Monday, September 30, 2019

Airbnb and Ebay Are Similar in That Both Companies

1. Airbnb and eBay are similar in that both companies run online marketplaces that ‘match’ buyers with sellers. How should Airbnb’s reputation system differ from that of eBay? Although both Airbnb and eBay provide online marketplaces to match buyers and sellers, Airbnb focuses on one specific area: online marketplace for accommodations whereas eBay runs online marketplaces in a much broader scope, from Fashion items electronics all the way to collectibles, in other words, the transactions happening on eBay everyday are related to almost every corner of our daily life.More specifically, Airbnb's customer base can be narrowed down to hosts (sellers) and guests (buyers) respectively while eBay serves everyone who performs online transactions. Also, in many cases eBay transactions occurred when the buyers purchased concrete merchandises from the sellers while Airbnb marketplaces are for virtual services accommodations. A lot of details can be put in place to describe concrete merchandises but it is much harder to do so for service like â€Å"virtual† commodities.The most direct impact of such differences regarding to the reputation system is that we need to take into account the special needs of Airbnb's special customer base in addition to what hold true to both eBay and Airbnb customers in general: people who perform online buying and selling. Some of the issues mentioned in the 2011 paper may have been fixed but the below statements are based on the description of 2011 paper for Airbnb. 1. When it comes to accommodations, we know the guest wants to know if the room the host posted satisfies his/her needs.Airbnb should provide a neutral system to rank the houses/apartments based on some standard criteria. The host can certainly brag about how good of the house is (e. g. location close to nearby grocery stores) but only those houses/apartments that satisfy the Airbnb standards can be â€Å"certified†. For example, in addition to t he number of positive/negative feedbacks a host received, Airbnb can also hire independent investigators to ensure the accommodations the hosts claim to provide do in fact have all the highlighted options available.This will increase the operational cost for Airbnb but will help the guests gain much greater confidence on the prospective accommodations. On the other hand, the hosts are also eager to make sure the guests will behave appropriately while they stay in the hosts' properties. In addition to the past records of stays that the guests have made in Airbnb, Airbnb can also work with partners (such as travel agencies, hotel chains, credit history investigation agencies) to get more information about the guests.Airbnb can also hold certain amount of money during the stay of the guest and release the money if the host confirms no damage happened or such. In fact, keeping the house/apartment in good condition should be one of the standard feedback items that the host can provide to the guest. 2. To make the reputation system works better, the feedback on both hosts and guests should be standardized (the feedback providers are certainly welcome to provide additional comments though) rather than free-formed so that more objective evaluation can be made. . An award and penalty process can be integrated into the reputation system so â€Å"good† hosts and guests will be awarded (e. g. paying less Airbnb fees or cash rewards) and â€Å"bad† ones will be penalized (e. g. paying more Airbnb fees all the way to terminate accounts). This additional incentive can help motivate both hosts and guests do better whenever they can. 4. Airbnb needs to provide a worry free evaluation process for both hosts and guests.Specifically, the hosts hesitate to give negative feedbacks to the guests as the guests may in turn provide negative feedbacks to the hosts as well. The same applies when the guests are providing feedbacks to the hosts. Some technical way can prevent this from happening. For example, a guest can only see the feedback from the host after the guest successfully submitted his/her feedback to the same host.In summary, instead of completing the transaction right after the buyer paid the money, the Airbnb transaction should last during the whole course from the time a guest submits the accommodation request to the time the feedbacks from both hosts and guests have been submitted and approved. Such long-living transaction essence should be reflected in the reputation system so that each stage of the transaction is well defined and well evaluated. The reputation system can become more reliable if the aforementioned steps are implemented.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Marketing promotional strategies Essay

For this task I have chosen to write about Ben and Jerrys and Haagen-Dazs ice cream. These are two rival brands at the top end of the market. I decided to write about ice cream because it is very popular and there is lots of information available about them. They also both have good marketing and promotional strategies. I chose to write about Haagen-Dazs, as it is the best known ice cream. It is the number one super premium ice cream with 43 % of the market share. It is quite expensive as it is about  £5 for a carton on the ice cream but it is very nice. It is made with natural ingredients and its flavours are Chocolate, Butter Pecan and Cherry Vanilla. It was first made over 40 years ago. Haagen-Dazs uses the finest and purest ingredients. Ben and Jerrys is also at the top end of the market but it is a newer brand as it was first made in 1978. It has 39% of the market share and is the number two brand. It costs a little bit less than Haagen-Dazs as well. The price is still quite expensive though as all the products used are bought from minority and disadvantaged workers. It has a more fun image and has flavours such as Phish Food, Berry Nice and Cherry Garcia. It is aimed more towards young people than Haagen-Dazs is. It is aimed at young men and women in their teens, twenties and thirties with a high disposable income. Although these products are both at the top end of the market and are luxury ice creams they have very different approaches to their marketing and promotional strategies. Ben and Jerrys is marketed as a fun brand. It aims to try and attract younger people than Haagen-Dazs. This is shown by the names of its ice cream flavours and also by the design of the packet. Haagen-Dazs has a more sophisticated image and it has a more grown-up carton. It is aimed more towards older people, for example, people in their late 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Marketing Promotional Strategies Marketing Mix and Promotion has four main aims. It is known as AIDA. It sums up the purpose of communication with customers through promotions. A companies Unique Selling Point (USP) is what they use to make them different to other companies who are selling the same things as them. Ben and Jerrys have got a laid back image but they also have a social awareness. When Ben and Jerry first started their company, they started the concept of giving back to the community as a whole. They make sure that the milk they use is bought from Vermont farmers and they buy the brownies they use in some of their ice creams from disadvantaged workers. They also give 7.5% of their profit away to help social and environmental causes. This is their Unique Selling Point. Haagen-Dazs USP is that they are an ice cream aimed at adults that uses only the finest ingredients. They market themselves as the ultimate in luxury and extravagance. There are lots of different types of media that can be used to advertise products. These are the mass media: television, radio, cinema and the internet. There is also billboards, magazines, planes and product placement. Local media can also be used and this is notice boards, shop windows and public places. These influence buyer behaviour by persuading them to buy the product they are advertising. Haagen-Dazs has a lot of advertising. They advertise at cinemas and also on the television. They also have magazine and billboard advertisements. They advertise themselves as being a luxury ice cream and have started a new advertising campaign – â€Å"Made for Movies†. This is going along with a special offer at Blockbuster videos where they offer free video rentals. When Haagen-Dazs first started in England they had a word of mouth campaign to make them seem very credible. They had marketed it as an upmarket product and at first it was only sold in upmarket shops. They ran advertisements in magazines like Vogue in order to attract the right sort of audience they wanted. Haagen-Dazs used AIDA to drip feed information in order to get peoples attention. Most people wouldn’t be able to buy it at first though because they didn’t shop at the right shops and it was expensive but after a while they started selling it at lots of shops. People bought Haagen-Dazs because they wanted to see what all the fuss was about and if it really was as good as other people said. Ben and Jerrys also advertise their products but not as much as Haagen-Dazs. They do not have any television advertising at the moment; neither do they have any magazine adverts. They have a lot of promotional evens however, such as buses that go round universities and offer free tasting days. Ben and Jerrys is often bringing out new flavours of ice cream and often has a â€Å"Flavour of the Month† They also stop making flavours that are not selling well. This is so customers do not get bored of the same thing. They advertise these new flavours in magazines and on billboards and people are keen to try what these new flavours taste like. They also advertise that they give a percentage of their profits to charity and the Ben and Jerry Foundation and this is used to gain customers. Both Ben and Jerrys and Haagen-Dazs have an upmarket image and at the moment they are the only two ice-cream brands to have this image. People would rather buy the more expensive brand and get the image that goes with it than buy a cheaper ice-cream which tastes just as good because they don’t get the image that is associated with it.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Constructivist Epistemologies Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Literature review

Constructivist Epistemologies Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Theory of Human Development in Contemporary Psychology - Literature review Example Piaget’s development of a framework for a constructivist epistemology as well as the need for the expression of this in a theory of social psychology can be seen as a fundamental influence on the development of Bronfenbrenner’s ‘Ecological Systems Theory’.1 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 I. Introduction 3 II. Constructivist Epistemology 5 III. Cognitive Synthesis & Knowledge Processing 7 IV. The Social Construction of Knowledge 8 V. The Role of Education in Knowledge Construction & Personal Development 10 VI. Ecology, Psychology, and Systems Theory 12 VII. Conclusion 14 15 VIII. References 15 â€Å"Ecological systems theory is an approach to study of human development that consists of the 'scientific study of the progressive, mutual accommodation, throughout the life course, between an active, growing human being, and the changing properties of the immediate settings in which the developing person lives, as this process is affected by the relations between these settings, and by the larger contexts in which the settings are embedded.† â€Å"Making Human Beings Human: Bioecological Perspectives on Human Development† + Urie Bronfenbrenner (2005, p.107) I. ... In the â€Å"Handbook of Child Psychology: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development† (2006), William Damon and Richard M. Lerner make the statement that "the self is a personal epistemology," which in its simplicity has profound implications for the approach to psychological methodology, a theory of knowledge, and also personal identity. (Damon & Lerner, 2006) Bronfenbrenner’s ‘Ecological Systems Theory’ of human development is based in a constructivist epistemology that explains personal development through interweaving environments that relate to knowledge systems in the family, school, workplace, culture, and history. Learning, memory, thinking, and behavior all include aspects of the way the mind apprehends, processes, and applies knowledge systems to the environment. In basing psychological methodology on a constructivist epistemology, a phenomenological approach to understanding human development through language, knowledge, and behavioral patte rn conditioning related to systems theory is proposed by Bronfenbrenner. Damon & Lerner (2006) cite the following studies as psychological references for the understanding of the self as a â€Å"personal epistemology†, the diversity accentuating the range of ‘Ecological Systems Theory’ in practical application: The â€Å"McMaster Model of Family Functioning† (NB Epstein, DS Bishop - Family Studies Review, 1984 – also: 1973, 1981, 1991) â€Å"Implicit Social Cognition: Attitudes, Self-esteem, and Stereotypes† (AG Greenwald, Psychological Review, 1995) â€Å"The Psychology of Personal Constructs - Vols. 1 & 2† (GA Kelly, New York: Norton: 1955) â€Å"The Self in Thought and Memory† (H Markus – ‘The Self in

