Costs of Production at San Juan Cell Phones

Costs of production at San Juan Cell Phones This is clearly a challenge for Lisa. If Lisa decides to take the order she will have the opportunity to run the factory to capacity over the next three months and fulfill a Company Value by keeping employees working, in addition, she will have a bonus check on her pocket. This will be the optimal decision if the factory had excess capacity of 100,000 and Big Box asking price remains $20 per unit. Let’s say Lisa decides to use the Beta Model Line to make the additional 30,000 units, since we are short on information let’s assume that because of the production line change the factory will be 30,000 short on Beta Models. Based on table 1 (Unit Profitability Report) and if units are sold accordingly then San Juan Cell Phones will generate a profit of $90,000 by manufacturing and selling the Alpha model vs. 240,000 profit generated by manufacturing and selling the Beta model. San Juan Cell Phones will risk $150,000 in profit with the production line change alternative. If the company decides to honor the asking price then San Juan Cell Phones will generate losses. If phones are sold at $15 each and variable cost per unit remains same based on table 1 (Unit Profitability Report) then the company will lose $2 per unit making it a $200,000 or a $140,000 deficit. Variable cost will have to decrease $2+ in order to gain some profit. Another alternative will be to hire the OEM to manufacture the entire order. This alternative will be the most profitable one with a $100,000 profit gain without literary doing anything. Mrs. Norman needs to realize that gains may not be always in the shape of money and that she needs to comply with company values in order to maintain integrity which is very important in business today. It is clear that a deal with a major chain like Big Box will bring a good advertisement for the company which eventually will bring more buyers and that will bring more profit to the company, so no matter what happens the company will benefit from this order if production is handled correctly. Keeping that in mind, ordering the OEM to manufacture the entire order is the most attractive option in terms of money but will not run the factory at capacity and will not keep the employees working which is one of the company’s values. In my opinion there is a happy medium to the situation that could bring some profit will keep the employees working and will comply with the order in time. Dividing the production between San Juan Cell Phones and the OEM will fulfilled most of Mrs. Norman needs. Buy hiring the OEM to manufacture 2/3 of the order will make it even with profit of the OEM deal paying for the losses made by producing the Alpha models within the company’s facility and selling it at the requested price ($14). Since profits were good and cost control met standards this will be an alternative to Lisa because production will increase 33,334 units decreasing the excess capacity to 36,667. In other words factory will be producing closer to its capacity, will keep employees working and will provide the costumers a quality product on time. If Lisa wants to gain profit from the deal then she needs to decide how many more units the OEM needs to manufacture with little impact on factory productivity, employment and of course her bonus.

Theme of the Road Not Taken

In life decisions have to be made. Some are regular every day choices that have little impact on your life. Others however, can change your life forever. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken† Robert Frost uses sound, figurative language, diction to illustrate the importance of every day decisions and the regret you get when you think about those decisions later in life. Once the first stanza is read the first example of sound is revealed. The rhyme scheme in this poem is ABAAB. The words that rhyme in the first stanza are â€Å"wood/stood/could† (lines 1, 3, and 4) and â€Å"both/undergrowth† (lines 2 and 5). These rhymes give the poem a sense of connectivity and flow. They also emphasize certain ideas in the poem such as the fact that both paths were equal in every way and none had been traveled before as he states in stanza two. Also alliteration is present in the poem. In line eight, alliteration makes the poem flow more poetically. â€Å"Because it was grassy and wanted wear;† (line 8). The â€Å"wa† sound repeats itself in the last two words of the line. These examples of sound make a poem that should sound uneven flow like a poem should. Figurative language in a poem can intensify any meaning greatly. For example Frost uses personification and imagery to create pictures in our head of what the forest looks like and gives personality to inanimate objects. For example, when Frost says â€Å"Because it was grassy and wanted wear† (line 8) in line eight he uses personification. A road cannot want anything but it does give the road the personality that it has not been traveled ever before. Also he gives imagery when he says the forest is a â€Å"yellow wood† (line 1) which gives the impression that the leaves have fallen off the trees and it is autumn time in the forest. Autumn in literature represents the coming of old age and wisdom but the character still has a feeling of fulfillment. So in the poem the character could be nearing the end of his journey with a feeling of riches and fulfillment but a final decision might determine his destiny. Finally diction in this poem creates the theme and gives the poem the regretful and remorseful feeling we get at the end. In the final stanza he says that â€Å"I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence. † (lines 16 and17). Now, when someone tells a story with a sigh it means that they might regret the story they are about to tell. The character probably second guesses himself on the decision he made years ago and wonders what he would be like if he had chosen the other path. Even as he makes the choice (as he knows he has to or else he will not get anywhere) he knows that whatever path he chooses he will never know what lies on the other side. This is why he always tells his story with a sigh. Decisions in life are hard to make and sometimes can be overwhelming. Frost uses sound, figurative language, and diction to communicate what decisions can lead to later in life. The poem explains that in life there is not a right or wrong path. There are just many paths that are equal and have different outcomes. This leads to people second guessing themselves later in life and wondering about the unknowable path that they did not take. This means that no matter what path you choose something is going to happen and you have to accept it. Therefore, in life it doesn’t matter if you make the right or wrong decisions just seize the day.

