s tragedies â€Å"follow a basic pattern of complication, crisis, and conclusion but with multiple variations.† (Brown, 2009). If we compare and seek similarities between the characters of the three works, we find that as mentioned above, all protagonists unconsciously seek their own fall. Hamlet muses far too much over his father’s death and even when his father has shown him the path of revenge, he fails to kill Claudius when he has the chance. Macbeth on the other hand, blinded easily by ambition and avarice, kills Duncan in haste without pondering over the consequences. Oedipus’s flaw is his colossal ego or Hubris. It does not bring about his misery directly but does lead to

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Student's Post Week 8 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Student's Post Week 8 - Research Paper Example erstanding diversity through understanding concepts of cultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence would be a more comprehensive and general approach to adapting leadership styles in any diversified environment. Cultural sensitivity will for example allow you to detect a difference or a barrier without external assistance or force, and cultural intelligence will allow you to comprehend best practices in new cultural set ups (Kreitner, 2008). I have read your post and understood your perspective about leading in a diversified environment. You identify communication, together with knowledge, motivation, and flexibility as essential elements to leadership in a cross-cultural environment but do not develop a strategy for implementing the elements towards effective leadership in international, cultural, and ethical issues. I believe that you should have explained how you would use these elements in leadership. You could have for example explained an approach to developing cross cultural communication competence such as learning interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills towards leadership in diversified set ups. I also think that your post focused on personal narration than on strategies to competent leadership in international, cultural, and ethical issues (DuBrin,

Friday, August 23, 2019

Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Project Management - Assignment Example Department managers will directly report to the project manager. Hence, with reduced hierarchy the project will efficiently with no delays and increased cost due to extra reporting levels (Ingason and JÃ ³nasson, 59-69). The project manager directs all the activities and task for the overall project, acting as information central point for the subcontractors. After getting all the information of the project’s direction and tasks assistant manager divided the task and responsibilities among the functional managers. Assistant project manager works as chairman of steering committee and interacts with both functional managers and contractors. The functional managers receive the guidelines and task responsibilities from assistant manager. In actual the role of contract officer is to serve as a central point for all the cost and information of the contract. The military type manger has some special skills that differentiate its personality from other mangers. The military manager focuses on these factors: insist on clear communication and alignment, produce high performing teams, relaxed in continuously changing environments and hire the replacement and alternatives. If the hierarchy adapted military kind of approach then it would boost the competence of collaboration among the employees, it would give more effective and efficient tem work results and it would make the attitude of managers adjustable in the changing environment (Forbes). The division of work among many authorities increases the efficiency and accuracy of decision making. And with the involvement of two higher mangers makes the evaluation and monitoring activities better in results (Atkinson, 337-342). This hierarchy is difficult to implement in any industry because of its limitations regarding the delegation of authorities and responsibilities among the employees and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Video games and Kids Essay Example for Free

Video games and Kids Essay Video games have a positive and negative effect on kids. Video games affect the kids health, for example lead to cardiovascular implication. Also affect their education when affecting their cognition. Others video games effects on kids are when affecting their social and behaviors. Parents need to involve and regulate their children‘s gaming habit. Video games attribute in big portion in kids behavior. Video game affect kids negatively could be a good reason to make a kid violent and make him a killer. According to Anderson, Craig A at â€Å"Violent Video Games and Other Media Violence† he said that video game. Video games affect kids and make theme violent. When the kids consume a lot of violent materiel, he gets confuse between the reality and the fantasy. The kids think that hitting, kicking are allowed in real life. According to Anderson, Craig A, he sees in his essay â€Å"Violent Video Games and Other Media Violence (Part 1)† that the player needs to distinguish between fantasy and real violence. AS result, the player exposes his violence toward his surrounding and become violent. Anderson suggest at the same essay that video games are not only the cause for violence, but others effect as biological, neighborhood and family could attribute in this violence. Video games affect kids’ education and learning. Kids spend more time in playing rather than finishing their school tasks. As consequence, they have a poor grade and low knowledge. According to KIRA BAILEY in his study â€Å"A negative association between video game experience and proactive cognitive control† he said that after the three studies indicate that high levels of video consumption may be associated with a reduction in the efficiency of those processes supporting cognitive control that arise from interactions between anterior cingulated and lateral frontal cortex. Video games affect kids ‘health in too many ways. According to Dorman, Steve M. in his study â€Å"Video and computer games: Effect on children and implications for health education. † First: Cardiovascular Implications is consequence of less activity, because in USA children adopt sedentary lifestyle at early age and they prefer play video games rather than involving in different sport or other physical activities. Video games affect kid’s behavior and social life. According to Messerly, John G, â€Å"How Computer Games Affect CS (and other) Students’ School Performance;† He said: My methodology was simple: I asked students— all computer science majors in an undergraduate program—whether they knew someone whose scholastic or social life had been harmed by computer games. About 90% answered affirmatively, describing students whose fascination chained them to their apartments or dorm rooms for days, weeks, even semesters. Many admitted to having or having had this problem themselves. The effect Is exacerbated by so-called role-playing games like Age of Kings, Dark Age of Camelot, and Ever quest, with addictive power so great some call it Ever-crack. Players create characters and alter egos in cyberspace living out their personal fantasies, usually by adopting the traits they believe they lack in the real world. My informal surveys suggest there is something particularly addictive, if not sinister, about role-playing. (29) Video games have a positive effect on kids. Video games could be a good way to motivate kids. For example, be a good motivate for the kids to finish their duties. Kids could be reward with extra play time, or earn their video games after finishing their tasks. Also a good choice of video games, like challenging games could make kids smart when learning about different subject. Video games could be a good help in kids education. According to Annetta, Leonard A. â€Å"Video Games in Education: Why they should be used and how they are being used. † In her essay, she mentions that the games are not limited in played, but they could be a good explanation for real life. Kids get new information in the virtual world of video games without really knowing that they‘re learning. Anneta , Leonard mentions in her other essay â€Å" Video Games AND Simulation AS Teaching Tools†. She says that the enticement of video games can be used to enhance K-12 education. Also the use of video games could replace a traditional teaching. She gives North Carolina State University (NSCU) as example, because they encourage video games as a supplement to normal instruction. Also she says that virtual-learning environments being introduce to school through (Innovative Gaming Networks In Teacher Education), a synchronous, online graduate course1 and through HI FIVES (Highly Interactive Fun Internet Virtual Environment in Science2. Video games play a big role in health field, strange but true. According to Healthcare Financial Management â€Å"Video Games: Good for your Health†. The games helping in health are: * Games for rehabilitation and therapy which aid balance and mobility in Parkinson’s patients, others used as a â€Å"distraction device† to control pain and stress. * Exergaming which incorporate physical activity, such workout game, or games that make you move to get to the target, for example, kinnect. * Games for major healthcare provider: Insurance companies met to discuss ways to use videogame technology to solve critical healthcare challenges. Additionally, a team of graduate students at Carnegie Mel- Ions Entertainment Technology Center has developed a game called Project ER, designed to lower stress for 60,000 children who visit the EDs of Pittsburgh Medical Centers each year. During a test run, the team gathered considerable research on how to deploy such systems in healthcare settings. * The rise in games for first responders and medical professionals: One new game system allows health professionals to interact with 3-D simulations of emergency healthcare environments. Additionally, an online, multiplayer game trains physicians to communicate more effectively with their patients. Parents need to be aware of the video games danger. And also need to take advantage of the good side of the technology and guide their kids. According to website (media-awareness. ca/english/parent/video games/index. cfm) Amy Phillips says in her essay â€Å"Console video games† that the video games encourages teamwork, increase self-confidence and improve hand and eye coordination, but in negative side the kids could have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality in the games. According to the website, the parents need to involve and have a concern about video games. Parents of young children should be aware of the following concern: Young children may become more aggressive and fearful if they are exposed to high levels of violence in video games. The violence portrayed in video games usually has no consequences, and is often there for the sake of humor. Parents need to watch what the kids are playing in the computer and video games. Parents need to follow up with video game rating. For example; at 2008 study by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that 20% of children under 17 surveyed had bought at least one M-rated game. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that three-quarters of boys in grades seven to twelve had played Grand Theft Auto, an M-rated game. The entertainment industry aggressively markets violent media to young children. In September 2000, the U. S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report that exposed how the media industries actively target young children with violent entertainment meant for adults. According to the FTC, almost every video-game company they investigated regularly marketed violent M-rated games to children. For instance, the E-rated game LittleBigPlanet includes content intended to promote another Sony game, Metal Gear Solid 4, which is rated M. Toys based on action characters from games meant for mature players are often marketed to young children. Halo, an ultra-violent video game rated for players 17 and older, has spawned action figures marketed to children under 8 years old. Other issue is Childrens ideas of what it means to be male and female can be negatively influenced by stereotypes found in media. Video games are designed by males for males, and so generally contain very few female characters. Those females that do appear are often portrayed as victims, while the male characters are the aggressors. The study Video Game Characters and the Socialization of Gender Roles shows that young people hold perceptions of gender roles that mirror how men and women are depicted in video games. Many games popular among youth are either played online or downloaded from sites such as Newgrounds and eBaums World. The ESRB rating system does not cover such games. User-created content is an increasing part of todays games. This means that even if the original game has a rating appropriate for your child, it may be possible to download additional content that is not. Games often have a multiplayer component which allows children to play with other people over the Internet. These multiplayer games usually permit conversation between players which is typically immoderate. Other people see that the video games have a positive side on general and for example using the video games in health and in school.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Communication Challenges in Global Virtual Teams Essay Example for Free