Friday, September 27, 2019

Phase 2 - International Law and Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Phase 2 - International Law and Business - Essay Example Several legal as well as ethical guidelines have been created for the protection of environment. One such legal guideline is Clean Air Act which was enacted during the period of 1970 (Www2.epa.gov, 2014). Under this act the EPA is required to create (National Ambient Air Quality Standards) NAAQS and its purpose was even to have separate NAAQS in all the states of United States by the period of 1975 (Www2.epa.gov, 2014). The main aim of any organization is to ensure that shareholder value is increased and in order to increase the shareholder’s value, a company needs to ensure that it continues to perform its business in a profitable manner. Keeping the profitability of the company in mind, the company needs to give importance to protection of the environment as if due to their activities environment is damaged then the chances of them facing costly law suits may increase and they may even be disliked by the consumers due to which they may loose customers and experience

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Portrait photographer interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Portrait photographer interview - Essay Example instructor. I come from a family of six children, I am the third born in the family, and I have three children, Sarah, Samuelle, and Susan (Somerstein 1). I am also a professional Portrait Photographer discovered as a little girl. I took my very first photos during the Vietnam War, and since then I have been hooked on photography (Somerstein 1). I became a professional photographer back in 1970, when the Rolling Stones magazine looked at my work and decided to sign me on as their photographer. the world. Photography is my life. When I take a photograph, I feel an essence of communication between me and the person am taking the photograph of. It is a new learning experience for me every time. publicly accepted photograph was that of John Lennon during my time at Rolling stones, it would be safe to say that I â€Å"made it† in the 1980s, which was ten years after I started working professionally. So it took me around ten years before I got my big break. because, when I like something or someone, I take a photo of them. To me portrait photography is the best way to get to know people better, to communicate with them, and learn more about them. Portrait photography is reality, which is what I want to experience when I take photographs to photography, photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Frank Robert were my biggest influence (Somerstein 1). They have a way of using their photography as a toll for personal reportage. The photographs they take are merely a report of what is, no additions, no subtractions, just a graphical representation of reality. Stones magazine and Vanity Fair. They have all been big projects for you and you have executed each project remarkably. Now, am curious, how do you get work? Do your clients look for you? Or are you the one who looks for them? and for that reason, I needed to gather as many customers as possible for my work. I still do up to date but at the moment, it is the clients who come

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Fair and Equitable Treatment on Foreign Investment and its Effects Essay

Fair and Equitable Treatment on Foreign Investment and its Effects - Essay Example tle to the School of Law at Oxford Brookes University in 13th of February 2012, there are two significant issues that have been discussed by a plethora of scholars. The first issue is on the field of the concept of the FET standard. Some scholars discussed the difference between â€Å"fairness† and â€Å"equity†. In other words, whether the FET standards contains two standards, namely â€Å"fair† and â€Å"equitable† with independent meaning for each one or the FET standard appears as an unified standard. Scholars examined this question, due to the fact that arbitrators always make their decision on international investment dispute according to their notions of â€Å"fairness† and â€Å"equity†.4 As a result, the first argument of the dissertation is to analyse the meaning of the FET standard in order to know whether it contains two standard or not. The second issue is on the field of the interpreting the FET standard. Several scholars critic ized the heterogeneity of the FET standard language in investment treaties and illustrated how that could affect on the extent of the standard.5 In other words, they argued that whether the FET standards reflect the international minimum standards of treatment? Such as national treatment and most favoured nation treatment, or it works as an autonomous standard or independence from other standards. Scholars observed this issue because some treaties state the FET standards as equivalent to the international minimum standard required by customary international law. Therefore, the second argument on the dissertation is whether the FET standard is measured the international minimum standard required by customary international law or it is an absolute or an autonomous standard. A Literature Review In order to gather relevant information to the... The researcher started searching for information by using secondary sources first, such as books and journal articles on order to gather relevant information to the FET standard. Dolzer and Schreuer book is the first source that he has read. The authors discuss in their book the meaning of the FET according to tribunals practise in a number of cases. For instance, in the TECMED v Mexico case the tribunal presented the most comprehensive definition of the FET when it said that: The foreign investor expects the host State to act in a consistent manner, free from ambiguity and totally transparently in its relations with the foreign investor†¦ The foreign investor also expects the host State to act consistently, i.e. without arbitrarily revoking any preexisting decisions or permits issued by the State that were relied upon by the investor to assume its commitments as well as to plan and launch its commercial and business activities. The investor also expects the State to use the leg al instruments that govern the actions of the investor or the investment in conformity with the function usually assigned to such instruments, and not to deprive the investor of its investment without the required compensation. Therefore, the authors conclude that there is no a specific meaning of the FET standard owing to the fact that the concept of the standard in investment treaty is a broad and depend on different circumstances. Moreover, they analyse the history of the FET standard by illustrating multilateral investment treaties and bilateral investment treaties that contain the standard.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Herpert Simon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Herpert Simon - Essay Example These observations lead to Simon’s rejection of the classical economic assumption of prefect-knowledge and to derive â€Å"bounded rationality† in decision making (Simon, etal, 1987). â€Å"In (‘On how to decide what to do’) (Simon) claims, rightly, that traditional economics has too often been concerned with what decisions are made rather than how they are made.† (Hunt 1) How decisions are made is a better real world indicator of how resources are allocated, which is the study of economics. (Hunt 2) Simon’s interest was in how man processes the limited available information and with imperfect logic. Bounded rationality â€Å"refers to peoples limited ability to make comparisons, to see into the future, and, more generally, to process information†. (Cyret 63) Simon created the term â€Å"satisficing†, presumably a hybrid term mixing satisfying and sufficing, to indicate achieving the perceived best position with imperfect informa tion. Preferring a blend of thinking, laboratory work and empirical observations of thinking and decision making, Simon wanted economists to get out of the think tanks and go observe business people making decisions. (Cyret) Simon started with the conviction that human rationality was bounded externally by social constraints and internally by cognitive restraints (Sent 227). People were not truly free to make decisions since conformity and possibility were unquantifiable constraints in the process. Bounded rationality was not concerned with symmetry or macroeconomic functions at all. It is a decision making and problem solving theory not meant to strengthen neoclassical economic thought like Nash’s game theory which Simon considered crude and incomplete. In Simon’s theory, quantification is used to enhance rationality, not create it. The management situation sets the conditions for rational thought; therefore some actions are predisposed to be viewed as nonworking solu tions (Mankelwicz 60). Common sense, or heuristics, actually applies available metrics as a screening tool. â€Å"Human perception may be as bounded in scope as our rationality†. (Mankelwicz 63). Quantitative results may be viewed as symbols, talisman. Managers may experience numbers as moral symbols, guideposts (Mankelwicz 64) Technical rationality, degree of quantification, economic, social, legal politics and political stakeholders, although largely invisible, impact the final decision, certainly the reasonable solution possibilities (Mankelwicz 65). Simon studied bounded rationality, the decision making process, under several disciplines allowing him to consider â€Å"decomposability†, the breakdown of problems into hierarchies, the systems of considering means and ends to reach a decision (Augier & Frank 584). Applying rationality, people cannot have perfect information. So, the decision making process is like the scientific methods of laboratory testing and field data collection. Neither is the sole path to truth. Neither is the sole source of perfect decisions. (Hunt 2) Managers must reach decisions through satisficing, that is being at least as optimal as the competition. It is possible the cost of optimization is greater than the reward. (Hunt 2) As early as the 1960’s, theories of systems were forming. â€Å"A system may be defined as an orderly grouping of separate but interdependent components for the purpose of attaining

