ToK presentation Essays

ToK presentation Essays ToK presentation Paper ToK presentation Paper The result of these different perspectives in media and other sources is a stretching of information, so that it is uncertain where the real accurate stories lie. The best we can really do is to scan all the pieces of information, and compare them to each other to collect the common facts. This is why it is very hard to sieve through the false predictions on global warming to find the true answer. (change slide) A large influence in our understanding of global warming is the way in which Global Warming is presented in the media. The first theory is most often in the media, partly because it is the easiest idea to understand and it gives hope that there is a way to save the planet from its fate. Plus, its just generally better known. The other two theories are less well known as the media chooses not to advertise it as much. Even among the scientific world, these two theories are given little credit however given the evidence that there is from studying the earths past and the changes and the global events that took place, it is more creditable to believe that global warming is a natural occurrence. The majority of the people in developed countries refer to the media for information in one way or another; newspapers, news on the television or radio, the internet, and despite many media sources are supposed to be realistic, many of them are biased to one point of view over another, effecting our own opinions. The Media is a dangerous thing. It can highlight different perspectives, or project false information into societies. For example one of the key tools of a dictator, or a similar state, is to use media to indoctrinate the public onto their side. Schoolbooks were given an anti-Jewish spin under Goebbels propaganda campaign. Radio stations played Hitlers speeches over and over again; books that argued with any of his views of policies were burnt; and the Olympic Games hosted during his time were even meant to emphasize Aryan superiority. The point is that when media is blackened by propaganda and indoctrination, the result is a complete eclipse of truth and fact, so that even the most basic of your knowledge could turn out to be wrong. The scientific facts presented before us may emphasize mans part in global warming and make us feel bad for polluting, however, it is still the most comforting idea because we have a chance (however small) to change the fate of our world. The other theories are less publicised by the media because they are harder to believe, as it is very scary. It means that even though the world has been going through this cycle for an untold amount of centuries, we will still probably change our lifestyles drastically. It may include having to not only move into places such as Antarctica, but also having to watch our greatest cities, monuments, military bases etc. being destroyed by either rising tides, or scorching climates. (change slide) There are other sources from which scientists can learn about Global Warming, for example from studying the ice in the Artic and Antarctic we can tell how much oxygen, nitrogen and carbon there was in the atmosphere millions of years ago by just looking at how much of these elements there are in the ice. An example of what can be learnt by looking at the ice is that scientists have learnt of ancient tropical forests that lie fossilised below the ice from about 50 million years ago. Also by studying rock and land formations we can learn of major natural disasters, such as the rock formations left behind from an ancient volcano in southwest China tell us what was happening in the climate 250 million years ago. The evidence found from looking at the earths history suggests that global warming is not a new concept but is perhaps a reoccurring event, and from studying the land formations we can suggest what the future holds for us. These resources for predicting the planets future are both more scientifically believable and reliable. Unlike natural resources, human records are much more unreliable because the records we have made on the climate only stretch back to the late 1650s so cannot be seen as very reliable resources as they do not account for changes before this date. From looking at the records it may seem that the hottest summers have been over the passed few years, but what about the climate before records began? Had summer temperatures increased then? We also dont know what has been missed out from these records, for example if a river flooded regularly, then this may have been thought unnecessary to be recorded, whereas this could be very important information now to aid our understanding in Global Warming. However nothing is certain and scientists may be wrong, as science is forever advancing, but one thing is certain, that the world is changing and that it can not be escaped, but to what extent the world will change scientists can not be sure. (change slide) Global warming is of increasing importance because if effect us in our everyday life. Many of us have cars (glare at Ben, India and Lottie), we also use computers and watch televisions and have a range of electrical appliances is our houses and in school. These all require electricity, or oil for cars, which our made in a non-environmentally friendly manner. (Burning fossil fuels produces high amount of carbon emissions, increasing green house effect). Rolos conclusion!!! Its violent =) Changing perspectives are difficult to accept fully, as many people have a set point of view and have difficulty exploring different theories and admitting that they might be true as well. This is often because of human nature and isnt consciously our fault. However its important to broaden our horizons? and to look into alternative reasons as this allows us to learn more about ourselves and our planet. Different perspectives allow us to explore different solutions and outcomes to a situation, enabling us a better understanding of the knowledge issue. This helps us predict the most likely future as it shows we have considered all possibilities. However it is often hard to know what to believe with all the theories available. One theory can sound more logical and safe to believe but can be less scientifically correct, for example it is generally believed that the greenhouse effect is the cause of global warming, however if we dig a little deeper the more scientific, harder to understand theories begin to emerge, for example that it is actually the sun or past atmospheric changes which may be the cause. These theories are more difficult to accept because they are not the reasons we would expect or predict to be the cause, not necessarily because they are more complex science. The media also has an influence in what we believe because it exploits some ideas more than others. The more comfortable theories and narrow mindedness can often cause our perception of truth to blur. Fear can also so play on our emotions, as fear has a large influence on our actions and beliefs. The idea that the end of the world, as we know it, is nigh is, in reality, a terrifying idea. That fact there is nothing we can do about it is even scarier. Blame can be a way of softening the condemned future, as if we blame ourselves, from using too much CO2, climate change is a lot easier to accept. By blaming ourselves it is easier to say I dont care and we can say its our fault and we will get what we deserve. But to say it is actually the suns ever increasing temperature and the result of the recession of an ice age, is scary and leaves us with a sense of helplessness and a loss of hope. Just because there is proof for a theory doesnt necessarily mean it is true. If you correlate the number of crimes and the number of policemen in a number of towns, and crime increases as does the number of policemen, does it mean it is the increased number of policemen that cause the extra crime? No. Just because there is a relationship between two sets of data, doesnt mean they are directly related. Therefore just because temperature increases as does the amount of CO2 emissions, doesnt prove it is actually the increase in CO2 which is causing the temperature rise. Despite the fact we arent certain of what is causing global warming, there is strong evidence to suggest that the climate is getting warmer and that there is no escaping some climate change. It is inescapably clear that this is happening, however the reason and our part in it is not clear. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge section.