Communication Challenges in Global Virtual Teams Essay Communication Challenges in Building Successful Global Virtual Teams Due to Diversity and Cultural Differences Abstract This paper introduces an approach to effectively communicate within a global virtual team by discussing the challenges faced by them, understanding cultural differences in communicating, diversity within a team, building trust in virtual communication, and communicating across different regions and time zones. This approach appears in many discussions surrounding the difficulties managers and team members have in communicating effectively in global virtual teams. Specifically, this paper evaluates how the diversity of a global virtual team makes it challenging to communicate when members are not present face to face and adhering to the different regions and time zones these members are located. It will also examine the challenges in understanding the different cultures amongst a team and how to effectively build trust by researching, acknowledging, and understanding these cultural differences and communicating them to the team in a virtual environment. Communicating Challenges in Building Successful Global Virtual Teams Due to Diversity and Cultural Differences In today’s economy, many organizations must expand their operations globally in order to remain competitive and to stay afloat. With this business model companies have to develop teams across all functions of the organization and in all regions of the globe in which the company operates. For these companies, many have set up global virtual teams to manage processes and implement any projects or company initiatives with other employees of the organization. However with these teams come many obstacles and challenges definitely in communicating across cultural differences, understanding the diversity of the team and communication management within the different regions and time zones. Various authors (Danielle, 2006; Kayworth, 2000; Lee-Kelley, 2008 to name a few) have noted that these groups consisting of dispersed members across the globe and accumulated from various cultural backgrounds have an impact on how effective global virtual teams can be. Kayworth determines that there are four main challenges that global virtual teams face; which are communication, culture, technology, and project management. This paper observes the difficulties that virtual teams face within their communication efforts, analyzing the diversity of team members and the obstacles of communicating across different regions and times zones. As well as it takes an extensive look at the cultural differences that consists of these virtual teams and the challenge of building trust amongst a dispersed group. And in order for a global virtual team to operate effectively, managers and the members must research the different cultural backgrounds of its members, understand the communication challenges they face, and utilize them accordingly in order to build trust amongst the team to fulfill their goals that they place ahead of them. Defining Global Virtual Teams There are many authors that have provided definitions of global virtual teams, Lee-Kelley (2008) mentions that Towsend along with Lipnack and Stamps define a virtual team as a group that is geographically dispersed and utilize telecommunication and information technology as forms to communicate and perform. Lee-Kelley also refers to Alge, Balosky, Christensen, and Davis’ definition that virtual teams are typically a group that are dispersed who use various sources of information technology to communicate. In the case of these definitions, there is a lack of emphasis on the concept of team, but further definitions tie in this concept and place more value on the aspect of team. Cascio’s and Shurygailo’s mentioning of multiple-relationships in global virtual teams, by referring to the number of manager’s involved, number of team members, and number of locations. Many researchers in this field do not reference a specified distance in which team members must be apart to classify as virtual team, but as Lee-Kelley stated it is a psychological reality versus sociological that team members conceptually define themselves in a virtual team. In sum, there are many definitions that agree on the structure, form and characteristics of a virtual team and the members it consist of, but there is a lack of consensus amongst them. This lack of consensus on the definition of a global virtual team has also brought up the discussions of the challenges in communication that these virtual teams face, thus prompting this research. Time Zones and Work Schedules One of the initial challenges of global virtual teams is the complicated work schedules of its team members in their respective regions. Settle-Murphy (2006) notes when working in a synchronous mode (Instant Message, telephone, video conference), some remote team members are forced to work at awkward times. This alone is one the most consistent challenges that managers and teams have to overcome. When is the optimal time for virtual teams that span across various time zones to meet? A manager and its team have to take in consideration the different work weeks as well as the time difference. Consistently in many western civilizations, the standard work week is predominately Monday through Friday, utilizing Saturday and Sunday as business days off in order to tend to personal matters and observance of the religious day that is most affluent in that region and culture. Where in many eastern civilizations the work week is Sunday through Thursday, and they utilize Friday and Saturday as their days off. This difference is not only restricted to western/eastern civilization, but ultimately applies to the different cultures that make up the team, the different religions, and time of year. Being cognitive of this challenge and addressing it in an applicable manner is crucial to the effectiveness of a global virtual team. It is an evident obstacle in scheduling team meetings via information technology applications (i. e. teleconferencing, video-conferencing, etc). This is one challenge that can easily be addressed by the manager’s and team’s awareness of these work week schedule differences along with the cultural and religious difference of its team members. Another issue that global virtual teams encounter is conducting meetings across the various time zones of its members. There is no exact corporate standard or guidelines on how and when meetings should be conducted in order to accommodate all members of the virtual team. Settle-Murphy states that in order to reduce this challenge as an obstacle to building trust and team success, a team should agree when same time meetings are necessary, and consider rotating the times to share the burden of working during normal sleep time. The managers and team members should also consider which work can be done asynchronously (e. g. via email or a shared workplace) to allow all team members to work at the most convenient times. This approach can be highly effective because it is apparent that the manager and other team members have taken into consideration each other’s differences of location, culture, and business practices, and simultaneously addressing the challenge of building trust. By researching, understanding, and being respectful of the team members and their time, the cohesiveness of the group is established quickly and strengthened, which is also a challenge to overcome in global virtual teams. Communication and Behavioral Differences In the article â€Å"Working Together Apart,† Zakaria, Almelinckx, and Wilemon (2004) state that, â€Å"managers have often under-valued the profound influence of culture on knowledge conceptualization and transfer. Suggesting that knowledge sharing is often facilitated by communication that involves the exchange of meaning and that the process of communicating is dynamic, multifaceted and complex† (p. 17). Zakaria et al. , also suggest that cultural conditioning has a major affect on the evaluation of experience as well as how information and knowledge in global virtual teams is conveyed and learned. In short, cultural influences play a major role in communication and behavioral differences. This concept is another major challenge that global virtual teams face when striving to reach their end goal. Conveying a clear message is only one challenge, the difficult part is conveying that message so that it reaches each individual affectively according to their unique cultural and behavioral background and how to convey organizational messages across global virtual teams has consensually been done through technology. Global virtual teams that use information and communication technologies and exclude social or physical presence and rely on depersonalized forms of communications between its team members (Zakaria et al. ,2007). One can argue that this hinders the creation of a knowledge-sharing culture, yet over time, the exclusion of social and physical presence can possibly strengthen working relationships that normally would not form in a more traditional work setting. Utilizing technology as the form of communication takes out a lot of subtle communication aspects that are experienced when working within a team in a more traditional framework. An example of this is the use of non-verbal communication or cues. The absence of non-verbal communication may cause difficulties for those global virtual team members’ cultures that rely on body language, gestures and facial expressions for vital communication. For example, in high-context cultures, people value these subtle and indirect communications. Visual communication like a nod, smile, posture, voice and eye contact provide important indications and meanings to establish understanding of what is trying to be communicated. The usage of verbal and non-verbal communication is important when working together in a team. Global virtual teams usually lack the ability to rely on these communication manners because of their reliability on technology in order to communicate and therefore it is difficult to build cohesiveness and trust within the team. Zakaria et al. , states that: â€Å"Technology is simply a tool that needs human operations, no matter how sophisticated the technology can be, the implementation of technology has the potential to fail if insufficient considerations are given from the user perspectives† (p. 19). This brings up the topic of what is appropriate and what is not when communicating to and within global virtual teams. In the majority of information and communicated technology-mediated environments where team members are dispersed geographically and are culturally diverse, the usual form of communication is electronically, and the preferred language of use is English. Studies have shown that native and non-native English speakers exhibit culture-based differences in meanings of terminology, structure and format. A key example of this is the usage of terms and slang. When members use terms and slang words, the intended meaning can be obscured due to cultural differences and can hinder knowledge management and effectiveness. Another area for potential conflict in information communication is the actual language itself. For those teams that use English, individuals need to be aware of the English language variation in intra-team electronic communication. This particularly pertains to the tone, style, formality, salutations and closings and that they need to be aware that there are substantial sociolinguistic and grammatical variations within the global English-speaking community and will have a significant impact on intra-team communications. In order to successfully facilitate the cross-cultural collaboration and communication, the team members must be aware of these subtle differences and acknowledge them when relaying organizational messages. Since the use of electronic communication technology has the capacity to reduce or overcome certain cultural challenges within a global virtual team, these forms of technologies can facilitate intra-team interaction. It also introduces a shared-framework, a virtual work setting that can build intra-team respect, trust, reciprocity and positive individual and group relationships. Therefore, understanding the communication and behavioral differences when communicating electronically to the team members can put the team in the position to work through the challenges that lie within a global virtual team. The Importance of Developing Trust For global virtual teams, building trust is one of the essential factors in developing a successful team. Since global virtual teams consist of many cultures that make up the entity as well as a geographically dispersed entity, there is a high risk of potential misunderstandings and mistrust. So the question that many virtual teams face is how to develop trust. Many researchers contend that in order to develop trust, a group must facilitate face to face interactions in order to build trust. These face to face interactions allow people to relate to each other or â€Å"click† as many of the new generation say. However, this may not have enough grounds to develop strong trust within a team if the members do not understand each other and/or the nature of the team itself. As Roberts observed, â€Å"the development of trust, whether on a local or international basis, requires more than face to face contact or its technological and spatially indifferent substitute video-conferencing ellipses, trust depends on the sharing of a set of socially embedded values, cultural institutions and expectations† (Roberts, 2000, p. 6). In order for global virtual teams to be effective, there must be intra-group trust as well as trust between management and team members and vice versa. Jarvenpaa, S. L. , and Leidner, D. E. 1999) infer that virtual teams have no time to gradually develop trust and therefore require a high degree of â€Å"swift trust† to be demonstrated by enthusiastic and proactive team members’ behaviors. So how do cross-cultural members form swift trust? Jarvenpaa and Leidner suggest that the virtual team members would import the expectations of trust from other settings that they are familiar with. It is also important to note tha t if an individual team member’s cultural stereotypes are flawed, biased or incomplete, this technique may be problematic. Once communication is developed between members, trust could be maintained by actions that are highly dynamic, proactive and enthusiastic. Such active communication must be premised on accurate cultural knowledge to be effective. Therefore swift trust is made possible because when cross-cultural teams work in a virtual environment, they bring their knowledge, competence and expertise not only to meet the goals that are set but also about the other team members’ and their cultures in order to ensure the success of the team. Not only is this necessary for the members of the team but it also necessary for the leaders of the team to establish this swift trust. As noted from Zakaria and Leidner, there are two behavioral categories that form cross-cultural trust. First, credibility where one individual believes that the other individual has the capabilities, competence, expertise and resources to make a successful exchange that meets expectations. Note that when working in cross-cultural teams, the work expectation of a person in culture A is different from the expectations of a person in culture B. This can be challenging in implementing swift trust in global virtual teams, but it can be overcome if the expectations are set by the managers or leaders and are clearly communicated to all team members. The second factor that Zakaria and Leidner discuss is benevolence, the beliefs about the emotional aspects of the referent’s behavior like positive intention to exchange. These beliefs include a referent’s good will so that they would participate in the better good of the team rather than jeopardize the exchange outcome. This may result in some challenges to the team because swift trust does not focus a lot on interpersonal relationships. Rather it places more emphasis on the initial broad social structures. Therefore in order for swift trust to be implemented successfully, team members must maintain a high level of actions, regardless of their cultural preferences and differences. But team members should also appreciate, understand and respect the cultural differences that make up the team in order to truly succeed in a global virtual team. Conclusion Through research of many articles and publishing’s regarding the topic of communication in global virtual, building trust has been the one subject that has been consistently addressed. Mockaitis, A. I. , Rose, E. L. nd Zetting, P. (2009) suggest that the development of trust in the context of multicultural global virtual teams is related to aspects of culture, conflict, task interdependence and communication. A team whose members are more collective in nature rather than distant tend to report more positive results of developing trust within the group, this impli es that culture matters. It is important for all team members to understand and respect the cultures of the other individuals. Although team members’ personal cultural values have consistent predictive power it is suggested that it displays very little value in developing trust within the group. Initially since communication amongst the team is done virtually and not face to face, it is important to establish trust among the group. But as the team develops the factors for cultural differences and diversity tend to become less important to the success of the group. The findings of Mockaitis et al. , show that cultural diversity does not appear to serve as a barrier to trust, even as differences become apparent through communication, but it can play a crucial role in developing that trust. Therefore along with cultural differences, communication is extremely important for the development of trust within a global virtual team.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Religious Healthcare Organisation