Power of E-Commerce over Traditional Mall Shopping POWER OF E-COMMERCE OVER TRADITIONAL MALL SHOPPING

i.Most people with different ages can easily browse the internet for several reasons; however, the online shopping considered being one of the most amazing motives. Internet revolution and growing of online marketing shifted most of consumers’ preferences to rely on online shopping instead of the usual traditional mall shopping especially when it comes to convenience, easiness, and globalization. ii.Convenience a.Convenience is the key motivation for most online shoppers. Save gas & time during shopping. Also, online store never close! b.Life is busy! Going for shopping malls is a hassle. It is difficult to compare prices as well as rigid working hours. iii.Easiness a. When it comes to people with special need, such as older or handicapped, they might suffer while driving, parking, and walking to the targeted store, or they will ask for assistance during shopping. Extra merits go to online shopping, such as future reordering, which is allowing customers to place the same previous order over and over again. Also, since all purchasing is processed electronically, all transactions and receipts will be emailed to the customer, so there is no need to worry about losing receipts ever again. On the other hand, most stores will never accept to return and/or exchange without receipts. Unlike the boring approach of waiting in long lines to checkout or dealing with customer service in the retail shops (mainly during holidays and special occasions), the online stores are always ready to check a customer out whenever he/she is ready. When it comes to globalization, online shopping broadened the market to be between customers’ hands and makes shopping available for everyone. Nowadays, anyone can shop from foreign stores outside USA, such as European, Asian, or just any online store in the world. A person can shop and ship the desirable item(s) witho ut obstacles right to his/her door using reasonable shipping methods and rates. In fact, traditional stores do not have the ability to bring something from outside of the country. Stores, no matter how luxurious they are, they are still local stores. Definitely, the United States keeps theFrench Revolution : The Main Effect Of Enlightenment Ideas... France in Middle Ages era was ruled by the arbitrary monarch. Besides the king, the clergy and the nobility, which were the officials of the church and the group of aristocrats respectively, had supreme power than the society. In the way it ran, there were many problems in the social and economic section, such as poverty and taxation issues. Thus, French Revolution is one of the turning points of French public life. It is popular with the slogan â€Å"liberty, equality and fraternity† that brought French to be a new revolutionary country. While many people are still arguing whether French Revolution is the main effect of the Enlig htenment ideas emergence or social economic disruption, I will argue that this revolution was an ultimate outcome of the social and economics disarray by looking at the details of foreign and internal aspects. To begin with, the French production method that outdated towards other countries, predominantly turned into the root of the French Revolution. As in 1789, French economy laid on peasants and artisans (Soboul 1974, p. 27). At the same time, there were many developments of overseas trade and big industries in other parts of the world, especially Britain, which was France’s rival to achieve the authority in Europe. As a result, the French economic agents intended to transform their approach, as it happened in Britain. In fact, France just responsive to modernize in the transportation and communication section. It seemed less willing to change the