Spiracles Aid in Breathing on Fish, Whales, and Insects

Spiracles Aid in Breathing on Fish, Whales, and Insects Spiracles are breathing openings found on the surface of insects, certain  cartilaginous fish  such as certain species of  sharks, and stingrays. Hammerheads and  chimeras dont have spiracles. In fish, spiracles are composed of a pair of openings just behind the fishs eyes that allow it to draw oxygenated water in from above without having to bring it in through the gills. The spiracles open into the fishs mouth, where water is passed over its gills for gas exchange and out of the body. Spiracles aid fish in breathing even when they are lying on the ocean bottom or when theyre buried in the sand.   Evolution of Spiracles Spiracles likely evolved from gill openings. In primitive jawless fish, spiracles were simply the first gill openings behind the mouth. This gill opening eventually separated as the jaw evolved out of the structures between it and the other gill openings. The spiracle remained as a small, hole-like opening in most cartilaginous fish. Spiracles are useful for the types of rays that bury themselves in the ocean bottom because they allow them to breathe without the aid of exposed gills. Primitive bony fish with spiracles include the sturgeon, paddlefish, bichirs, and coelacanth. Scientists also believe  that spiracles are associated with the hearing organs of frogs and some other amphibians. Examples of Spiracles Southern stingrays  are sand-dwelling sea animals that use their spiracles to breathe when they are lying on the ocean bottom. Spiracles behind the rays eyes draw in water, which is passed over the gills and expelled from its gills on its underside.  Skates, cartilaginous fish  that have a flat body and wing-like pectoral fins attached to their head, and stingrays sometimes use spiracles as their primary method of breathing, bringing oxygenated water into the gill chamber where it is exchanged for carbon dioxide. Angel sharks are large, flat-bodied sharks that bury themselves in the sand and breathe through their spiracles. They lie in wait, camouflaged,  for fish, crustaceans, and mollusks and then lunge to strike and kill them with their jaws. By pumping water in through their spiracles and out through their gills, these sharks can absorb oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide without constantly swimming, as more mobile sharks must do. Insects and Animals  With Spiracles Insects have spiracles, which allow air to move into their tracheal system. Since insects dont have lungs, they use spiracles to  exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide  with the outside air. Insects open and close their spiracles through muscle contractions.  Oxygen molecules then travel via the insects tracheal system. Each tracheal tube ends with a tracheole, where the oxygen dissolves into the tracheole fluid. The O2  then diffuses into the cells. The blowhole of the  whale  is also sometimes called a spiracle in older texts. Whales use their blowholes to take in the air and dispel carbon dioxide when they surface. Whales have lungs like other mammals rather than gills like fish. They have to breathe air, not water.