Religious Healthcare Organisation Religious Health Care Introduction I work for the firm of consulting. Religious Health Care of Middleville community have hired us to recognize and assess its strategic performance and to appraise and share concerns from the response’s that have been obtained from quite a few religious leaders in the region. These results will be shared with the CEO and the governing board. Our consulting firm has one rule, â€Å"Never present a condemnation or unconstructive finding devoid of recommending how the organization of clients’ can improve it.† There are a lot of significant elements for improving the organization’s core functions. We will describe the five (5) mainly significant elements that we sense will advantage Religious Health Care and will create an efficient and productive HCO. The governing board functions are vital and by addressing the subsequent improvements in the governing board, will have a productive and efficient HCO. The following will provide the steps to the five most significant elements that the governing board must improve upon: Selecting and operational with the CEO: selecting a CEO, instituting an efficient relationship, assess executive performance and award successes; as well evaluating policies for recruiting, compensating and developing other managers and sustaining a plan for succession of management (Griffith White, 2010). The board not merely selects and works with the CEO’s however it continues its relationships above time. Establishing the vision, mission, and values: agreeing on core values of the organization and common goals and expressing them as a directing concept (Griffith White, 2010). Approving annual budget and strategies to execute the mission: selecting the foremost lines of investment regular with the vision and mission, balancing the vision in opposition to financial realities, and approve plans for execution (Griffith White, 2010). Sustaining the eminence of care: identifying goals for effective, safe, patient-centered, efficient, timely, and equitable care and sustaining an organization that will draw and sustain the mainly competent nurses, physicians, and further caregivers (Griffith White, 2010). Monitoring outcomes for conformity to laws, goals, and regulation: reviewing progress in the direction of implementation by means of benchmarks and events in the community to recognize opportunities of improvement (Griffith White, 2010). We consider that the three (3) mainly significant areas of key performance that will construct for a well-established health care organization are: Building and maintaining a strong and responsible executive team: The mainly vital activity that Religious Health Care can carry out that would be decisive to its financial accomplishment is building and maintaining a sturdy team. It needs a team operational in the direction of the vision and mission to be thriving. No one person in all healthcare organizations, can perhaps own the intellect, insight, or knowledge base to place an organization for success by them. Interviewed executives hardly ever employ the word I. â€Å"Employ of the expression team is persistent in all we execute, from planning in the course of implementation of strategy. These endeavors are not the effect of individuals functioning alone,† says William Nelson. (Griffith White, 2010). Internal operations: capability to offer competitive service, efficiency quality,and accessibility of service. This demonstrates the expenditure of each unit’s care; it computes quality and safety of care and the relevance of rendered services (Griffith White, 2010). Cost: costs, physical counts, and resource situation. This dimension illustrates supply counts, hours of nurses, and vehicles (Griffith White, 2010). Religious can supervise in its emergency room its nursing staff performance by using the subsequent performance measures: Demand: patients number and emergencies percentage. This is calculated in the emergency room by urgent services given to every patient. Demand as well calculates such features as the variation and average in demand, delays for urgent and scheduled service and counts of disruptions or cancellations in process of scheduling (Griffith White, 2010). Satisfaction of Patient: percentage of â€Å"extremely satisfied† in opposition to the number of complaints. The satisfaction of patient is evaluated by surveys that inquire every patient’s satisfaction with the eminence of care given and patient education in relation to any concerns or symptoms. Satisfaction of Patient is evaluated by surveys that deal with such issues as reassurance, personal care, and patient education (Griffith White, 2010). Satisfaction of Physician: referring physicians and physicians attending percentage that are â€Å"extremely satisfied† in opposition to the complaints number. Satisfaction of Physician is particularly significant in view of the fact that the physician is the vertebrae of any organization; devoid of the physicians there might be no organization. This can as well be made with surveys that are completed by physicians attending who rate every physician by her or his performance; on satisfaction of patient and complaints of patient (Griffith White, 2010). By glancing at the admissions number at Religious in opposition to Samaritan’s in Middleville, Religious has fewer admission. Religious can get better on their admissions by ensuring that patients obtain quality care, making sure that every patient is taken care of in a appropriate manner, and ensure that every patient and family member is communed to on their condition and the procedures essential to the welfare of the patient. They can as well get better by doing a scrutiny of admissions; this would assist to perceive where there might be a trouble and how it can be corrected to construct the admissions percentage better. The position of Religious Health Care might be the reason that Samaritan obtains additional admittance. If patients are nearer or live nearer to one facility to a certain extent than the other, the patient will set off to the closest facility to their closeness. Religious can as well advance on their admissions by providing the finest in primary care of every patient; ensure that their facility is secure for patients by carrying out procedures of quality control and offering training for any person or persons that might not fall in compliance and offer each patient with quality care in a appropriate manner. Religious Healthcare might as well improve its image by sustaining its excellence of service by rewarding efficient devoted associates who will then continue being loyal customers. Religious can as well construct relationships with further religious groups in the society by offering free screenings of blood pressure, blood drawing clinics and conducting seminars that could encourage wellness and prevention of disease. Materials can as well be published and distributed at workplace and schools that provides advice and insights on prevention of disease and wellness. Religious Healthcare can also employ the data warehouse system to scrutinize electronic medical records, its human resources, materials management, payroll, marketing and planning, and additional information systems. Religious Health Care by means of the data warehouse, can execute internal management audits by accumulating data on satisfaction of customer, staff satisfaction, hours worked and supplies used and absenteeism,. (Griffith White, 2010) Religious Health Care will have data that would be concise and clear consecutively to manage and preserve a completely efficient health care organization. Religious Health Care can as well utilize a distinctive accounting enterprise system to carry out collections and billing; supplies management; payroll management; financial accounting and reporting; cost finding and reporting cash and investment management; and budget developments (Griffith White, 2010). The entire of these things establish if the Heath Care Organization is appropriately supervised financially. Conclusion Religious Health Care in conclusion, will be thriving in all areas by following the over recommendations consecutively to offer 100% satisfaction of customer; management will be portrayed properly and conveyed in the health care organization and the nursing staff will be executing at higher standards which will consecutively build up into loyal patients and the community are deemed in its strategies of marketing. Reference Griffin, J. R. White, K.R. (2010) The well-managed healthcare organization. (7th. Ed). Chicago: Health Administration Press.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Humanism and Clericism Of The 16th Century :: Philosophy