Case Report Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Report - Case Study Example Chatime has enjoyed competitive advantage of its local brand of tea for long and now seeks a wider market to expand their branches as well as increase the visibility into the market not only locally but internationally as well. Zhao is the owner and overall manager of the brand and hence seeks to make not only operational decisions which are short term but strategic ones as well which will make the brand bigger. According to him, he wants his brand to be the â€Å"Starbucks of tea (Griffin, 2010) and hence the reason for the planning of the expansion.† This opportunity to diversify is faced with challenges one of them being that the customer base will be shifting from purely Chinese customers to the mainstream ones as well. Mainstreaming the tea will attain the company’s objectives of expansion but there is risk of rejection as well as the probable need to change the products to suit the culture and tastes of the mainstreams (Helms & Nixon, 2010). Carrying out a Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis is the best way for Zhao to understand the issues ahead of him and enable him to make the best decision as well (Ayub, et al. 2013). Identification of the strengths of the tea in the business will enable him to understand whether the locals love the tea because it is local or purely for its flavor. It is the locals’ love for the tea that has made the brand get uplifted to that level of even owning over 40 branches. The strength of the new market will also act as incentive or guide Zhao as to whether tapping into it is worth changing his product and customizing it for the new potential clients. The mainstream clients are bound to increase the popularity of the tea blend and its success will mean that the tea will be accepted globally as well. The other strength is that Zhao is a good business man and a strategic manager and is determined to make it work. He already has a plan in place that can work

Decision Making Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision Making Model - Essay Example The initial step in this model involves identifying the decision to be made since it is vital that one is fully aware and clearly comprehends the decision at hand. The second stage is knowing one's self or undergoing self-assessment. This means that a person should be familiar with his/her skills, interests, values and personal traits as these factors would have substantial effects in making the decision. (Roberts, n.d.) The third step begins with identifying options or exploring alternatives. A person should know the choices available that are in line with the abovementioned factors. The fourth step involves gathering information or researching about what may be the potential consequences of the decisions. This step may entail interviewing other people with regard to their experiences in making the same decisions. One may also read books or surf the internet during this decision-making point. It is important to remember that the more information gathered the easier it is to make the decision. (Roberts, n.d.) The next step entails evaluating the options by identifying the pros and cons of each alternative. This may be done by listing the values affected and needs satisfied by each option as well as the risks involved (Roberts, n.d.). Note that some pros and cons may carry more weight than others. In this regard, it may help to assign grades to these listings to gauge what truly matters to the decision-maker ("Make Decision", 2005). Given the information gathered and analyzed, the sixth step involves selecting one of the options. This process does not end in choosing but with the seventh step that entails the designing and implementing an action plan relative to the decision that has been made. The final stage requires taking the necessary steps to effect the decision. (Roberts, n.d.) I have recently utilized this model in my current job when I was faced with deciding on whether to transfer to another department that was in need of someone with my qualifications. With this, I have instantly identified the decision of whether to grab the opportunity to transfer to another department or stay in the same section. In making this decision, I have assessed my values, skills, interests and characteristics. I have recognized my nursing skills, the value I assign to health and money, and my being sociable that enables me to easily get along with my colleagues and superior. Following these steps, I have proceeded with researching about the job opening. After all, more information would empower me to choose the best option. As such, I interviewed some friends who are assigned to the said department. Based on their experience, being assigned to the section entails longer working hours coupled with late lunches during a number of weekdays when work load is quite heavy. They also cited that the head of the department is somewhat demanding. However, this also means relatively higher take-home pay due to the additional overtime work rendered. After these, I evaluated my options based on the information I have obtained and my personality, values and skills. I listed down the advantages and disadvantages of opting to transfer and staying. I also