Does culture play a significant role in Business Essay

Does culture play a significant role in Business - Essay Example He defines culture as the patterns of feeling, thinking as well as the acting programs of the human brain. Though definitions may be numerous, they get united at a certain point where they imply beliefs, patterns and human behaviors which are made and then transmitted. (Barger, 2007) This study is therefore, set out to discuss culture and more particularly in the context of business. To this, a vivid answer will be given in the pursuit of answering the thesis question, â€Å"Does culture play a significant role in business?† Culture is vital to economies, organizations and societies alike. This is since it ensures a competitive edge to all these stakeholders. Thus, no single business organization can sideline the significance of culture especially where the aspects in context make the management successful. The understanding of the role of culture has especially been of high importance where the given business desires to carry out international operations. Though, culture was a non-issue in business in the past, it has become a core factor in business focus. A major challenge befalls the management while building the synergy of both the cultural differences setting people apart and at the same time anchoring their competitive edge. To enhance change, it calls for the functioning of small work groups of persons with an influence, vision as well as determination. As a team, the individuals help in implementing and furthering the cultural competence in the workforce of a business in entirety. There are essential cultural variables, though. Firstly, there is self-awareness. There is need to concentrate upon the development of knowledge and self-awareness of a people’s preferences of culture. Here there is the importance of understanding one’s cultural attitudes, values and beliefs, how these aspects reflect in one’s behavior, how they impact on the

How Raising a Child with High Self-Esteem Leads to Raising Narcissism Essay

How Raising a Child with High Self-Esteem Leads to Raising Narcissism - Essay Example On the hand, narcissism is a feeling of indifference, selfishness, egoism, or elitism to the disadvantage of others. There have been various definitions of the relationship between self-esteem and narcissism. This essay will show how raising a child with high self-esteem leads to raising narcissism. It will also show how high self-esteem leads to a lousy performance and the fact that they cannot combine well. The essay will achieve this by focusing on the article’s effective argument. There is a link between high self-esteem and narcissism. While having self-esteem is very fundamental in the growth of any child, parents know that egoism that closes relates to narcissism is detrimental. It is arguably true that people with high self-esteem are generally narcissist. This is because, most of the people with high self -esteem show it and would like everybody to recognize them. Indeed the issue is always about them, their achievements, character, their well-being, their interests, and such. Actually, raising a child with high self-esteem will always lead them to show their ego, elitism, indifference, and selfless as they believe they are the best and such everybody should praise them. Indeed, high self-esteem promotes narcissism. However, this correlation does not exist explicitly since in countries like Asia issues of self and ego do not surface from childhood. However, in America, where the children feel they are superior to other children in the world, raising high achievers will high achievers will create narcissist. Indeed, a survey from San Diego State University notes that too much self-regard/high-esteem has resulted in college campuses full of narcissists. On the contrary, people with low self-esteem will value themselves less in the society and as such will not have the guts to brag, remain indifferent, or exercise selfless since they would fear critics.  Ã‚  