Humanism and Clericism Of The 16th Century The two paintings, The conversion of St. Paul by Caravaggio, and lady writing a letter with her maid by Vermeer, reflect the religious conflict between the Protestant and catholic cultures of 16th century Europe. Before we take a look at why they reflect the religious dispute, first we must know some background on what caused it. Humanism and Clericism. During the renaissance humanism stood for the intellectual attitudes of the ancient world paired with the wide acceptance of the existence of God. Humanists were interested in aesthetics, saw the usefulness of historic knowledge, and were convinced that man's main duty in life, was to enjoy his life soberly and to be active in his community. It was believed that those who studied the past would be able to lead better, more responsible lives. On the contrary, there is something called Clericism, where people believed G-d reigned supreme to all and that humanism remained useless because the mer man was worth so little. The statue of David best describes the ongoing influence of Protestant and catholic controversy on the visual arts. Michaelangelo uses David, a character from the Old Testament as his subject matter. The story goes that David, a mer man throws a stone with a slingshot at the mighty giant Goliath and kills him. (Your basic good vs. Evil.) Michaelangelo uses Clericism in this piece by incorporating a story from the bible, and on the other hand also incorporates his humanism influence into the work of art by placing himself as the character David; Giving us the impression that even the mer man can overcome his problems with knowledge of how to defeat them, instead of continually relying on the almighty to solve your problems for you. David shows the 2 conflicting views in a magnificent statue form. Another Magnificent piece of artwork is Leonardo's sketch of a man within a circle. Vitruvius adding a quote to the piece later on, "man in his perfect proportions, is the center of all things", suggests that this piece was influenced by humanism. We say this because the piece portrays a mere man as the center instead of what the catholics may haved placed, that which god would be in the center of the circle. Catholics, Priests, and church officials alike would not approve of this irrational idea and the sketch itself. A christian priest & scholar, Martin Luther, was a man of thought, as well as a man of action.