Monday, September 23, 2019

Educational Institutions and ProcessesMarginality Essay

Educational Institutions and ProcessesMarginality - Essay Example The societal structure is more concerned with such human elements as religion, demography, social structure and culture. In addition, the structure is also concerned with the connection between politics and economics with regard to group or individual access to resources. As such, the societal framework tends to stress on the consideration of those fundamental causes of inequality, exclusion, social injustice, as well as the spatial isolation of the populace (Brodwin, 2003). On the other hand, the spatial element of marginality is chiefly based on physical setting and space from centre of development, lying at the periphery of a poorly incorporated society (Larsen, 2002). With this notion, it is anticipated that an insight into the physical locations and space on individuals and groups livelihoods shall be gained.From these meanings, one can undoubtedly observe that marginality is a progression that emerges and evolves gradually in a variety of scales and types under geo-political and socio-economical settings. As such, marginality supports and replicates that state of marginalization to a large extent. It is worth noting that the interpretation of societal marginality stems from social conditions. The apparent disparities in a social institution such as a school will often be as a result of exclusion from the 'mainstream'. At this point, the state and scale of economic, social, and political inequalities linking the mainstream and the marginalized ought to be assessed from the perspective of legitimate and equitable access to decision making procedures and resources. By and large, educational marginality is often revealed by the underlying state of people. The state could as well be represented by such poor living options as a lack of opportunities, resources, and skills. Further, such a state can also be reflected by either a limited or reduced contribution in the making of public decisions, and low self esteem (Brodwin, 2003). In the educational institutions, marginalized students are normally stigmatized, singled out, ignored and mostly repressed on age, gender, culture, race, ethnicity, religion, occupation, economy, and education basis by the mainstream (Larsen, 2002). Marginalized groups in existing schools situations McCready (2004) has suggested a multidimensional structure that considers the multiple forms and differences of oppression , with a view to understanding and suggesting possible options for gay as well as for the gender non-conforming African American male students attending urban schools. The author has indicated that such students experience a certain kind of marginalization, and which is almost recognized by almost everybody who knows about the sexual orientation of this group. In addition, the author has also indicated that in a majority of the cases, such gay students have feelings that they are usually being marginalized by the mainstream society in school. The sad situation that this book brings out is that in certain instances, such students will normally experience marginalization, yet they fail to admit it. It has often been argued that from a school perspective, marginalization tends to be a multifaceted and complex process. For this reason, it is important that the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Managing Waste Products from Dairy Factories in Greece Dissertation

Managing Waste Products from Dairy Factories in Greece - Dissertation Example Nutrients and proteins can also be extracted from wastewater for various business purposes. The question is what technology is effective in the treatment of dairy wastewater. Wastewater management, which includes treatment, is part of an effective environmental management system (EMS) which dairy factories should implement immediately at the start of the operation. In countries such as Greece, EMS implementation is not uncommon. This is so because, in the countryside where wastewater usually flows to rivers and adjoining bodies of water, wastewater has to be treated first before it has to be discharged. Environmental impact created by businesses, organizations and dairy factories has to be minimized in order to deliver sustainability for the next generation. An Environmental Management System is a way of addressing the impact on the environment by issuing guidance to organizations, businesses, and governments which maintain or regulate establishments that produce wastewater. An EMS a nswers the environmental compliance regulations and other relevant activities for environmental best practice. An EMS aims for sustainable development in the community, and minimize waste and hazardous materials. It is a set of rules and requirements that set up a policy for environmental promotion and can be effectively implemented through the guidelines set by ISO 14001. The International Standards Organization states that businesses should implement an EMS which carries out its environmental objectives in accordance with the legal and other significant requirements of the organization and the laws of the land. Wastewater treatment, to include reuse and recycle, is a best practice in line with ISO compliance. (Edwards, 2004) There are a number of methodologies in wastewater treatment that have been implemented by the dairy industry, but some problems in the methods have to be identified. This paper, therefore, will provide an in-depth analysis of some of the methods and technologi es available, along with a business model that can be created out of these methods. 1.1 Objectives The objectives of this paper are: 1.1.1 To analyse how Greek dairy factories, conduct wastewater treatment and reduce wastewater generation that leads to minimization of effluent-treatment costs, and how to extract proteins and nutrients from wastewater; 1.1.2 To analyse the business side of the treated wastewater, taking into consideration the business model that can be created from the nutrients and proteins extracted and separated from the wastewater; 1.1.3 To provide an in-depth analysis of the methods and technologies available so that clear recommendations can be provided. 2. Literature Review There has to be a holistic view of the various ways of waste production, including collection and treatment and subsequent disposal of wastewater. The treatment to be implemented would depend on what type of wastewater is produced by the dairy factory or pond. Wastewater comes from milk, bu tter, yogurt, ice cream and other varieties which may be composed of desserts. Initial planning of wastewater treatment plant includes the following aspects: 1.) The various data and information gathered from the field surveys should be put together, inputted into a database, and carefully studied; 2.) What type of wastewater collection and system will be implemented?

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Virtue Ethics Essay Example for Free

Virtue Ethics Essay In the field of bioethics, Aristotles ethics does not have the same practical force as action-based theories, especially when the dilemma in question involves deciding whether or not to do some particular action (pulling the plug on a patient). In any case, there are two ways we can apply the character based approach to bioethics. First, the specific healthcare provider (nurse, doctor, etc.) could continually ask themselves What kind of character do I want to have as a healthcare provider, and what actions are consistent with this character?. A healthcare provider can ask themselves whether a certain action reflects the kind of character they want to be associated with. On a more general scale, the healthcare industry itself could ask itself What kind of character do we want associated with the healthcare industry and how would this particular action contribute or take away from that character? Secondly, for Aristotle a virtuous action is a mean between two extremes. For example, bravery is the middle-point between cowardice and foolhardiness. However, it is not always clear whether every action is a mean of this way. How would pulling the plug on a patient fit in Aristotles golden mean analysis? I think the safest way to apply Aristotles theory would be to emphasize character, rather than get lost in the thickets of golden mean analysis. Using Aristotelian ethics to resolve particular cases is always difficult, because the question of what ought I to do? is always secondary to the question what ought I to become?. After all, Aristotle himself admits that we should not expect precision in ethical matters.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Personal And Professional Development