The Smoking of Tobacco Essay Example for Free

The Smoking of Tobacco Essay The smoking of tobacco became prevalent early in this century. The production of flue-cured tobacco, the development of cigarette rolling machines, and a public health concern over tuberculosis germs being spread through the cuspidors associated with snuff and chewing tobacco, all contributed to an increase in cigarette smoking. As smoking became more common, health problems emerged which seemed to be related to smoking. In the 1950’s, sir Richard Doll, a British researcher, studied the smoking habits of more than 34,000 physicians and found a strong correlation between smoking and disease. Throughout the 1950’s, research data on the effects of tobacco on human health hazard of sufficient importance in the United States to warrant appropriate remedial action. Since then, each Surgeon General has spoken out against smoking; the current Surgeon General proclaims smoking to be the number one preventable cause of disease and death. Medical science is in general agreement that use of tobacco endangers one’s health. Lung Cancer was the first health effect to be linked to smoking. Subsequent research has linked tobacco usage to heart disease, emphysema, and several other forms of cancer. Recent research has even suggested harmful effects to unborn children of smokers and to those non-smokers exposed to the side-smoke of smokers. One of the benefits of a free society is the freedom of choice for adults, so long as this freedom does not deprive other persons of their freedom The decision to smoke might appear to be one of those choices, since it is usually through that the health risks of smoking are borne largely by the individuals making the choice. Factors that complicate the simplicity of this argument are: 1) Smoking is a social custom and when one person smokes, other persons in the area are exposed to the smoke. 2) Adult smoking habits provide a powerful modeling which affects the habits of children and youth. 3) Society must bear some of the social cost (increased insurance premiums and various tax burdens) of death and disability brought about by the use of tobacco. The tobacco plant  is believed to have originated in the Western Hemisphere. The cultivated species most often grown for North American and European tobacco products is Nicotiana tabacum. The leaves of the plant are prepared for smoking, chewing, or sniffing. In addition nicotine tobacco contains over 19 known carcinogens (most collectively known as tar) and more than 2,000 chemicals. Prior to European influence in the Americas, tobacco was used by the Indians of Mexico and Peru for ceremonies, medicinal purposes, and to alleviate Error! Bookmark not defined. pangs during famines. Columbus is credited with introducing tobacco into Europe. Tobacco use became widely accepted by the Portuguese, Spanish, French, British, and Scandinavians. Explorers and sailors who became dependent upon tobacco began planting seeds at their ports of call, introducing the product into other parts of Europe and Asia.

Roller Coaster Physics :: physics amusement theme park

Undoubtedly roller coasters are the kings of amusements parks. Whether you enjoy a older, rickety wooden roller coaster with its thrill of positive and negative G's and a fairly wobbly feeling. Or, you prepher something newer, a tube steel roller coaster. A coaster that is faster, one that includes death defying speeds, hairpin turns, and of course the crï ¿ ½me de la crï ¿ ½me, loop de loops. However, regardless of you personal tastes and preferences, through exploring this page you will find that all roller coasters are indeed bound by the same fundamental laws. Laws that govern everything in our daily lives, the laws of physics. While exploring this paper, please remember this simple fact: Roller coasters are fast, they're fun, they're exciting, but above all, they're PHYSICS! The basic physics that apply to roller coasters can be seen when we examine some of the simple thrills of roller coasters: * The relation between Height and speed * Positive and Negative G's * The corkscrew * The loop de loop Some of you out there might be wondering, what exactly I mean that when I say that there is energy associated with roller coasters? And the answer is very simple, although roller coasters don't produce, or use energy as most people today would define it--electricity. They do posses what physicists call kinetic (or mechanical) energy, which is the energy of motion and is defined with the equation: K= ½mv ² which is read: ï ¿ ½Kinetic Energy equals one-half mass times velocity squared.ï ¿ ½ However, there is another type of energy associated with roller coasters, and that is gravitational potential energy, which is simply the energy that the roller coaster has due to its position above the earth, and has the formula: U=mgh which is read: "Potential Energy equals mass times velocity times height." Then, when we take into account the First law of thermodynamics (also called the conservation law), seen below: The First Law Of Thermodynamics: ï ¿ ½Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it can not be created or destroyed.ï ¿ ½ click here to see the source page. So, after taking thermodynamics into account we see that at any given point during the roller coasters ride, (granted we are using a traditional roller coaster in which there are no extra chains, or engines to lift it other than the first hill, and that friction is negligible) we see that:

Oliver finds happiness and security Essay

Through Fagin, Oliver is made to work for Bill Sikes. Oliver is shot helping Sikes to burgle the house of a Mrs Maylie, Sikes escapes but Oliver is cared for by Rose and Mrs Maylie. Bill Sikes is another major bully within the novel, Oliver Twist. Nancy who is his mistress is also a victim of Sikes. Bill Sikes character is brutal, aggressive and violent. One major event when we see Sikes as a brutal bully is when he murders Nancy. Dickens shows this hatred by using these words ‘there was a fire in the eyes of both’ this is a metaphor it suggests a burning passion of hatred. Throughout the chapter when Nancy is murdered, Sikes is referred to as ‘the robber’, the housebreaker and the murderer’. As Sikes arrives at his house ‘Without one pause, or moments’ consideration; without once turning his head to the right or left, or raising his eyes to the sky, or lowering them to the ground, but looking straight before him with savage resolution his teeth so lightly compressed that the strained jaw seemed starting through his skin, the robber held on his headlong course, nor muttered a word, nor relaxed a muscle until he reached his own door.’ During this section, Dickens uses no full stops, but internal punctuation effectively. Sikes is apprehensive to what may be on the other side. By using this type of text, Dickens builds up speed, tension and anticipation for the reader. Dickens does this again when describing in detail when ‘he opened it softly ‘lifting a heavy table against it’ double locked the door.’ This makes the reader want to know what is about to happen. Dickens highlights bullying by using commands ‘Get up, Get up’ this is a command, which suggests aggression and violence. The word ‘murderer’ is used which suggests he has already killed Nancy, but Sikes again,’ seized a heavy club and struck her down’. Sikes striking Nancy with a club seems to be unnecessary as she is already dead. This is the climax of Sikes bullying he has resorted to murdering. Bill refers to Nancy as a ‘She Devil’. In her dying moments she shows her innocent side by praying, by ‘on her knees and ‘as high towards heaven as her feeble strength.’ The reader gets a sense of goodness against evilness. The reader again sympathises with Nancy as she is murdered while Dickens emphasises Sikes evil ways. Bill Sikes runs away from the scene of the crime which shows that ultimately he is a coward, and his conscience finally dawns on him. After Nancy’s death Dickens uses superlatives to show the reader how cruel Sikes crime is, he uses powerful words like ‘worst’, ‘foulest’ and ‘most cruel’. Bullying is again highlighted throughout this section. Here though, Dickens has highlighted a different type of bullying. It is immediate bullying that is used. Sikes performed a nasty and brutal murder. Dickens uses a metaphor of the weather to contrast the murder, it is an ironic contrast though, as sun brings new life but it can not bring Nancy back to life. ‘The sun, the bright sun’ shows Bill Sikes truly as a vicious bully.  Towards the end of the novel both Bill Sikes and Fagin die, while Oliver finds happiness and security.  The book makes the reader aware of Victorian society, the sheer terror of the workhouse and bullying within that society. Charles Dickens uses a range of techniques to present the bullies within the novel. He uses a wide range of language, sarcasm and irony throughout. Charles Dickens emphasises many types of bullying and throughout his novel highlights episodes of violence and bullying which most of Victorian society accepted.