The Israel-Palestine Conflict Essay -- Middle East Politics History

Judaism and Islam are two of the world's oldest, and largest monotheistic religions. These religions share a variety of customs, beliefs, and practices. At the same time, there are enough differences that make these two clash. Even those similarities between the two have been the source of conflict for thousands of years. Although there are many conflicts going on in this particular moment in the middle east, I have chosen the ongoing conflict involving Israel and Palestine, primarily due to the death of Yasser Arafat. Primarily, I believe that unless there is a resolution of this conflict, there will never be peace in this portion of the world, and there will always exist a threat to world stability and peace. The history of the Palestinians and the Israelis date back many centuries. Judea was the home of the Jewish ancestry. Judea was conquered by the Romans and renamed Palestine. Palestine was later conquered and inhabited by the Arabs for over a thousand years. The Zionist movement arose to restore the Jews to Israel ignoring the existing Arab population. Towards the end of World War 1, the British government decided to endorse the creation of a Jewish home in Palestine. The decision was made public in a letter from Lord Arthur Balfour addressed to a lead British Zionist, Lord Rothschild. The contents of Balfour's letter which became formally known as the "Balfour Declaration." The Balfour Declaration was drafted with the assistance of United States Presisent Woodrow Wilson, who was a strong supporter of Zionism. Britain saw the need to protect the sea route to India, where most of Britain's economy relied upon. Supporting Zionism was known to be the easiest way of securing lasting British influence of the east regi... ...ty that existence can't be proven, there aren't many options for peace and soverignity. I agree excessively with Mr. Nabil Abuznaid. It takes his kind of optimism and aspirations for both sides to work in unison with each other in solving this world travesty and conflict. I strongly believe that the holy lands held by Israel and Palestine must be shared respectively and held with freedom. In order to do so, terrorist fundamentalists can not be tolerated. With the fall of Yasser Arafat, Israel must continue to rule with a leader of optimism. The United Nations must do all that is needed to work in concert with those of Israel and Arab countries. What we all must do, is educate ourselves to try to accept those of different religions and continue to look for some sort of compromise. Without doing this, there will not be a resolution to withhold world stability and peace.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Myths Created by Stories :: Personal Narrative Papers

The Myths Created by Stories Life as it now exists on Earth, including the simplest bacteria, was obviously derived from a single origin (Mayr, 40). ¡Ã‚ ± This idea of a  ¡Ã‚ °single origin ¡Ã‚ ± has been the instigating factor for the split and ongoing battle between the creationists and the evolutionists, between those who believe God created mankind, and those who believe in the pure science of evolution. It is as if believing in a single source will validate either one of the schools of thought; superiority will come when one side finally convinces the other side of their argument. I was raised Catholic. I do not remember being told any sort of evolution story. Whether this was a purposeful exclusion or a matter of forgetfulness is to be determined. I learned that in seven days God created the earth and made man. That was the story presented, and it seemed reasonable. As I grew up, it seemed more like the story of Santa Clause or the tooth fairy, something that was told to me, something I took to heart, and was years later informed of its falsity, all as a matter of forcing me into a sense of maturity. Third graders could not believe in Santa Clause. I held onto the myth because it felt good, and I received presents, and no one can argue with the positive of receiving presents. Eventually, maturity replaces the myth, and we move forward. Forgetting the stories of our childhood, or at least revising them, leads us to a forward motion, to a more adult way of being. I suppose this is what happened with my religious beliefs. I am revising them to adapt to my newfound adult way of being. To believe without fully understanding is not to completely believe, and trying to understand evolution as it is presented is difficult with the implication that it may be just another myth I will later have to come to terms with and revise. The idea of understanding is an on-going process, as the story of evolution is also an on-going process. Stories are meant to be revised. They are also meant to have a beginning, middle, and an end. The story of evolution conflicts with the concept of storytelling, of writing stories, yet it is still a story that has survived and will continue to survive. It appeals because it does not have an end.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Cruddy by Lynda Barry

Lynda Barry has provided a thoughtful, interesting, and provocative novel about Roberta Rohbeson featuring, on the surface, two diverse, but related story lines. The first is the story of Roberta as a sixteen-year-old girl and details what happened to her to cause her to be grounded for a year for dropping two hits of acid in September of 1971. It is Roberta who gives the book its name. While grounded in her room she begins to write in her diary with an ominous note of her intended suicide, â€Å"I planned this way before the drugs were a part of my life. . . .It was my idea to kill myself† (Barry two pagers before 1). This plot thread is interwoven with a more detailed sinister thread that took place five years earlier when Roberta's parents separated and, at her mother's insistence, Roberta hide in the back of her father's car and accompanied â€Å"the Father,† as she calls him, on a bloody, murderous, cross-country spree fueled by the near constant drinking by her al coholic father. The spree ended with her father as the prime suspect in the Lucky Chief Motel Massacre and with Roberta walking through the Nevada while covered with blood (Barry).It is unclear however whether either of the plot threads actually occurred within the world of the novel or whether they are the imaginings or hallucinations of a teenage girl being punished for misbehaving. Unlike many books that deal with teenage angst by portraying the protagonist as a person with a â€Å"woe is me† attitude, Cruddy distinguishes itself by not falling victim to this self-indulgent trap. Roberta is detached from her family. Like the impersonal description of her father as â€Å"the father,† Roberta's mother is called simply â€Å"the mother.† Roberta views her younger half-sister Julie with the usual contempt of teenagers who are forced to share a bedroom. Roberta has a matter of fact attitude toward the events in her life and blames no one for her actions. She remem bers and acts upon some of the philosophical aphorisms her father espouses. â€Å"DO NOT HESITATE. NEVER, NEVER HESITATE† and L. L. S. S. , (loose lips sink ships) (Barry 30, 99). The book features a large number of charcoal drawings that illustrate the accompanying text. These pictures provide the reader with the best physical description of the father.Page 22 features a portrait of a hard looking man with deep-set eyes and a cigarette drooping reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart. The picture reveals an independent man who will brook nonsense from no one and will not hesitate to use violence should the need or opportunity arise. The father's face reveals no compassion for anyone, not even his daughter Roberta whom he calls Clyde. Ostensibly the alcohol binge and crime spree of the father starts at the time of the separation of Roberta's parents.When the father discovers that Julie, the younger sister, is not his, but the child of his wife's boss he snaps because of the stress cau sed by the discovery. Combined with the apparent suicide of his father known as Old Dad, it was more than he could bear. The newspapers covering the story of the murders alleged that the father stole Roberta in the middle of the night and left a note threatening to kill Roberta if the mother calls the police or tried to find them (Barry 23). According to Roberta this is largely a fiction put on by her mother to get her picture in the paper.The real story is the mother made Roberta hide in the car and accompany her father. At the novel's beginning the father was due to inherit the family business, a well-known local meatpacking plant where he worked as a butcher and had developed a good reputation locally. Instead of leaving the business to his son Old Dad sold it â€Å"out from under† the father and left him unemployed and without funds. Allegedly Old Dad placed the money into three Samsonite suitcases none of which he gave to the father. Then Old Dad hanged himself in the me at cooler.He believes his father, Old Dad, has cheated him and that he is just getting back what was his by natural right. Allegedly much of the father's motivation lies in hopes of recovering the suitcases and the supposed money in them. However, it is difficult to determine if there is any truth at all to the story of the three suitcases of money. Supposedly the meatpacking plant was heavily mortgaged and selling the plant was necessary to pay the debts, â€Å"at least I'm not leaving you in the hole,† said Old Dad.If this were the case one would expect him to open the suitcases as he found them and make use of the money, but he does not do this. When he finds the first suitcase he merely holds it up and says, â€Å"not a scratch on it . . . It's Samsonite! We could do a [bleep] commercial† (Barry 25-38). This peculiar behavior calls into question whether this plot thread ever existed. Nonetheless with this theoretical motivation the father packs his butcher knives a nd leaves his wife. Blood has played an important role in the father's life.Although he spent time in the Navy, being a butcher was his work as a butcher that he believed that he would achieve success. He takes pride in the work he does and has hopes of challenging even the big packinghouses and that stores were going to come back and buy their meet from Rohbeson's Slaughter House (Barry 25). At the end of a workday he and his clothes were often covered with blood. He is devoted to his knives and goes so far as to name them. Little Debbie is his favorite and he gives it to Roberta to protect herself. The nature of the father's profession was inherently violent.The violence manifests itself throughout the novel. He kills people in a variety of ways including homicide by car and shooting people. When Roberta is injured and receives a small cut on her finger that becomes infected, he casually uses Little Debbie to remove the finger at the knuckle while promising that Roberta â€Å"wou ld not feel a thing: (Barry 198). The name of the combination slaughterhouse, restaurant, and bar where they stay for a time is the Knocking Hammer, presumably a reference to a notorious method of killing beef about to be slaughtered by hitting them in the head with a hammer.The violence in the father's life also occurs in Roberta's world. Shortly after the father amputated her finger Roberta found herself thinking about killing the father and the others who live at Knocking Hammer (Barry 214). Shortly afterwards Roberta uses Little Debbie to cut the throat of the deputy sheriff while he is driving her to the institution where her father has committed her. By the end of the novel Roberta has killed her father by slicing his throat with the knife named Sheila. She also killed the others staying at the Lucky Chief Motel.Roberta has become a serial killer. It is unclear whether or not examining the father helps understand his blood thirst. By the book's end the two plot threads have vi rtually merged and it is no longer clear how much of the events in the novel actually happened. It appears likely that the thread where Roberta gets grounded for dropping acid is true. However, it is less clear the other thread occurred at all. It may be the acid induced hallucinations of Roberta. It may be a story made up to entertain her friend Vicky.Both threads may be the imaginary world of a teenager trying to get back at her parents for grounding her for a year by imagining one of them an unfit mother and the father as a homicidal, alcoholic maniac. The novel works in all of these fashions and leaves the reader unsure just what is what. In any case the world where Roberta lives, whether it is real, imaginary, or the product of drug-induced delusions is a violent one. Works Cited Barry, Lynda. Cruddy: An Illustrated Novel. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Analytical Examination Essay