Contrasts on the Topic of Eros Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contrasts on the Topic of Eros - Essay Example In a discussion of eros through the insights of Socrates and Phaedrus, the nature of the quest and the object of those desires are discovered in relationship to the framework of Plato. Within the speech that Socrates made in Phaedrus, he defined the meaning of the term eros as â€Å"a certain desire† (Rhodes 3). In this, it is suggested that the desire is without hesitation, a feeling in which the individual is driven towards the object of the desire without deviation. The desire is certain, it is clear with purpose of connectivity, both physical and mental. However, in the second speech, he begins to call it a yearning, which suggests that it is a pull towards something, a feeling based on the envy of want and without that same certainty that he has suggested in his first description. Eros, through its certainty or its capacity of yearning, is manifested in passion. If desire is the look towards fulfillment, then passion is the fulfillment of that anticipatory event of desire . The nature of eros, as it is associated with the god from whom it was given its context, eros is a potential that was placed within the human frame of emotions. It is the potential of developing feelings for others, the potential for the experience of connection. The placing of eros within the human framework was the work of the god Eros, but he use of it was left to the discretion of the individual. Therefore, an important part of the concept of eros is that it is potential, a intent that is defined by its affect on what will be, rather than what is (Phillips 21). Socrates describes the nature of the god Eros as the child of Poverty and Plenty, a descendent of extremes, and born with wisdom and a love of beauty. However, human beings do not have the innate benefit of wisdom, therefore it is the seeking of the object of desire that the gift of Eros exists. As a human being, love is not given automatically, but is the eventual outcome of the pursuit of love (Phillips 21). This also places eros as an intention, an outcome that is the event of hope in which within that hope is placed a pursuit that will end in love. It is the quest that each human being attends towards finding a way to be consumed in the human experience of extension into partnership with another human being, which then spreads to interconnections of family and procreation of life. Socrates also connects eros to the love of wisdom. Phillips quotes Socrates for having said â€Å"wisdom is a most beautiful thing, and love is of the beautiful† (21). Phillips states â€Å"The most beautiful thing one can love, according to Socrates, is wisdom. We demonstrate this most beautiful love in our striving to become wise† (21). This leads to the quest for the human excellence in the form of arete. While some definitions of arete are centered on the notion of being an expert and highly skilled in a vocation, it can also define attaining a level of excellence as a human being (Dominik 206). The refore, eros can be seen outside of the realm of the erotic, as a pursuit of wisdom and within the pursuit of the nature of the self. However, eros more often involves an object of the pursuit, as eros is the quest, the object is the target of that quest. Once again, the definition of the object becomes the subject of concern. It would be considered most obvious to place the concept of the object on a person

Outsourcing American Jobs to Foreign Countries Case Study

Outsourcing American Jobs to Foreign Countries - Case Study Example Likewise, this same report indicates the unemployment rate has hit an all-time low at 5.6 percent. This information is supported by another report produced by the Labor Department (2006) indicating that American has only lost an average of 7.71 million jobs every quarter. Based on this information, Forrester Research has estimated that the worst case scenario would have America losing approximately 3.3 million service jobs in the period from 2000 to 2015. Calculating the math, these figures show an average of 55,000 jobs lost to outsourcing each quarter, which only comprises approximately 0.71 percent of all available jobs in America. Some people feel it is our own fault jobs are going overseas as consumers continue to demand lower costs even though many of them also complain about the results of this demand, such as having to deal with foreign call centers. Jill Insley of the Observer Cash Pages reports, â€Å"Insurers consistently argue they have to take advantage of the cheap but skilled workforces in countries such as India to produce the low premiums and competitive interest rates customers demand.† In addition, there has been some skepticism as to whether these cost-saving measures, such as foreign call centers, actually translate into true savings. Citing research conducted for Aviva, Insley indicated only 28 per cent of the respondents to a survey felt lower costs due to foreign call centers would lead to lower premiums for American consumers while a majority of respondents indicated that service provided was not up to the standards expected.

Principles of Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principles of Economics - Research Paper Example Based on this research economics is about scarcity and choice. It is assumed that all human beings are rational thinkers hence would always choose to consume products that would give them maximum satisfaction or utility. Mankiw argues that rational people ‘systematically and purposefully do the best to achieve objectives given available opportunity.’ Given a choice among alternatives and with scarce resources, one would evaluate the benefits and costs of consuming an extra unit of a product and would only take a decision only if marginal benefit is greater than marginal cost. In this case, to solve the alcohol abuse problem, one has to consider marginal benefits and marginal costs derived from consuming an extra unit of alcohol and since excessive drinking has more costs than benefits, one would refrain from alcohol. The opportunity cost foregone by choosing to abuse alcohol is too high compared to satisfaction derived; money spent on alcohol can do many other things suc h as feeding the family, education for children, and investments among others. Besides, the person may have health problems thus adding to the costs. By considering all these factors, a rational person would refrain from alcohol abuse. Heyne acknowledges the role played by incentives in directing behavior. For him, rational people usually respond to incentives or are induced to act by them. Assuming alcohol abusers are rational, imposing taxes on alcohol substances would eliminate the problem. This would follow the law of demand which states that other things being constant, if the price of a good increase, the quantity demanded of the good decreases. Taxes have the effect of increasing alcohol prices and this would automatically mean that the abusers would desist from alcohol consumption or cut their consumption. Prescription Drug Effects on Demand and Supply of Other Products and Services Prescription drugs are drugs prescribed by a medical officer to a patient and are regulated b y legislation unlike the over-the-counter drugs which can be old to anyone. If a patient is under prescription drugs, he/she buys the drugs despite the price of the drugs. An increase or decrease in price of the drugs therefore has little or no effect on the quantity demanded by an individual (McCarthy & Schafermeyer, 2007). The drugs are provided by the National Health Insurance and have no close substitutes. The increase in price of the drugs thus affects all the sectors of healthcare industry such as patients and private insurers. Due to increased costs, the private insurers are forced to increase the cost of their services in case they have to offer such drugs and this may lead to low demand for their services. The patients are also required to get medical prescriptions before obtaining the drugs thus the demand for the medicine may be low compared to over-the-counter drugs. Use of prescription drugs also has an effect on demand for other healthcare services such as hospitalizat ion. The prescription drugs also affect supply of generic products as manufacturers have patents to supply the new drugs for some years. Elasticity of Demand and Supply The price elasticity of demanded which is percentage change in quantity demanded over percentage change in price shows consumers responsiveness to price changes. (McKenzie & Lee, 2006). It is an important consideration when analyzing the impact of a shift in supply and in determining if the firm should raise or lower its price. The supply curve is upward sloping showing a positive relationship between price and quantity supplied other things held constant. However, in long-run, those factors do change causing a shift in supply curve. Such factors include; input prices, technology, expectations and number of sellers in the market. For example, an increase in input prices such as labor would lead to a decrease in supply thus shifting the supply curve to the left. This