Moral Dilemma

Amy is a sweet six year old girl from our neighborhood and she had always played with my dog when she got home from preschool. I was friends with her mother and she was already familiar with me which meant that I did not have to establish rapport to interview her. I sought permission from the parents if I may use her responses to a moral dilemma in my course assignments and they gave their consent. Amy is a precocious child, she likes to play with the neighborhood kids and she can argue even with those older than her when she wants to prove a point. I was trying to devise a moral dilemma that was fitted for her age and reality and I thought of using my dog in it so she would be more able to relate. One afternoon, right after school, I asked Amy the following: Suppose you were playing in this yard, and you saw that Boo had been wandering in the neighbor’s lawn and you saw him made a mess in the lawn. You know that the neighbors might get angry with it but since you really love Boo and he might get in to trouble if you tell the neighbors that he made a mess in their lawn you do not say anything. Now that the neighbors had found out about it and they suspected that the other neighbor’s dog did it and they were actually going to have the dog arrested. What would you do? After some thought, Amy asked me whether the police would really arrest the dog after making a mess in the neighbor’s backyard and although I was actually trying hard not to laugh, I told her that in this city they do. Amy fell silent and thought for a while, and then she said, I  guess I have to tell because the police will find out and I might get arrested too. I then asked her, what if the police question you; will you tell then or not? Amy replied that she would not lie  because God would be angry with her. I also told her, what if the neighbor’s won’t be angry, will she still tell? Amy replied that she would not because no one had asked her and she would not want Boo to get into trouble. I also asked her whether what Boo did was bad and does she not think not telling I bad? Amy said that what Boo did was not wrong or bad because dogs are really like that and she did not think that not telling was bad either because no one asked her. I must admit that Amy’s responses had me confused and I was reading Kohlberg’s moral stages of development and I tried to determine at what stage Amy was, even if she was just 6 years old, she had some pretty logical responses like when she said that Boo was not bad because dogs really do mess on lawns and that she was not bad because she did not lie at all, it was that no one asked her. She made it clear that if someone asks her, then she would tell the truth because she would not want God to be angry with her. Using Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, I will try to examine Amy’s responses fully. According to Kohlberg, moral development proceeds in a successive pattern and each moral reasoning is distinct from the other, although some people may resort to an earlier moral reasoning stage to examine a moral dilemma (Boyd & Bee, 2006). For example, a child is said to be in the first stage of moral development which Kohlberg calls precoventional morality and wherein the child’s moral reasoning is determined by punishment and authority. An older child  may be oriented towards conventional morality where a certain amount of goodness is ascribed to actions that benefit family members or society would still use the authority and punishment orientation if the situation presents itself. With Amy’s responses it is clear that she was still in the first stage. She was not going to lie because God would be angry with her, this to her meant that God punishes all children who lie and since God is all knowing and sees her actions then God would be able to tell whether she was saying the truth or not. This clearly indicates the orientation to think in terms of authority and punishment. Amy was more likely to have been told numerous times that lying is bad and even if no one would know that one is lying, God is able to tell who is lying or not thus it does not make sense to lie at all. It is also noteworthy that Amy uses the word lie to not saying the truth but to refer to not saying anything as not telling. This implies that Amy is able to distinguish to a certain degree when a wrong is committed, lying is bad but not telling is not bad. An older child might argue that not telling is the same as lying but then it is probably an influence of Amy’s environment and the people she interact with. On the other hand, when Amy said that Boo was not wrong at all because he was a dog and dog naturally make messes in the lawn tells me that she actually has a fairly good idea about how man and animals are different and how dogs are not governed by the moral reasoning of man (Sandstrom, Martin & Fine, 2006). This is actually reflects the second stage in Kohlberg’s reasoning, although the subject is Boo, it still shows that Amy is able to discern that punishment is a risk that one has to avoid. For example, she said that she did not want Boo to get into to  trouble so she would not tell. This meant that she did not want Boo to be punished and she has a role in it, but if she was going to be the one punished or someone else’s dog then that would not be right and therefore she just have to say the truth so she won’t get punished. Amy also was probably in the outset of the third stage of moral development, she was trying to protect Boo and had given Boo a sense of identity and feelings by saying that Boo would be in trouble and arresting Boo would not be right. Amy was maintaining good interpersonal relationships, she thought that by protecting Boo she was being good to Boo and since she liked Boo she was obligated to protect Boo’s welfare. However, since she argued that if someone asked her about Boo’s crime, she would not lie is still in the obedience stage. The whole exercise had made me think that Kohlberg was probably right in saying that moral development proceeds in distinct patterns. But I would argue that it is not as strictly hierarchical as Kohlberg claim it to be. We know that stage theories presuppose that one stage leads to another and that a person cannot be able to proceed to the next stage if he/she does not go through the first one (Crain, 2005). This is actually true, but the stages are more fluid and a person can gravitate from one stage to another. It does not indicate moral maturity or highly ethical principles but it just shows how people progress in their moral thinking. Amy at 6 years old is quite adept at making her point about lying and not lying and about being punished and God being angry with her. But it also revealed that she is capable of higher thinking processes  that are actually rational even for a 6 year old like her. Kohlberg also said that the stages of moral development is influenced by the socialization process (Kohlberg, 1986), and in effect is merely a product of how a child is socialized into thinking about what is wrong and what is right. Amy comes from a very religious family and God is an ever present element in their house that it is no wonder that Amy think of God like that. It could also be that because Amy is still young, and her parents might think that she would be more obedient to God than to other authority figures and therefore has inculcated in her mind that God punishes liars. In the end, moral development is actually more a function of how a child is reared and trained, it is the parent’s role to instill moral values and train them into thinking morally right. References Boyd, D. & Bee, H. (2006). Lifespan Development 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Crain, W. (2005). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Kohlberg, L. (1986). The Philosophy of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper and Row. Sandstrom, K., Martin, D. & Fine, G. A.   (2006). Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Roxbury Press   