This paper will analyze about the RA 10354 also called Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. This essay will present a short history of the law here in the Philippines until it become enacted and implemented. This will discuss the major provisions of the law together with its important contents ranging from health care to contraception. This will also discuss the issues that are connected to this law while it was a bill such as maternal death, early pregnancy, premarital sex, poverty and population and reproductive health education. Issues concerned with legislation of the bill such as the necessity and morality of the bill and its contents like contraception and reproductive health education will be especially presented. Other news which may have affected the support for the bill will be also presented and analyzed. This will also present the major groups that approve or oppose the said law together with their reasons why they want or are against the said law. This will also talk about the actions those groups have taken for or against the law which may have affected the support for the bill’s implementation. This is also concerned with the voices of certain world organizations such as UNESCO and WHO on reproductive health education and the stand of the Church on the matter about contraception, self-continence and marriage. This will be concerned about their statement about the matter and the doctrines and values they adhere with. Summary Since its first proposition on 1988, the Reproductive Health Bill experienced many debates if it was really needed here in the Philippines. The proposition was changed and improved by a number of proponents many times but was mostly neglected. Then, a similar bill was also introduced in the first regular session of the 14th Congress by Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, Jannette L. Garin, Narciso D. Santiago III, Mark Llandro Mendoza, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel and Elandro Jesus F. Madrona that was known as House Bill 5043. Like that of the former bills, it was also disposed but its proponents never stop to improve, change and remove some parts of the former bill to create a new one. Many times Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and its principal authors would edit the bill until the Reproductive Bill of 2012 was formed. Senator Pia Cayetano was also a principal sponsor of such bill. Upon December 19, 2012, the Senate enacted the bill and on December 21, 2012, four days before Christmas His Presidency, Benigno Aquino III signed the bill and was to be implemented fifteen days after its official publication. The law was known as RA 10354 or Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. Its major provisions are to promote and have access to reproductive health care and methods that are legal and safe, to promote family planning methods and responsible parenthood, to counsel women who committed abortion in a humane way, to mandate reproductive health education in age appropriateness to students, to supply and maintain reproductive health services to all, to protect reproductive health rights and to penalize those who restricts or prohibits the access to reproductive health care and methods stated in this law. The law mandates the hire of skilled health professionals for maternal health care and birth attendance, seen in Sec. 5. It also promotes the upgrade of health care facilities for obstetric and newborn care as stated in Sec. 6 and to access for family planning methods especially to the poor and marginalized couple and to sexually active minors as said in Sec. 7. The law also states that â€Å"hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, injectables and other safe, legal, non-abortifacient and effective family planning products and supplies†(RA 10354, Sec. 9) should be treated in the Essential Drugs List after subjection to reputable medical associations. It also mandates the procurement and distributions of family-planning supplies and age appropriate reproductive health education, stated in Sec. 10 and 14 respectively. And lastly, to condemn any who shall prohibit the access to health care and family-planning supplies. Since its first introduction by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, this law had reaped many opposition and approval before being enacted. The pro-woman groups fought for saving the lives of woman from maternal death on the other hand the Church and other pro-life groups fought for dignity of the unborn and the sanctity of marriage. The senate itself was divided for selecting to if they will oppose or approve the bill. The Former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was known to opposed the bill and be backed upon by the Church meanwhile President Benigno Aquino III shown agreement towards the bill and expected its implementation. The pronouncement of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI to condoms also became news if the Church was open to contraception. This gave new hope for Edcel Lagman from acceptance of the Church but Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez explained that the Pope talks about health, that preventing HIV from spreading is showing compassion but the Pope doesn’t said to use condoms to prevent pregnancy. Issues also attract the said bill. First, is about the legislation of the bill, if it was really relevant here in the country with regards to overpopulation, Availability/Provisions for RH information and healthcare for mothers and children. Another issue is if the RH Bill is moral, if the Church must interfere with the State and if the government is willing to give funds to the bill. Third, is about the consequence of a widespread of contraceptives with regards to health and sexual behavior. The last is concerned in the need of sex education in the country. The CBCP together with the national Church felt that it was time to educate again its faithful and made efforts on counteracting the bill. The Church turned offering masses, praying for the enlightenment of congressmen and women and explained that principles of the bill undermine the sanctity of life and marriage. They stated that overpopulation was not the problem but corruption and the unequal distribution of people. They seek to get online, and used CBCP for Life for addressing the matter and let the Simbang Gabi 2012 be used for educating the faithful. They also made catechisms with themes regarding the RH. Meanwhile, pro-woman and pro-RH group also organize plans for the bill. They have tied violet ribbons on their arm signifying their fight against HIV-AIDS. Informed people about gender inequality, maternal deaths, teenage pregnancy and HIV-AIDS and that the bill would help minimize or eliminate such problems. UNESCO and WHO also promotes the education of youths regarding reproductive health. They state that benefits such as a delay in sexual initiation; reduction of unwanted pregnancies, child abuse and abortion; and a slower spread of HIV could be obtained. It can also induce progress to gender equity, social participation and partnership. It prepares the youths for responsibility as adults, emphasizes health promotion and can improve relevance in education systems. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church holds its deposit of faith centered on Divine Love and Unity in Marriage. Its Catechism says that Marriage is by which a man and a woman establish intimate communion for life which is ordered for the good of the spouse and the procreation and education of children,(1660, Catechism of the Catholic Church). It also states that the total reciprocal self-giving is overlaid through contraception for it is a refusal for the total giving of self through taking away openness to life,( 2370,Catechism of the Catholic Church). It states that even intercourse with a legitimate wife but taking away the power to generate life is contrary to God’s will and leaves guilt of a grave sin,(55-56, Casti Connubii). The Church also teaches the virtue of chastity, that the couple must exercise conjugal love and fidelity and that of safeguarding life form the moment of conception, (51, Gaudium et Spes). She teaches that Marriage can never justify sexual intercourse which is contraceptive which oppose to its true meaning and that artificial methods could lead to marital infidelity and lowering moral standards, reduction of woman as mere object of satisfaction and intervening of public authorities to the most personal and intimate responsibilities of couples, (14,17; Humanae Vitae). It also addresses the value of self-discipline to repel inordinate self-interests and to control the passions of the body,(21, Humanae Vitae). References Software Ecumenical Council of Vatican II. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Retrieved from CATECH01. exe Websites and Webpages Anonymous. (2012, December 21). Republic Act 10354. Retrieved from http://pcw. gov. ph/sites/default/files/documents/laws/republic_act_10354. pdf Burgonio, T. (2010, November 21). Pope’s pronouncement on condoms strengthens RH Bill – Lagman. Retrieved from http://newsinfo. inquirer. net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101121-304495/Popes-pronouncement-on-condoms-strengthens-RH-bill–Lagman Dionisio, E. R. (2012, August 8). A Guide to Arguments for and against the Reproductive Health Bill. Retrieved from http://www. adnu. edu. ph/images/A%20Guide%20to%20Arguments %20For%20and%20Against%20the%20Reproductive%20Health%20Bill. pdf Ecumenical Council of Vatican II. Gaudium et Spes. Retrieved from http://www. vatican. va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en. html Paul VI. Humanae Vitae. Retrieved from http://www. vatican. va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en. html Pius XI. Casti Connubii. Retrieved from http://www. vatican. va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_31121930_casti-connubii_en. html Sun. star. Church RH Bill. Retrieved from http://www. sunstar. com. ph/davao/weekend/church-rh-bill Saclag, D. E. D. Group asks SC to lift suspension of RH Law. Retrieved from http://www. bworldonline. com/content. php? section=Nation&title=Group-asks-SC-to-lift-suspension-of-RH-Law&id=71130 Unknown. (2012, August 14). Reproductive Health Bill, Good or Bad. Retrieved from http://behealthconsciousblog. wordpress. com/2012/08/14/reproductive-health-bill-good-or-bad/ Unknown. (2012, December 29). Republic Act 10354, Reproductive Health Act of 2012. Retrieved from http://filipinoscribe. com/2012/12/29/republic-act-10354-reproductive-health-act-of-2012/ Unknown. House Bill no. 5043, Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008. Retrieved from http://jlp-law. com/blog/full-text-of-house-bill-no-5043-reproductive-health-and-population-development-act-of-2008/ Villegas, B. M. et al. (2012, September 12) Handbook of Truths on RH Bill. Retrieved from http://cbcpforlife. com/? p=8859 Villegas, S. B. (2012, December 15). Contraception is Corruption, A Pastoral Letter on the Latest decision on the Rh Bill. Retrieved from http://cbcponline. net/v2/? p=6241 World Health Organization. Family Life, Reproductive Health and Population Education: Key Elements of a Health-Promoting School. Retrieved from http://hivaidsclearinghouse. unesco. org/search/resources/HIV%20AIDS%20231. pdf