Personal And Professional Development For this essay I have audited my leadership skills using theoretical models and referred to specific situations and experiences. This encompasses personal, academic and professional reflections and explores opportunities for my career paths and personal development with an Action Plan for the future. This has required critical evaluation of my own development needs in light of my own aspirations, establishing an understanding of my transferrable skills and how these can be enhanced. For this I have considered situations in which my leadership traits, styles and skills have been utilised to help create successful outcomes. Background My career path has involved working closely with and taking an interest in people, both clients and colleagues alike. In developing my management skills, I am continually pursuing further ways of improving the effectiveness of these interactions which is immensely rewarding for me. On leaving school, my first employment was within the travel industry. From the outset, I sought to improve skills and enjoyed the challenge of meeting the needs of customers, budgetary targets, training of staff, problem solving, through to the opening and management of a travel agency branch several years later. Apart from the GCSE qualifications gained at school, any further academic or professional learning has been gained whilst in employment. The skills and achievements in my personal life are equally transferrable to my work life. For example, as Chairman of a genealogical society for several years and public speaking engagements both serve as reminders that I have organisational, research and presentation abilities which I can and should be utilising and developing along my career path. I am a prison officer and, three years ago, I learnt that my establishment was funding a Foundation Degree in Offender Management. My initial reaction was one of excitement as I had, for several years, considered some form of Higher Education by way of personal and professional development, but had never explored the options. It was a source of immense satisfaction to pass the course and achieve Distinction grade. My learning journey, experiences and personal developments, undertaken in the last three years, would take more than the word count of this essay allows, yet there are key points to reflect on in order to analyse my own leadership skills and continue their development. Theoretical Models and Personal Experience of Reflection in my Professional Development: From my earliest days in retail employment, then Care Work and on to prison officer, I have been fascinated by people and behaviour. Working alongside others, as well as empowering and training gives me great personal and professional satisfaction. Using reflective models such as Gibbs (1998), shown in Appendix III, I came to realise that how I interpret situations influences my interactions with others. As I will illustrate, this relates directly to my personality style and how I manage people and situations. Linked to this is the importance I place on how I am viewed by others and naturally seek collaborative and open relationships. Many of these values are found in Carnegie (1938), listed in Appendix I. The Study Skills Self-Assessment which I completed on 23 October 2007 (Appendix II) highlighted three main employability skills I need to develop as: Improving own learning and performance Application of number (data collection and interpretation) Information and technology proficiency Alongside these, to develop, are my personal attributes of Self confidence Flexibility and adaptability Judgement In this assessment I also reflected on my own specific weaknesses which include being too self-critical and not praising my own achievements enough which can affect my ability to be objective about my performance. I have a strong underpinning need to defend others and leap to their rescue which I have come to see as a hindrance to my own development and of those I seek to help. This is a particularly important area for me to address as future management roles will require me to allow others to take their own personal responsibility and only offer guidance as appropriate. This rescuer style is schema-related and I have considered schema theory and how this applies to me. Beck, (1967:233), described a schema as ..a cognitive structure for screening, coding, and evaluating the stimuli that impinge on the organism. In short, schemas are the filters or core beliefs we have about ourselves or the world around us which influence how we interpret different situations in our lives. The nature of the work I do in offender rehabilitation requires me to undertake regular de-briefing, supervision, yearly health reviews and bi-monthly counselling. This, together with schema theory and other therapy models I use with prisoners, which I have also applied to myself, means I spend a lot of time being introspective and sharing reflections with colleagues. This helps define practical steps for a successful future but also enables me to gain wider perspectives in understanding, leading and managing others with a range of resources and situational analysis capabilities. Whereas, in the past and even recently, I have questioned the decision making processes of management, this has reshaped into a desire to gain a holistic overview of the work environment. Understanding the way we think and manage ourselves and others has been an important facet of my learning over the last three years. Straker (2008) who expands on the work of Gardner (2006) was helpful in appreciating that how we interact with people, at all levels, and is crucial for self development. Overcoming objections to understanding others, for fear that this might disprove our own theories about ourselves and the world are key hurdles of which I must continually be mindful. Negative experiences in this have resulted in an unhealthy view of the workplace but, as I said earlier, the benefits of a more engaging view have proved beneficial in my work and personal well being. As well as using Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1998), Kolb (1984) also helped me to evaluate experiences and test hypotheses but I did not find it took me to the point of action whereas Gibbs sets out the plan for ongoing development which is crucial for me so as not to remain procrastinating. Moon (2004) has been a useful resource on reflective practice, reminding me that reflection is not just important in itself, but must also lead to positive change, In observing what gets in the way, rather than being stuck in analysis, to move beyond and set goals for positive development has been essential learning for me and has been a surprising benefit which I had not expected several years ago. Leadership Employability Skills I recently completed an Employability Skills self assessment exercise which we first undertook in the first semester of the Foundation Degree. On doing this, I compared the results from the two. It was encouraging that one of my main developments appears to have been in problem solving and I consider my Higher Education studies over the last three years as contributing to my deeper analysing abilities. In light of earlier descriptions of my learning journey and reflective logs, it is gratifying to see that I have come a long way in, not only overcoming my own obstacles to learning, but making measured and significant achievement which then enables me to guide others in their roles. Among the key learning experiences for me, alongside the above, are a recognition of the roles of others, networking and effective communication. My career path has involved working closely with and taking an interest in people, both clients and colleagues alike. This was particularly apparent when I recently updated my Curriculum Vitae (Appendix IV), which was last compiled almost fifteen years ago. In developing my management skills throughout my degree studies, I have discovered further ways of improving the effectiveness of these interactions which is immensely rewarding for me. Through networking with management and departments for resources on researching prison policy, security and management skills, I am now feeling positive and motivated to succeed in career development. Not only is this important from a practical, self-development perspective, but also the fulfilling sense of achievement this will bring. Until recently, I was Supervisor of the Core Sex Offender Treatment Programme which was an important role in developing my leadership skills, promoting staff well-being as well as guiding staffs professional development. Another important aspect of this was to remain flexible yet consistent in balancing these needs whilst focussing on the goals of the establishment Business Plan and Key Performance Target (KPT) priorities. This mirrors Handy (1987) who argues for such flexibility in his Trust Control Theory. I find myself taking the opportunity to develop the skills of others very seriously and is personally rewarding and empowering. The values I attribute to this mirror those of Kandola and Fullerton (1994) in their Mosaic Vision which I have included in Appendix V. In Transactional Analysis Theory (Bern, 1961), every individuals personality is made up of three parts Parent, Adult and Child. An assessment of my own revealed a predominantly Nurturing Parent relationship style which is immensely rewarding personally, but can prove emotionally draining and is not without its practical problems. However, developing assertiveness skills in establishing my own identity and skills base has the benefit of overcoming any negative rumination and keeps lines of communication open. An example of achieving this was in challenging my line manager over my yearly performance review where I was rated Achieved and not Exceeded which I felt was deserved. I could have overlooked this and ruminated unhelpfully, believing him to be responsible for not recognising my achievements, but chose instead to manage my manager and argued my case. I found the www.h2training.com website interesting which had useful strategies for reminding me how to maintain my own degree of self-determination. Quoting from this site: Its unreasonable to expect your manager to be entirely responsible for accelerating your career: ultimately, its your own responsibility. Remember that an expectation is also resentment waiting to happen, and it is very difficult to hide resentment. http://h2training.com/managing_manager_tips.html [accessed November 2010] Suffice to say, my performance record was amended accordingly. I recently had to step down from Sex Offender Treatment work which I found difficult to accept. I, therefore, reappraised my personal development and used reflective skills (Kolb, 1984 and Beck 1967) to help evaluate the experiences and to understand how I was interpreting them. By doing this, I was able to negotiate a role within the drugs support team after originally being offered an office based assessment position which I would have found unfulfilling. Indeed, on reflection, assertiveness and negotiation are two core management attributes which are now part of my skills set. Drawing together the range of experience and interests I have enjoyed over successive years keeps me, first and foremost, actively engaged in working for and alongside others. My role as a drugs support worker requires the key skills I possess with the realisation and expectation that they can be further developed with a particular emphasis on evaluating the management requirements of this work. This is encouraging and, in this period of change, I have come to realise the importance of job satisfaction as a key motivator for me. An important element of my professional life is to uphold personal and corporate values of decency and ethical practice including cultural diversity. I was pleased to be able to highlight these values in my Diversity Foundation Degree project from January 2009 where I made recommendations for valuing the diversity of staff and prisoners and improving ethical practice in Programmes Awareness training at Full Sutton. This was well received by the treatment management team resulting in the training being strengthened in this area. On sharing the findings of my Transactional Analysis with a work colleague, my nurturing parent style was acknowledged and confirmed through my perceived empathic nature. In looking at my management style, it is important that I maintain a balance between this and being careful not to go into White Knight schema-driven mode, where I need to defend others at all costs. Developing a style which cares for others yet enables them to function on their own merits allows me to function better as a genuinely caring person in my work and as a leader. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory (1943), reminds me that my own needs count as well as those of other people. In other words, putting other people first all the time is detrimental to my own well-being and valuing myself is, in itself, a key assertiveness skill. I continually remind myself of the announcements on aircraft during safety briefings where, in the event of oxygen masks being deployed, you are instructed to put your own on first before aiding anyone else. If you dont, you might pass out beforehand and then no one is saved. Critically evaluating My Leadership and Management Style Some years ago, a colleague of mine who has since retired, told me his thoughts on a particular Senior Manager. He used a phrase which, though meant in a derogatory sense, I have never forgotten. He said ..as a leader of men, I would only follow him out of curiosity. This colleague had spent many distinguished years in the Armed Services as a Regimental Sergeant Major and had been in the Prison Service for around 15 years. He had, therefore, some considerable experience of different management and leadership styles. Using established theory I continually analyse my own strengths and weaknesses in areas of leadership and management. Fayol (1916) highlighted five commons elements of management which are essential to the role. These include the ability to look to the future, to be organised and co-ordinate the organisational objectives, leading (though he defined it as commanding which is unhelpfully autocratic) and, finally, to control the above elements using all means at his or her disposal. Whilst this was written at the beginning of the last century, the basic tenets of management Fayol lists are still valid though ones own personality also engenders an effective workforce which can achieve results. The latter is personally important as I seek to have followers rather than delegates and makes me, as a manager, more of a leader. I recently completed the Myers Briggs Personality Type Questionnaire. Having done this a couple of years ago, I decided to redo this using an internet-based assessment resource (www.teamtechnology.co.uk) [accessed 15 September 2010], which produced a comprehensive 200 page report. Summary in Appendix VI The results proved very interesting and formed a cohesive assessment which affirmed the beliefs about my personality and leadership attributes gained over the last few years. This was confirmed through the initial questionnaire together with a separate subtest which had similar outcomes and, interestingly, the results were very similar to my previous assessment two years previously. Essentially, I have a strong focus on values, feelings, compassion and important beliefs where current experiences hold great learning importance. Team values are high and my role in ensuring the well-being of those with whom I work is important to me. There are, however, elements of this personality type which I am aware can be problematic if not managed appropriately. I do have a tendency to avoid conflict yet can be stubborn where my own values come into conflict with corporate ideals in which I run the risk of failing in objectivity. These are negative traits which I have been consciously working on over the last few years and serve to remind me that, whilst having a default style, this does not preclude effective working on these to the benefit of all concerned. Interestingly, the top two best matches of jobs for me based on enjoyment are actor and musician; for match came out as counsellor and customer care and a combination of match and enjoyment came out as counsellor and actor. All of these I have both experience and interest in and the traits from these have indeed shaped my leadership style. The Humanist approach described by McGregor (1964) looked at how individual attitudes can affect behaviour. He purported that there are 2 types of leader (using an X and Y continuum ranging from a negative to positive view of subordinates respectively). The latter, he showed, have a greater chance of effective performance from the workforce through a nurturing approach which I can identify with. A reflective log from December 2009 is included in Appendix VII. Again, as with most models, there is a typical style for each individual manager but even the most open and supportive one can revert on occasions to X-typical strategies and responses. This can be somewhat confusing and lacking in continuity for the workforce and, potentially unsettling as I will illustrate later in this essay. The model is similar to Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1958) who use the continuum from Authoritarian Task Orientation to Democratic Relationship Orientation where I operate towards the latter and Goleman (2000) on which I identify with the Affiliative (people come first) stage. Operational leaders, as covered by Maxwell (2002) have great value to an organisation in providing stability, devising systems and solving problems with positive engagement. However, because of their focus on detail they can overlook the bigger picture, sometimes lack motivation and are not effective in dealing with conflict. Very often, paraphrasing Maxwell here, operational leaders are not very good at getting their hands dirty but readily raise the flag at the moment of achievement. Thankfully, whilst viewing myself as an operational leader, I do like to share in tasks as well as delegate. John Adair (2002) in his range of leadership treatises, (which, incidently, build on the previous models of Maslow (1943), Herzberg (1964) and Fayol (1916) highlights three key management responsibilities under his banner of Action Centred leadership. Achieving the task Managing the team or group Managing individuals Whilst advocating a shared responsibility between the individual and external factors, it does not, however, take stock of the individual in the leadership role which I view as crucial. A similar but more complex model I have become interested in, is known as Crew Resource Management (CRM) which was originally devised by NASA to explore the human factors in civil aviation accidents in the 1970s. Several industries have adopted and adapted their own models accordingly and my interest will culminate in a dissertation for my Degree on the benefits of adopting a CRM approach to Prison Service critical incidents. Tasks or people? Workforce or Team ? It is clear that leadership is different to management though a good leader will have good management skills. In considering whether I impose myself as leader to focus on task or allow the team to flourish utilising their own skills, I completed the T-P leadership questionnaire (Appendix VIII). This scored exactly midway between the two, highlighting my awareness and flexibility to respond to both important aspects. How we respond to a leader gives some indication of our own skills and that of the one in the supervisory role. As one who aims to lead by inspiration, I am more inclined to follow Kolbs (1984) model of learning and encourage people to adapt concrete way of doing things to update their skills base and find more effective ways of working (feeling, watching, thinking, doing). An autocratic leader would be less inclined to allow such flexibility and attempt to ensure compliance from those who might be more inclined to kick and scream in and against the process. An effective leader should also take individual learning styles into account as no one method fits all. Honey and Mumfords Learning Style Inventory (1982), highlights the differences that exist, as I have found even within small teams, yet we all work together and effectively, notwithstanding that everyones experience of being under the same leadership will be different. One of the most important sources of reflection in considering my own style of leadership, plus a reinforcement of my own beliefs and values, is represented in the Style Theory of Leadership developed by Blake and Mouton (1964). This, essentially, follows on from McGregors X-Y theory and is more relevant to those predominantly on the Y axis and where a level of trust in management structure exists in the workplace. However, Blake and Mouton explored the benefits of those that put tasks before people and vice versa. Ultimately they considered whether concern for people or concern for production was more important for leaders. As with other models, the day to day style of individuals in leadership roles can vary but everyone has their own default mode. Where productivity appears more important than the maintenance and well-being of the staff, I can find myself at odds with the management and perceived ethos of the establishment at which I work. With the Blake Mouton model, I was relieved to have my default leadership style confirmed as Team Leader. This is indicative of high concern for both people and production where emphasis is placed on a spirit of teamwork and mutual co-operation. This also engenders a safe environment in which commitment from all sides is more readily forthcoming. However, in completing a recent practical assessment for a promotion board I failed to attain the required grade. I knew this as soon as the assessment was over, though I had to wait two months for the official result. In fact, I knew during the assessment, I was reacting totally contrary to my normal sense of priorities when faced with a constant stream of problems to solve. I found myself focussing primarily on the tasks and not enough on the personnel. For example, when faced with a member of staff who was emotionally upset at a domestic issue, I asked if he was okay to continue to get his landing unlocked and would look to help him with his problem later. Afterwards I learnt that the assessors were looking for Utopian responses in all scenarios assuming all needs could be immediately provided so I could have put staff welfare first, getting his role covered immediately so he could then get home to sort his issues. However, I reverted to my current work role where the pressure to meet deadlines sometimes overrides well-being. As this was completely at odds with how I believed I would normally have reacted, I was left feeling ill at ease and questioned why I persisted in this way when I am naturally Y (using McGregors model, 1960) and more team focused than task orientated (Blake Mouton, 1964). Whilst I may not fully understand why, at least it is a recognised trait à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..theory X managers (or indeed theory Y managers displaying theory X are primarily results oriented Internet source http://www.businessballs.com/mcgregor.htm [October 2010] On reflection, I am convinced that the culture and environment of the higher management structure (which demands and focuses on results and targets) filters down and, no matter how much one tries to resist or even kick against it, it permeates ones own work practice after a while. The climate in which I work consistently places emphasis on the meeting of Key Performance Targets (KPTs) and now, the Service Level Agreement (SLA). In meeting these as well as ever increasing budgetary constraints, every facet of work culture is placed under the microscope and, wherever possible, cut, yet the targets must be met regardless. However, no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves or expectations laid at our office door, it is how we respond that is important and the acceptance of our personal responsibility to be channelled into effective working. An important element of relationships, at all levels including personal and business, is trust. Where one perceives this to be eroded or not present due to conflict in aims or values, it can have a destructive affect on effective co-working. As can be seen above, this is something I am struggling with in the corporate ethos where I am constantly second-guessing the motives behind management decision-making. However, to be an effective manager, I am mindful of maintaining a healthy approach to embracing the mission of the workplace even though I may not fully understand or have access to the full rationale behind the decision making processes from Higher Management. As a leader, I have to convey to those I wish to work effectively under me, that this mission is achievable and in the common interest despite my own such uncertainties. Maintaining personal integrity and establishing trust are essential in my personal, professional and leadership identity. Straker (2008:208) talks of transaction cost and trust boundaries. Essentially he argues that trust, if allowed to erode or not fostered within an organisation can impact on delivery and there has to be a cost on both sides to re-establish this. As he says .. the overall cost can be minimised with up-front investment in, and subsequent maintenance of, trust. If one does not have that sense of belonging within the trust group then there is something wrong with the work relationship and part of effective management and leadership performance is to be pro-active in fostering trust and encouraging people to enter the trust boundary. It begs the question, therefore, who and under what conditions will we follow? Should we be expected to lead and expect blind faith? What criteria and principles should be presented in order for others to set out on the journey with us ? Handy (1987) suggests that in order for an outcome to remain constant, the Trust-Control balance might need to shift between leader and subordinates and I can see merits in this as relationships, as well as work pressures, are fluid in nature. There are three established styles of leadership: autocratic, paternalistic and democratic. History records successful leaders who have exhibited all of the above. Each style can work and produce results but demands a flexibility on the part of the workforce to fit in with the style and it is that response which can be acknowledged and worked with or not as the case may be, As for my own style, confirmed as a nurturing parental approach, this has immense benefits for myself and for those who work under me as they feel supported and, more importantly in my opinion, affirmed in their roles with their own skills base recognised and developed. As with any style there are costs and, as I am finding, where my own sense of values conflicts with the demands laid upon me, this can have a detrimental effect to my own sense of purpose within the organisation. It is important, therefore, that structures and lines of communication are open which allow for that expression of view. However, this, in itself, is not without the potential cost. As I found when raising my head above the parapet on several occasions, to express concern and personal frustration with the direction expected by senior managers, it can blot ones copybook. Again, it is important for me to consider how much of this is down to my own personal perception and how able I am to see my subordinates perspective and, crucially, the aims and focus of the establishment delivery objectives. Conclusion In terms of future roles, I am best placed to consider managerial positions. The Foundation Degree and BA(Hons) are regarded as valuable qualifications both for their content relevant to the Criminal Justice System and Leadership and Management but also symbolising the desire and commitment I have and have shown for continued self development (Appendix IX). In the final analysis, the human dynamic is the most beneficial resource in the workplace but it is also the most fickle and, at times, fragile. To lead is a privilege and to follow is an opportunity. I can only strive to make myself worthy of the trust placed in me to, not only get the job done, but to enable others to be the very best they can be and, in the process, ensure I am followed out of respect and not coercion or, indeed, curiosity. Appendices: I. Excerpt from Carnegie (1938) II. Study Skills Self Assessment III. Gibbs (1998) Reflective Cycle IV. Curriculum Vitae V. Kandola and Fullerton (1994) Mosaic Vision VI. Myers Briggs Personality Type Questionnaire VII. Reflective Log on McGregor X,Y Theory VIII. T-P Leadership Questionnaire IX. Professional Development Plan Appendix I Excerpts from How To Win Friends and Influence People Carnegie (1938) Fundamental Techniques in Handling People Dont criticize, condemn, or complain. Give honest and sincere appreciation. Arouse in the other person an eager want. Six Ways to Make People Like You Become genuinely interested in other people. Smile. Remember that a mans Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves. Talk in the terms of the other mans interest. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking Avoid arguments. Show respect for the other persons opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong. If youre wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically. Begin in a friendly way. Start with questions the other person will answer yes to. Let the other person do the talking. Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers. Try honestly to see things from the other persons point of view. Sympathize with the other person. Appeal to noble motives. Dramatize your ideas. Throw down a challenge. Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment Begin with praise and honest appreciation. Call attention to other peoples mistakes indirectly. Talk about your own mistakes first. Ask questions instead of directly giving orders. Let the other person save face. Praise every improvement. Give them a fine reputation to live up to. Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct. Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest. Appendix II. Study Skills Self Assessment Appendix III. Gibbs (1998) Reflective Cycle Appendix IV. Curriculum Vitae Appendix V My Personal and Pr