Global Communications Generic Benchmarking Paper

Global Communications Generic Benchmarking Paper Benchmarking: Global Communications PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 1Running head: GENERIC BENCHMARKING: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONSGeneric Benchmarking: Global CommunicationsUniversity of PhoenixGeneric Benchmarking: Global CommunicationsAnalysisGlobal Communications is one of many companies facing tremendous economic pressure in today's market. Many companies are looking for ways to decrease costs, and increase their profits. A common practice used today is looking at the best practices of other companies to find creative ways to improve your own. This process, called generic benchmarking, has proven to be very effective. In this paper, the six companies that were examined to find solutions for Global Communications were NEC Corporation of America, Nitsuko Corporation, Sears Holding Corporation, Pier One Imports, Fed EX, and Whirlpool. Each company had their own unique issues, but was similar in the fact that they all recognized the need for change, and found creative ways to overcome their problem s, and the result was a stronger, more efficient business.Sears (Water) TowerIn trying to find the best practices of each of these companies, each one had to be closely examined. This paper will focus on the issues each company was facing, how they overcame them, and how the solutions used by these companies could be beneficial to Global Communications as well.Company SynopsisFederal Express by Ernest Adams IIIThe importance of open communications is underscored by the fact that business leaders cited good communications as the single most important factor in improving workforce productivity in another survey conducted by Watson Wyatt Worldwide (2001, Best Practices). More companies are beginning to find that people are the foundation of a company's success and FedEx is no exception. By communicating with their employees, FedEx has built a company with employees who are well informed and, in turn, perform well as a result.After earnings...

Learn How to Conjugate Tourner (to Turn) in French

Learn How to Conjugate Tourner (to Turn) in French If you guessed that the French verb  tourner  means to turn, you would be correct. The similarities between the English and French make it easy to remember. French students will be happy to know that this is a regular verb, so conjugating it isnt too difficult, either. The Basic Conjugations of  Tourner Among all the French verb conjugations you can study, tourner falls into the largest category. As a regular -er verb, the conjugation pattern you see here is the same for the majority of French verbs, including retourner (to return), tomber (to fall), and countless others. Consider studying a few at a time to make each just a little easier to remember. To begin, the indicative mood includes the basic forms of  tourner. Here you will find the present, future, and imperfect past tenses, which you will use frequently in French conversations. Start by recognizing the verb stem (or radical) as  tourn-. From there, use the chart to learn which ending is applied that corresponds to both the subject pronoun and the tense of your sentence. You will get results such as  je tourne  (I am turning) and  nous tournerons  (we will turn). Present Future Imperfect je tourne tournerai tournais tu tournes tourneras tournais il tourne tournera tournait nous tournons tournerons tournions vous tournez tournerez tourniez ils tournent tourneront tournaient The Present Participle of  Tourner As with all regular -er  verbs, the  present participle  is formed by adding  -ant  to the radical. This produces the word  tournant. Tourner  in the Compound Past Tense You will use the  past participle  tournà © and an auxiliary verb when forming the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  of  tourner. This is the compound past tense used often in French.   To form it, conjugate  avoir  to the present tense, then add  tournà ©. This results in things like  jai tournà ©Ã‚  (I turned) and  nous avons tournà ©Ã‚  (we turned). More Simple Conjugations of  Tourner Your use of  tourner  in French conversations will have a good foundation if you concentrate on the forms above. It will be even better if you know  the subjunctive  and  the conditional  forms. Each has their use in further defining your meaning: the subjunctive questions the act of turning and the conditional says its dependent on conditions. In written French, it is very likely that you will find  the passà © simple  and  the imperfect subjunctive. While they may not be used frequently, they are still good to know. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je tourne tournerais tournai tournasse tu tournes tournerais tournas tournasses il tourne tournerait tourna tournt nous tournions tournerions tournmes tournassions vous tourniez tourneriez tourntes tournassiez ils tournent tourneraient tournrent tournassent When you want to tell someone to Turn! or use  tourner  in similarly direct sentences,  the  imperative  is used. This is where you can skip the subject pronoun and simplify it to Tourne ! Imperative (tu)              tourne (nous)     Ã‚  tournons​​ (vous)        tournez