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Case: The Law Offices of Jeter, Jackson, Guidry and Boyer Essay

The issues that are presented in this case study are not uncommon problems that happen in the working environment. It was clear from the case that the partners in the law firm worked from a style of collaboration and meeting to understand the needs of their employees. However, their growth left them needing someone to take over the day to day, yet important operations of the organization like human resources, and marketing. The partners decided to create a General Operations Manager. The partners hired someone who had a background as a longtime administrator from the insurance industry seeking a final career change. This person’s leadership style was autocratic which means â€Å"the leader makes decisions on his or her own and then announces those decisions to the group† (Bateman and Snell). Hiring a person with this type of leadership style placed the firm in jeopardy of losing excellent employees and clients. As the case stated the law firm did lose clients. When the partners learned about the problems, the new General Operations Manager told them it was normal activity for what was taking place, and that they should just wait it out. This suggestion of sit back and wait given by the GM Brad Howser put a persona out to the partners that more clients would come and the employee morale would not remain low. The partners should not sit back and wait as Brad Howser has instructed them to do. Sitting back and waiting could destroy the company quicker then it took to build it up. This could cause more clients to leave the company and employees to leave the company. The partners needed to step in and develop a plan of how to address the issues that have developed since Brad Howser has taken the GM position. First, they needed to meet with Brad Howser and express their concern about losing clients and the sinking morale among their employees. This will require explaining to Brad Howser that their desired organizational culture, one that is caring, compassionate and respectful to everyone they serve. Another issue to bring up is that the autocratic leadership style Brad presents is not matching their mission and values of the company. They will need to give Brad a chance to change or leave, just as he presented the same information to the employees if they didn’t want to change. If he chooses to stay, he will need to overturn the rules he implemented. The partners must provide Brad with their vision for the company and the initial goal of hiring of a GM for Operations, which is to help manage the different offices and to continue to grow each year. They should also reinstate flex hours for employees and at the same time reinforce their importance to the firm. Having happy employees are far more productive then having unhappy employees. Brad will have to be educated on the different tasks of the jobs to know that they are not required to be done during specific hours. Finally, to finish cleaning up the disaster created, each client will need to be contacted that received one of Brad’s letters to pay up. This will cause the partners to apologize to and ensure to their customers that this will never hap pen again. They will also have to convince their clients into coming back to their company. The leadership style needed for a General Manager-Operations position is a style that can handle participation and collaboration. A style that incorporates these characteristics is called a transformational leader. â€Å"Transformational leaders get people to transcend their personal interests for sake of the larger community† (Bateman and Snell). The transformational leader will bring excitement to a company because they have the following qualities charisma, individualized attention, the ability to delegate challenging work to deserving people, keep lines of communication open and provide one-on-one mentoring to develop people. They will also bring the following skills to a vision of where they want to take the problem presented; the ablity to communicate their vision to the all the parties involved, build trust with employees and executives and hold a positive self-regard. A person in this job that is able to be dig into the weeds and find out way to lean out the company pr ocesses. They are also able to communicate about the changes being made and why they need to be made. Also the leader must be able to meet their employees where they are and figure out how to grow them as the company grows. A leader is not a stranger to hard work and putting their needs on the back burner. The leadership style I would pick for myself would be a mix of Transformational and Transactional and this person can â€Å"achieve set goals by acting within established procedures and standards. This leader assigns specific, well-defined tasks to subordinates and requires that they fulfill their responsibilities and meet standards precisely as prescribed or agreed upon† (Inc). Transactional leadership styles are good at improving processes, setting up rules and regulations and leaning out the resources used by the company. A person with this leadership style will be good at managing smaller operations and developing areas. In transformational I like to have a vision and mission for what I am currently trying to work towards. In my work place I want everyone around me to know what the vision is that we are working towards. I can be a mix of both of these depending on the situation I would be placed in. I would seek jobs in management in the technology field, military and logistics areas. Jobs that I would avoid are ones that put me in power over large groups of people like president of the country, CEO of a company and a person who is willing to make sacrifices in pursuit of the dreams they articulate in speeches. Being a public figure is not a good job for someone with these leadership styles. I believe all leadership styles can be used in various situations but you have to find a style or styles that best fit your life balance. Works Cited Bateman, Thomas S and Scott A Snell. Management Leading & Collaborating in a Competive World. New York: The McGraw-Hill Irwin , 2013. Inc, Human Metrics. Leadership Styles . 20 January 2013 .