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay on Hector as the Ideal Homeric Man of Homers Iliad

Hector as the Ideal Homeric Man of Homer's Iliad        Ã‚  Ã‚   Homer's Iliad enthralls readers with its’ valiant heroes who fight for the glory of Greece. The Iliad, however, is not just a story of war; it is also a story of individuals. Through the characters' words and actions, Homer paints portraits of petulant Achilles and vain Agamemnon, doomed Paris and Helen, loyal Patroclus, tragic Priam, versatile Odysseus, and the whole cast of Gods. Ironically, the most complete character in the epic is Hector, enemy hero, and Prince of Troy. Hector is in many ways the ideal Homeric man: he is a man of compassion and piety, a man of integrity and bravery, a man who loves his family, and above all, a man who understands and fulfills his social obligations under the stringent rules of the heroic code.    Hector, returning to the city from a series of ferocious setbacks at the hands of the Acheans, is introduced as a man of compassion and piety. His behavior as a hero and as a son is markedly different from the behavior exhibited by Agamemnon and Achilles. When he enters the Scaean Gates, he is immediately surrounded by "the wives and daughters of Troy...asking about their sons, brothers, friends and husbands" (VI, 150-151). The very fact that the women approach Hector, intimidating as he must be in his bloodstained armor, is revealing. Up to this point, the women in the story have been silent victims of the raging tempers of the men around them. In contrast, the women of Troy display confidence in Hector's character by approaching him without fear. Though he himself is exhausted and discouraged, Hector patiently responds to the anguished women, demonstrating the compassion he feels for his fighting men and their families. So many ... ...ties serve as a foil against the cruelty, arrogance, and self-indulgence that cripples some of the other heroes in the Iliad. To the Greeks of Homer's time, Hector stands out as a symbol of what might have been... and a model for what could be.    Works Cited and Consulted: Clarke, Howard. Homer's Readers: A Historical Introduction to the Iliad and the Odyssey. Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Press, 1981. Goodrich, Norma. Myths of the hero. New York: Orion Press, 1962. Homer: Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. Nagy, Gregory. Concepts of the Greek Hero. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979. Richardson, Nicholas. The Iliad : A Commentary. Vol. VI: books 21-24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993. Segal, Charles. Heroes and Gods in the Odyssey. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994.   