HR AND LEADERSHIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

HR AND LEADERSHIP - Essay Example DuBrin (2011) have pointed out that organizational change is organic in nature, which means that leaders and managers need to ensure that the change process includes the employees in the organizational rather than banking on resource and process deployment. Hence, it can be surmised that change management is direction oriented process, which means that, managers and in some cases leaders need to take the responsibility to move the organizational change. On the other hand, research work of DuBrin (2011) shows that organizational change can be three types, 1- strategic- which is relatively low human resource driven, 2- tactical- which is relatively high human resource driven and 3- operational- which requires extensive amount of human resource involvement. Careful observation of the research work of DuBrin (2011) shows that, whatever the strategic orientation of change management, one thing remains constant that is the involvement of managers and leaders for giving the direction to the change. Research works of previous research scholars regarding organizational change and role of leaders have forced the researcher to raise a pertinent question, is there any strategic relationship between leadership dimension and success of organizational change management process? Well, throughout the essay, the researcher will try to find answer of this question with the help theoretical argument of various research scholars and in some cases taking help of real world business cases. At this point of the essay, one thing needs to be clarified that the essay will not use any subjective view to establish the relationship between engagement of leaders and success of change management rather the study will take conjectural view on the research topic. In the next part, the study will try to understand different aspects of change management process. It is essential to know why an organization changes in order to understand how leaders and managers can help the organization to incorpo rate the change. Understanding the macro dynamics of change can help the researcher to understand why some organizations implement successful change management process while others fail to do so. The question may arise that is there any magic formulae or special skill which bifurcate winners from losers in context to change management process. Tichy (1983) has identified that leader’s capability to cope with macro environmental challenges and use organizational learning concept in order to change the existing system. According to the research work of Tichy (1983), leaders and managers need to identify three forces such as economic forces, cultural forces and political forces in order to incorporate organizational change in accordance with the magnitude of these three forces. (Source: Tichy, 1983) According to the above mentioned triangular model, organizations develop three types of systems such as technical systems, cultural systems and political system in order to incorpora te change. Gone are the days when organizations can expect that it would achieve competitive advantage by using age old technologies. Organizations have understood the fact that they need to integrate state of art technology in order to deliver better value proposition to customers, decrease cost of operation, and achieve economies of scale etc. The study will use the example of Toyota

Scientific method of colors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific method of colors - Essay Example It is interesting to know that the human mind is closely associated to colors. In fact colors have an effect on human behavior as well which is termed as color psychology. Colors have negative effects Studies have confirmed that certain color such as red is highly distractive and arousal in nature and can cause avoidance behavior is people whereas people tend to feel drowsy and sleepy when associated with the color blue (Jalil et al, 2012, p59). It is not only the emotional mind which is affected by colors but color also affect ones memory as well. Studies have shown that both consistency of colors and the right color combination helps in enhancing memory (Dzulkifli and Mustafar, 2013, p.3) Color is also associated with the mood of a person. An angry person would show more preference to colors such as orange or red while a calm person would prefer blue or green. Thus color coding for products or advertisements is often used by marketing strategists to allure consumers. Procedia-Social and Behavorial sciences, 2012,35:54-62. Retrieved from http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042812003746/1-s2.0-S1877042812003746-main.pdf?_tid=3b696f3e-582e-11e4-8f22-00000aacb35e&acdnat=1413791811_90d18bbb7bf2382abfcd1578c3788340 on 19 October,