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

How Frequent Organisational Changes Affect Employees Essay

Today’s business world is constantly evolving. To keep up with the rapidly shifting environment, companies introduce process changes frequently within their organization to improve performance, and outdo their competition. In this memo, the pros and cons of frequent organizational changes are first investigated. By going through the effectiveness of adopting specific activities and leadership style in communicating changes, we seek to understand employees’ reaction to frequent process changes, and how it affects their work performance and attitude towards the organization. This will allow us to understand if employees learn and get better at change, or does change does irreparable damages. Pros and cons of frequent organizational changes When frequent changes are introduced, employees will grow to be accustomed to changes and eventually view it as a company culture. Therefore, whenever there is a change to be implemented, employees will be less resistance to change and accept the change. Employees will learn that changes are meant to improve their work productivity and effectiveness. Using the example of job rotation (Friedrich and Kabst, 1998) between various departments, employees will get accustomed to learning new skills which aim to increase work productivity and effectiveness. When employees are multi-skilled, job satisfaction and productivity increases and they also better understand how their work affects other employees. Employees would also feel that with more skills and knowledge, they are valuable to the company and this gives them a sense of job security. Once employees accept frequent changes, they are able to learn and use past experience of change to help them cope with stress each time new change is implemented. They can better understand change is necessary and how the change can help them perform better with confidence and increase job satisfaction. One of the frequent changes organization adopts is due to globalization. Introduction of strategy, structure and processes enable employees to become better in managing effects of globalization. In such instances, employees become adaptable and better in managing the effect of globalization. Established frequent changes will also encourage change leaders to constantly look for new ways to communicate and implement changes to employees. They can use employee participation, reward management, training and development and motivation which will help to assist employees learn and get better at change. The above positive effects are expected when employees accept changes, learn from and get better with changes. But in reality, employees are by nature resistant to change, and feel primarily stressful when changes are implemented. If employees are unable to accept change and adapt, stress increases and directly impacts their work performance, mental and physical health, and attitude towards the organization (Poole and Van de Ven, 2004), leading to irreparable damages. Employees mostly fear that if they are unable to adapt, they may lose their job. This increases stress levels and directly lead to poor work performance by the employees and lowers productivity level for the organization. Using the example of process change, such as automation through the use of machinery, organization aims to improve productivity, maintain or improve quality standard, and reduce costs. However, older employees of the organization will be resistance to use the machines and they fear that they would not be able to learn how to operate them. They would feel compelled to learn and usually take more time to learn, leading to poor work performance and lower productivity level. In the event that the older employees lose their job, previous tacit knowledge and work experience within the retrenched employees may be lost and this represents irreparable damage to the company. Stress can also lead to health problems such as hypertension and anxiety. When employees seek frequent medical attention, both short and long periods of absences away from work will further impact the organizations daily operation, resulting in poor work performance and attendance for the employees and decreasing productivity for the organizations. Organizations will not be able to recover the lost time and potential profits lost due to low productivity; these are irreparable damages to the company. In the absence where organization fail to adopt specific steps as per suggested by (Kotter, 2007), employees become less trusting and show less commitment to the company. Employee dissatisfaction would accumulate with frequent process changes being enforced onto them, resulting in lower morale and commitment towards the organization. These employees are likely to leave the company when there are better job opportunities. Organizations must than accept when large number of employees leaves, productivity level will decreases resulting in loss of income and potential profits. Organizational will also take longer time to hire and train new employees. Time lost and cost spent to rehire are irreparable damages to the organization. It can be seen that frequent process changes aims to improve a company. But the end effect is mixed. It depends on employees’ perspective to the change, and their ability to adapt. The main crux lies in how the management implements changes, and communicates to the needs of every employee. Effective Activities and leadership style For employees to learn from and get better at change and experience the benefits we discussed above, the change leader should adopt specific effective activities at the right time to effectively implement change (Kotter, 2007). There are five steps that leaders can consider (Waddell, Cummings & Worley): Motivating Change; creating a vision; developing political support; managing the transition and sustaining the momentum. Firstly, change leader should convince employees that frequent change is necessary through motivation. They can do so by creating a sense of urgency, showing employees how frequent change is a preventive measure rather than a salvation solution when they experience deep levels of hurt. Employees are also less resistance to change when they are motivated by the benefits of change. Secondly, change leaders should create a simple and concise vision to enable employees to visualize the desired outcomes through proper plans and processes. Thirdly, change leader should aim to balance the power among the various departments as it is an instinct for various departments to protect their self-interest and compete with one another for resources and influences Fourthly, change leader should facilitate a smooth transition from the organization’s current state to the desired state through activity planning, commitment planning and management structures. Change leader should have a specific activity plan that has clear instructions, action and timeline. Change leader must be committed to see the transition complete successfully. Lastly, once the changes are in progress, change leaders continue to provide the necessary resources for change. He should also have a support system for his employees in place when they face difficulties during the change. A reward system can be implemented for employees when they have successfully performed the changes that led to the desired outcomes. The reward system will encourage the employees to continue the change. Besides adopting the above five steps, a change leader should display a democratic and participative leadership instead of an autocratic leadership (Lewin, 1967), this will reduce the irreparable damages discuss above and ensure that employees learn from and get better at change. Conclusion In conclusion, employees are by nature resistant to organizational process changes but will eventually grow to be accustomed to changes and view it as a company culture. However, it is recommended that change leaders adopt a democratic leadership together with specific effective activities to effectively communicate frequent process changes. This is likely to reduce the irreparable damages and ensure that employees learn from and get better at change. References Cherry, K. Lewin’s Leadership Styles. Retrieved on 19th September 2012, from http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/leadstyles.htm Dahl, M.S. (2010), Organizational Change and Employee Stress. Friedrich, A., and Kabst, R. (1998). Functional Flexibility: Merely Reacting or Acting Strategically? Gilmore,T., Shea,G., &Useem,M. (1997) Sides effects of corporate transformation. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. Grunberg, L., Moore, S., Greenberg, E.S, &Sikora, P. (2008).The Changing Workplace and Its Effects: A Longitudinal Examination of Employee Responses at a Large Company.The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. Kotter, J.P, (2007) Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review Manns,M.L. &Rising,L. (2010). Strategies for Leading through Times of Change: Fourteen Effective Patterns to Ease an Organization through Change. Graziadio Business Review. McDonald, T.N. (2004). 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