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Role of Nelson Mandela and President De Klerk in Bringing about the

Apartheid, means "separateness", this was a social system enforced by white minority governments in twentieth-century upon those of ethnic minorities in South Africa. Under apartheid, the black majority was segregated, and was denied political and economic rights equal to those of whites, this had become a distressing daily routine for the Africans. Therefore in 1991 when De Klerk announced the end of Apartheid, this was a momentous moment for the whole of South Africa and an event, which shall be remembered, in black history forever. After over 50 years of apartheid policies the Africans were finally freed from confinements as the law accounted upon them as equals. However, the question as been raised, as to why did De Klerk put a sudden end Apartheid, and what had influenced his decision in doing so. Throughout this section of this coursework, I shall be analysing the circumstances of South Africa in order to confirm who was more important in bringing about the end of apartheid and minority rule, De Klerk or Nelson Mandela? Nelson Mandela and F.W de Klerk played a vital part in bringing about the end apartheid and minority rule in South Africa. However, their reasons for wanting the apartheid to end deviate significantly. Nelson Mandela was involved in the main resistance against apartheid, the African National Congress, or ANC for short. This large political group in South Africa was involved in many protests against apartheid since its formation in 1912. Mandela joined the Youth League of the ANC in 1944 but had doubts about his commitment to the party. In 1948 the Youth League elected a new ANC president in response to the... ...ndela played a more pivotal role in bringing about the end of apartheid due to his constant exertions and fights against it. However, Mandela cannot be completely commended for his efforts in the termination of the Apartheid. As although, Mandela fought against the apartheid for the best years of his life, on the other hand received no reactions from the Government to his efforts to remove the apartheid. Therefore indicating De Klerk played a crucial part in the anti-apartheid movement as he was president and had the power to end apartheid whilst Mandela didn?t. Overall, making the end of Apartheid a joint combination of both FW de Klerk?s efforts in the negotiations between the National party, although more so, Mandela?s and the ANC progress and constant dedication which helped to bring about the end of minority rule.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg Address Essay

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, summed up the ideals that would go on to shape one of the most powerful nations of the world. Although President Lincoln’s speech was about ten lines, in which he delivered in two minutes, he moved not just the people who had gathered for the honoring of the soldiers who bravely gave their lives in Gettysburg while fighting for freedom, but also people across the globe. In ten lines the President spoke not only about American independence, but about freedom in general. Lincoln addressed the people, by saying it was their job as a whole to continue the soldiers job to make sure this nation remains a democracy with the set beliefs on liberty and equality. He stressed the fact that liberty and equality were the core components for this rising nation; they needed to consider the lives lost in the attempt to unite the nation from what divide it and pay tribute to the brave soldiers. Lincoln emphasized on the fact that the Gettysburg Address may be forgotten in time, but not the soldiers who willingly laid down their lives for a better tomorrow. He urged the gathering to take up the cause and complete the task at hand, to make sure democracy would remain in a government â€Å"of the people, by the people, and for the people†. The speech by Abraham Lincoln, in a way defined the Civil War by centering it on the nations belief system and democracy instead of separating the north from the south. See more: Social process essay He broadcasted the struggle as one meant to witness the rebirth of freedom and people’s power over the state. The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the civil war, making the battlefield a burial ground for hundreds of soldiers. Its significance lies in the fact that Lincoln’s war effort challenged the outcome that otherwise seemed in favor of the south. The importance of the Gettysburg Address sent the individuality of the nation’s commitment to democracy like punch or blow to the opposition. Lincoln had effectively made the people aware of their rights and declared the government accountable to the people. He redefined democracy as by the citizens’ will and not some property of the state legislatures. The Gettysburg Address now finds its place on the south wall of the Lincoln Memorial. It is an inseparable part of numerous works in popular culture, designed for present-day audiences. Democracies around the world have now adopted the definition of democracyfrom the very words of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln may have passed on, but his words still live in the hearts of many, inspiring and preaching to them the values of democracy as they strive towards better futures for their nations in attempt to base them on the values stated of liberty and equality.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Piaget Stages of Development Essay

Child development undergoes various stages from infancy to adulthood. This process of development is called by various psychologists as â€Å"progression through development† to which, age is often attached on each developmental stage. The first stage is called the infancy stage which is from birth to one year during which the physical and psychological occur most rapidly. In Piaget’s developmental theory, the child’s development during this stage is called â€Å"sensorimotor† because the child’s behavior at this stage is mostly simple motor responses to sensory stimuli† (Kalat 170). The stage of toddlerhood which is from one year to three years old is partly connected with infancy stage because as Olga Drebben asserts, â€Å"in these early childhood stages, the infants and toddler’s growth and development include very multifaceted processes of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial transformations. Drebben affirms that the primary modes of infant and toddler are sonsorimotor. The childhood stage or as Piaget calls it, the â€Å"preoperational stage of development† is the stage in which children are subject to externally imposed rules and adhere unquestioningly to rules and the directives of powerful adults. In this stage, peer relationship is an important factor towards constructing a self separate from others and towards developing the capacity to think in terms of other peoples’ attitude one self. Deutsch, Coleman and Marcus stated, â€Å"Equal peer relationships give children a chance to experience reciprocity which greatly assists them in perspective taking and problem solving† (Deutsch, Coleman, and Marcus 359). Adolescence stage on the one hand, is seen to takes place at the beginning of puberty or from 10 to 12 year for girls and 12 to 14 years for boys and end and at the age of 18 for girls and 21 for boys. While psychologist admits the lack of precision as to age limit, this stage â€Å"assume more responsibility for personal attainment and well being† (Arnett 168). It is also the stage to earn a living and a time when interest in fun increased. The stage of adulthood on the other hand are divided into three; early, middle and senior adults. The early adulthood which starts at age 21 up to 34 years, is concern on being able to engage in intimate relationships and in finding more satisfying work. This stage is also period of focusing on long term goals, nurturing other physically, finding a meaning in life, and developing a tolerance for delayed gratification to meet long-range goals (Corey and Corey 88). The middle adulthood ages 34 to 49 is regarded as the period of reassessment of one’s work satisfactions, of involvement in the community and of accepting choice made in life. According to Gerald and Marianne Corey, this period of life is a time for â€Å"solidifying one’s philosophy of life. The senior adults 50 to 64 are regarded as the beginning of the wisdom years. This period is characterized as the time for serving the community and planning for work transitions and retirement. Finally, the elderly, 65 years onward is the time â€Å"to find new levels of meaning in life and to appreciate what one has accomplished† (Corey and Corey, 89). This stage is a period of physical weakness because it is a time of diminished strength and increased dependence on others. Of all these stages, the development stage that is more susceptible to schizophrenia are the early adulthood ages 21 to 24 for men, while 40 and above for women. This is because the vast majority of the onset of this disease â€Å"falls within the interval of 15-54 years of age (Hirsch and Weinberger, 215). Steven Hirsch and Daniel Roy Weinberger noted that onsets of schizophrenia in men â€Å"peak steeply in the age group 20-24† (215), and it slowed down at lower level thereafter. This onset for men is the reverse for women above forties. The stages that are more prone to Alzheimer are definitely middle adults, senior adults and the elderly because this disease takes place during these stages of life. Question 2. Two of Piaget’s universal developments are the sensorimotor stage and the preoperational stage. The sensorimotor development stages starts from birth up to the end of the second year. Also called the neonatal stage, it is the period of development when the infant where simply a passive being that acts with out any systematic goal. Sensorimotor stage is the development of the child that includes intelligence based on perceptual experiences such as reflexes from 0-1month, primary circular reactions from 1to 4 months which is a repetition of certain pleasurable behaviors and formation of habits, secondary circular reactions 4 to 8 months, the coordination of secondary schemata and so forth. An example to this is the hand exercises. The child can follow simple instruction to close or open his or her hands as this is pleasurable exercise, during the infancy stage. But when the child is over one year old he can already follow basic instruction with basic understanding. Preoperational stage on the other hand begins at 2 up to 6 years of age. Salkind implies that Piaget’s preoperational stage of universal development is the progression of the infant from a reflexive organism to towards understanding of the symbolic world (248). Michie Swartwood and Kathy Trotter pointed out that in Piaget’s preoperational stage, the key feature of children’s thinking â€Å"is symbolic representation† (69). Swartwood and Trotter cited that during this stage, the child is able to use symbol, an object, or a word to stand for something else (69). Thus, though preoperational stage occurs right after the sensorimotor stage terminates, the child experiences tremendous progress during this stage. An example to this is the ability to follow simple instruction not to touch this or that, or that, on the ground that it will harm him or her, or that it will hurt him. In comparing both stages of development the child acquires certain degree of progression before each stage terminates. Both stages also display some degree of intelligence as the child now learns a lot of things through his or her experiences. But these stages also differ on some grounds. First, children in the sensorimotor stage do not think symbolically, while in preoperational stage they do think symbolically. Second, in the sensorimotor stage, the â€Å"child is limited to direct interaction with the environment, while in the second stage, the children learns to â€Å"manipulate symbols that represent the environment (Salkind, 248). In general however, both these stages show the child’s remarkable and development. Question 3. Some of the major stress that I am dealing with in my everyday life are first and foremost are the pressures from deadlines that must be met. This creates tension in me especially when I am running short of time. Biased treatment and sexism are also a great source of stress because it angers me. I really hate these things and I felt stress every time I encounter it. Some minor stressors however that I encounter everyday are the peer pressures. Peers insistences of something I do not like create pressures on me. Stern and unsmiling faces also s a source of stress especially those I meet daily. Some of the coping skills that I learned over time to keep the minor stressors from becoming major issues are; first, to ease my self of being too competitive. I learned this skill after I realized that I do not actually need to compete with my self. I simply need to make a list of priorities and take things at a time based on the priority list. Second, is to be friendly. I just realized that there is nothing wrong to great people with a smile regardless of how they would respond at me. I realized that by doing this, I could prevent the minor stress from becoming a major stress as I actually overcome it. Question 4. Schizophrenia is a disease. It is a chronic disease and severe mental disorder with a typical onset in adolescence and early adulthood and a lifetime prevalence of 1%. Dwight Evans cited that on average â€Å"male have their illness onset 3 to 4 years earlier than female† (78). Schizophrenia is not a developmental disorder but a chronic mental disease. The four type of schizophrenia are the following, paranoid, disorganized, catatonic, and undifferentiated. The characteristic and symptoms of paranoid are hallucinations and delusions. In the disorganized type, it symptoms and characteristic are reflected by disorganized speech, disorganized behavior, and inappropriate affect. The catatonic type manifest clinical syndrome such as excessive purposeless motor activity, extreme negativism, peculiar voluntary movements and so on. The undifferentiated sub type is diagnosed when the patient â€Å"does not meet criteria for the previous type yet does meet the criteria for schizophrenia† (Maddux & Winstead, 182). It is more likely that schizophrenia has a genetic cause than environmental. It is quite common that when there is schizophrenia in the family, it is passed down to another member. Thus this disease is called â€Å"psychobiological† illness amenable to chemical intervention and modification of the environment. An example to this is when a person is exposed to violence and all other abuses since birth, he has the tendency to have psychological trauma which causes schizophrenia. Question 5. One incident that happened in my lifetime was when I read the story about a plane crash killing all the more than two hundred passengers. After I read the story, I was shocked and I developed psychological fear regarding boarding an aircraft. Psychology fit in this scenario because I knew pretty well that it was simply an accident. In this experience, I developed some fear as it would always come to my mind that this plane might crash too. But as I came to realize, accident happens anywhere to anybody, at any given time and cause. Since I cannot prevent it nor predict it, the best thing to do is to just be very careful and avoid those that I can, but those that I cannot; I just leave my fate in the hands of God. The connection here between psychology and life is that, life is real; we should rather be practical and realistic than be overcome by fear and anxiety about our bad experiences. Question 6. I have incorporated in my work of art elements of psychology through my use of colors and designs. In using bright colors, I usually expressed strong emotion such as anger, or fear, or other emotions. I also incorporated psychology in my designs such as shapes that expresses meanings like lovely ideas or joyful situations. I will incorporate them in the future in the same way I incorporated it the last time with perhaps some improvement or modification. I could connect the process that I go through as an artist with psychology through putting meaning on my experiences in the light of what I have learned about psychology. That is, I must seek the context of what I am trying to portray to which I labor so much. It means that my work of art should be reflective of what life is, of the emotions, such love, fear, and other strong feelings that we often encounter or should I say, that always experience on a daily basis. Finally, one influence that will mesh with my future work of art is those that wear green colors, or things that are green. I am fascinated by this color and this influence in me can help meshed up with my future work of art. Work Cited Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen. International Encyclopedia of Adolescence, Volume 1 USA: CRC Press, 2007. Corey, Gerald & Corey Marianne Schneider. I Never Knew I Had a Choice: Explorations in Personal Growth USA: Cengage Learning, 2006 Deutsch, Morton; Coleman, Peter T. ; & Marcus, Eric Colton. The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice USA: John Wiley and Sons, 2006 Drebben, Olga. Patient Education in Rehabilitation USA: Jones and Bartlett, 2010 Evans, Dwight Treating and Preventing Adolescent Mental Health Disorders: What We Know and What We don’t Know New York: Oxford University Press Hirsch, Steven & Weinberger Daniel Roy. Schizophrenia Great Britain: Wiley-Blackwell, 1995 Kalat, James W. Introduction to Psychology USA: Cengage Learning, 2008. Maddux, James & Winstead, Barbara. Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding USA: Routledge, 2005. Salkind, Neil J. An Introduction to Theories of Human Development USA: Sage Publications, 2004 Swartwood, Michie & Trotter, Kathy. Observing Children and Adolescents: Student Workbook USA: Cengage Learning, 2004

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi

The autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, subtitled The Story of My Experiments With Truth, focuses on Gandhi's struggles for non-violence and civil disobedience through the acts of Satyagraha, literally meaning â€Å"holding firmly to truth. † In each of the chapters, he talks about instances in life in which he had struggled with Truth, considering Truth being the ultimate source of energy. The question many might ask is: how can one who is so skinny, one who had to live with a stick throughout his struggles, get such energy?It was because of his experiments and the trials that Gandhi developed dietetics, non-violence, hydropathy, naturopathy etc. After finishing his studies in England, he came to South Africa where he changed from a typical lawyer to one who was remarkable. It's more surprising that with the ideologies he produced from studying law, eastern and western philosophy, he kept them all by his side and followed them to the extreme. He was conservative to h is thoughts in any situation and in following them perhaps, to some, inflexibly so.One reason I become overwhelmed by Gandhi is his simplicity, wearing a single dhoti (an Indian clothing) and living solely by vegetables. Even when he was or his son was on his deathbed, he insisted that eating anything other than vegetables was wrong. He considered that through those necessities — in line with his teachings — it is possible that one can live freely. This means one can live without food or drink, without anger or desire, if they are to follow a simple code of behavior.This book thus teaches one in practical life on how to live without any of the material needs. ? – â€Å"I cannot attain freedom by a mechanical refusal to act, but only by intelligent action in a detached manner. This struggle resolves itself into an incessant crucifixion of the flesh so that the spirit may become entire free. † – â€Å"That freedom is attainable only through slow and painful stages. † – â€Å"A reformer cannot afford to have close intimacy with him whom he seeks to reform – â€Å"he who would be friends with God must remain alone, or make the whole world his friend. – on actively forgiving sin: â€Å"Man, as soon as he gets back his consciousness of right, is thankful to the Divine mercy for the escape. † – â€Å"When such Ahimsa [non-violence] becomes all-embracing, it transforms everything it touches. There is no limit to its power. † – On monastic changes to his life: â€Å"Let not the reader think that this living made my life by any means a dreary affair. On the contrary the change harmonized my inward and outward life. It was also more in keeping with the means of my family. My life was certainly more truthful and my soul knew no bounds of joy. † ?

How Far Does the Poet Want Us to Symphatize with Miss Havisham Essay

How Far Does the Poet Want Us to Sympathize with Miss Havisham? The poet wants us to sympathized Miss Havisham greatly, but not entirely. Her own trappings of her strong need to revenge and her morbid existence that has destroyed her carries a symbolic meaning of self – absorption and destruction. This poem introduces us to Miss Harvisham’s character, who has become a type of embittered woman who was disappointed in love and enjoys withdrawing from the world. First of all, this poem is written in a first person’s point of view. She begins by telling the reader the cause of her pain and suffering – her â€Å"beloved sweetheart bastard† which gravitates into a sense of bitterness and vengeance/retribution. In addition to that, the use of oxymoron in the above-said phrase indicates a contradiction of words. The words â€Å"beloved† and â€Å"sweetheart† indicates a very admirable personality, but the word â€Å"bastard† gives us a completely conflicting quality. Besides, she tells us that she not only wished him to be dead, but instead she prayed for his death, evidently by â€Å"Not a day since then I haven’t wished him dead. Prayed for it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She prayed so hard that she had â€Å"dark green pebbles for eyes and ropes on the back of my hands she could strangle with.† She uses metaphors here to explain to us that while she prayed, she had her eyes shrunk hard and felt that her hands were strong enough to strangle someone, which fits her murderous personality. It makes us feel piteous for her as seeing that she has suffered a great amount until it has reached insanity, but at the same time it makes us feel really disturbed by her mad identity. The second stanza symbolises her â€Å"self-absorption† and â€Å"self-pity† behaviours. She started off with a strong word: â€Å"Spinster†. The use of caesura in beginning of this stanza shows how much she emphasizes and detests this word. Besides, the feeling of abhorrence has been further strengthen by the use of trochee can be seen in the word â€Å"Spinster† as the first syllable is stressed. Moving on, Miss Havisham is also aware of her own stink as she does not ever change her clothes. This show how withdraw she is from the world. Moreover, she stays in bed all day and â€Å"caws† in denial, which shows how she was on the verge of irrationality and stupidity. In the end of this stanza, she ended with â€Å"who did this†. She knows very well that she was a big cause to this problem, but I feel that she also wanted to put the blame on the ex-fiancà © as she only completed her question in the next stanza. This stanza makes us feel really sorry for her seeing  that she cannot get over her past as it keeps haunting her. In the third stanza, she started to dream about her lost lover in a tenderly manner. â€Å"Some nights better, the lost body over me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  suggests that she misses her lost lover enormously. She fantasizes about herself enjoying her time with her ex-lover, but it did not last long as when she finally regain her conscience, her hatred and ager returns, evidently by â€Å"then down till I suddenly bite awake.† This stanza truly reaches out to me because I can feel that deep inside she tries to recover the wonderful memories they may have had together but she eventually decides to ignore it as she still had that tinge of anger inside her that she cannot let go. The last stanza is mainly talking about how her rage and abhorrence restores. It is somewhat similar to the first stanza, but she seems more furious in the last stanza. Thinking of how she actually â€Å"stabbed a wedding cake† shows us that she is plotting a huge revenge on a â€Å"male corpse† which we all postulate that it is her lover. This stanza makes me feel a little frightened by her as her attitude is rather alarming. Overall, I really do sympathized Miss Havisham deeply, but I do criticise some of her actions. For instance, I do not like the fact that she wants to inflict pain on others just because it is for her own sake. By praying for someone to die and planning a revenge on someone is not the right way to solve a problem. However, I do greatly pity her because of the phase she is going through. It is not easy getting over someone. In conclusion, the poet wants us all to sympathize her greatly, but only to a certain extent. We commiserate her for her peculiarity and her self-indulgence, but her sullenness and vindictiveness make us feel that she is a very vivacious and debauched person.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Contexts that Motivate Learning

Motivational learning can be broken into four contexts. Those contexts are: Practical, Personal, Experiential, and Idealistic. First, the practical context of learning would be learning something because you know in advance it will benefit you. Second, the personal context of learning would be learning something because you want to do it for yourself to accomplish an important goal. Third, the experiential context of learning would be learning something because of past experiences. Finally, the idealistic context of learning would be learning something because you want to explore ideas, theories and concepts to experience the discovery of something new. There are four main contexts that motivate people to learn and everyone has their own reasons. Personal Context of Motivation I decided to return to school for personal reasons. Returning to school is something that I have thought of doing for a very long time. I guess you could just say that I have been very lazy and procrastinated for a long time. I tried to go to college right out of high school but it did not work out. I don’t think I was quite prepared to make that big step. I was headed down the wrong path and decided it was time to do something with my life. I knew it would help me to grow as a person. I now find myself in sort of the same situation. I’ve been a cashier for 18yr and now I work hard every day loading a Goodwill trailer to support my kids I know that without a collage education that most likely will not happen. I also want to be a positive influence to my children and show him how important education is. I want to be a good influence to my son and daughter but most of all I want to better myself as a person. Plus most of all I know in 4 to 5 yr. my fibromyalgia will not be getting any better. By that time my R. A. in my back will be getting bad, I still have 8 yrs. left to support my little girl. I know I can’t do it working on the back of the trailer but maybe be hide a desk for Goodwill I can as a human resource manager

Friday, September 13, 2019

The impact of Dizzy Gillespie on the development of modern jazz Essay

The impact of Dizzy Gillespie on the development of modern jazz - Essay Example In addition, the paper aims to bring a close understanding of need of revolution and development in the jazz genre of music. In-depth highlights will be provided in the paper regarding the collaborations that helped Dizzy Gillespie in bringing developing or positive impact on jazz music. It should be noted that Dizzy Gillespie was able to work in collaboration with Charlie Parker who was a saxophonist. The collaboration of both the musicians was able to introduce be-bop revolution. As a matter of fact, the revolution was not just limited to sleek and high speed musical addition as the style of jazz music but also intensified tune (Crow). This duo was widely famous around the world because they rather made it easier for the musicians to follow jazz music. In other words, Dizzy Gillespie along with Parker redefined jazz music. To them, it was extremely needed that musicians were playing an easier music so that the audiences can also follow the beats. In addition, the reach of jazz music, back in 1960s, was limited to certain regions (Shipton). Therefore, it was the need of the time to spread the music to different parts of the world so that people could follow differing tunes and tempos that were being provided by jazz music. Notwithstanding, there were many critical appraisals that were received by the jazz music (Crow). One of the vibrant changes that he successfully brought in jazz music was the inclusion of Afro-Cuban music (Davenport). Most of the music analysts claimed that the inclusion of the combination music allowed jazz music to develop as it needed resolution. Also, analysis and music critics claimed that Dizzy Gillespie was able to undertake such a huge change within the jazz music because he had a very entertaining approach towards music-making. A lot of people claimed that he had very fun techniques to produce music that ultimately made him work with many musicians (Crow). As a matter of fact, there was a huge fight between Mr.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Integration of the strategy components in achieving Broadway cafs goal Essay

Integration of the strategy components in achieving Broadway cafs goal - Essay Example This means that if the venture has a negative value of the returns or profitability, it is too risky or not profitable, and, the company should reconsider investing in the venture. Broadway Cafe has a rich history in the restaurant business. With modern technological development, the Business has to acquire a niche with the intent of competitively edging out its competitors in the business. IT strategies coupled with appropriate ethic codes would not only protect the older customer base but also introduce the new generation of internet accessible customers. The system also factors in the need to show employers that are not only IT compliant but also customer and environmental friendly. â€Å"Integration of the strategy components in achieving Broadway cafes goal† The Combined use of e-Business, employee ethics together with consumer confidence will provide synergy required in the management and daily operation of the Broadway cafe. This synergy provides a simplified and summar ized vision of the business. With the ventures primary customer base being the MSU students, (an IT compliant public) an e-Business would be more attractive to them. Broadway Cafe expects to acquire a facebook and twitter account as well as other social media sites to seek membership from this population as a way of expanding its customer base. This membership would raise home deliveries, online booking, gift vouchers, and other niceties to pull them. With the additional setting up of a website, it would be simple to reach more customers through advertisements. A broadband service would also be available to ensure that customers comprise time to enjoy their meals plus a moment to surf the Internet. This strategy aims at attracting and retaining clientele that are time conscious, Internet responsive, and also the holidaymakers who prefer their orders delivered to their localities (Amor 207). Eco-friendly clients would also have the opportunity to meet e-tickets and receipts while the business would cut down the costs of purchasing pare receipts. The development of updated customer friendly employee ethics would be manifest. This will ensure that the employees have not only real working conditions but also customer ethics that can attract and retain customers. Most of the other competitors fail to initiate established employee ethics and this situational strategy hopes to capitalize on this tool as a sense of outplaying the other competitors in the business. Furthermore, customer security would equally become crucial. Customers are currently conscious about their safety especially within populated areas such as eateries and other social places. This is as the result of terrorist threats, cyber crimes, and social safety concerns. Broadway cafe hopes to initiate work ethics codes, consumer welfare and employee protection. With the introduction of the Biometric system, customers would be required to provide individual information. It is fundamental to ascertain tha t the management and utilization of such information would be achievable through careful process. The customers will recoup their biodata at will to build their dependence on the business. The Estimated Returns The business expects to source for money in order to achieve these strategies. The financing classification that is most suitable incorporates loans. The company has sourced for a web developer and a forensic officer who are to start work quickly and continue through by the end of the coming week. The estimated costs amount to $ 5,000,

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Management research assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management research assignment - Essay Example The main objective of this paper according to the writers is to analyze various dimensions of educational validity of business gaming simulation that would be possible through the proposed research methodology framework. Thus the beginning part of the paper, specifically the abstract and introduction clearly indicates the background of the study they conducted. Research methodology is described, which as mentioned above is unique for its approach. According to Stainton, Johnson & Borodzicz (2010 p. 705), as a research method, they have relied on the ‘total enterprise simulation’. They further make clear that unlike the past, an effective research methodology is essential to analyze the business gaming simulation because the assessment of validity is an ongoing process; and therefore, it has to be viewed from an educational perspective. Researchers make a detailed review of available literature to form rather an authentic conclusion. According to them, design, implementat ion, and validity are the two most significant aspects associated with this research framework. Furthermore, the facilitator plays a crucial role in assisting learners to determine what to view, reflect, and learn. As far as the design is concerned, the factors associated with it involve, designer’s ability and perception, the significance of maintaining the sensible aspects of simulation etc. For instance, exaggeration or generalization of the difficulties of the real facts may occur if the designers’ perceptions flaw. Hence, according to the researchers, design plays a very important role in determining the quality of business gaming simulation. They further attribute the success of the implementation phase to the ‘learning by doing’ strategy which is based on the real life examples and problem solving. According to the writers, by following this method, with the help of a facilitator who would give training and motivation students will learn how to assi milate experiences with the given problem and their acquired knowledge. Thus, the writers come up with a more reasonable strategy for the effective implementation of a simulation. In order for answering the absence of an appropriate strategy for validating simulation, the researchers propose their own methodology that spreads across every phase of its process including design, implementation, and validation. According to them, education validity should involve the ‘internal educational validity, external educational validity, and external representational validity’ (Stainton, Johnson, and Borodzicz, 2010, p. 710). In order to understand these variables one should go through their concept of each form of validity. As they describe, internal education validity refers to participants’ understanding of their business outcome; whereas, external educational validity indicates participants’ ability to assimilate the real life experience with the simulation. And t hirdly, representational validity is evident if the simulation alters the participants’ attitude. In other words, these theoretical explanations refer to three things; 1) convince the participants of their business environment and roles (internal educational validity), 2) makes them understand how to relate the real life environment and simulation (external educational validity), and 3) makes participants able cope up with the real environment (representational v