Meter Dose Inhaler verses Nebulizer Treatment Research Paper

Meter Dose Inhaler verses Nebulizer Treatment - Research Paper Example Patients frequently ask health care providers as to which is a better mode of administration in terms of efficacy, convenience and safety. This triggered me to find evidence to ascertain as to which of the two is a better mode of administration in acute wheezing. Thus, it was both problem focused and knowledge focused trigger that generated the clinical question. Names/Types of research sources used The research source used was PubMed. Summation of the research findings as related to the clinical question Rodrigo and Rodrigo (1998) performed a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study to compare the efficacy of salbutamol (or albuterol) delivered by either metered-dose inhaler plus spacer (MDI-spacer) or by nebulization, and to determine the relationships between physiologic responses and plasma salbutamol concentrations. The study revealed that bronchodilatation remained same with metered dose inhalation and nebulization, but side effects were more with nebulization because of higher levels of plasma salbutamol due to increased absorption. Deerajanawong et al (2005) conducted a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with an aim to compare the efficacy of salbutamol aerosol therapy given metered dose inhaler and nebulization in young children with acute wheezing. ... From the study, it was evident that metered dose inhalers are as efficacious as nebulization to administer albuterol in young children with wheezing. Infact, the study revealed that metered dose inhalers were more convenient in this regard. Integration of research findings Administration of albuterol can be done either through metered dose inhalers or nebulization in acute wheezing conditions in children. Both methods of administration are equally efficacious. However, nebulization is more time consuming and has risk of side effects. Potential practice changes based on research evidence Metered dose inhaler would be recommended as the preferred of administration of albuterol in children with acute wheezing since it is easier to administer, takes less time in the process, can be given anywhere and has less side effects References Deerojanawong, J., Manuyakorn, W., Prapphal, N., Harnruthakorn, C., Sritippayawan, S., Samransamruajkit, R. (2005). Randomized controlled trial of salbutamol aerosol therapy via metered dose inhaler-spacer vs. jet nebulizer in young children with wheezing. Pediatr Pulmonol., 39(5), 466-72. Delgado, A., Chou, K.J., Silver, E.J., Crain, E.F. (2003). Nebulizers vs metered-dose inhalers with spacers for bronchodilator therapy to treat wheezing in children aged 2 to 24 months in a pediatric emergency department. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med., 157(1), 76-80. Rodrigo, C., and Rodrigo, G. (1998). Salbutamol treatment of acute severe asthma in the ED: MDI versus hand-held nebulizer. Am J Emerg Med., 16(7),

How Should the Challenges Posed by International Terrorism Best be Met Essay

How Should the Challenges Posed by International Terrorism Best be Met in the Course of the Next Decade - Essay Example The proficiency and sophistication of the terrorist attacks that we currently face is very different from what we had a decade ago. In the same way, the world is likely to face a new and more dynamic form of terrorism in the course of the next decade. It is necessary that the world gets prepared for this new challenge. Terrorism is a phenomenon that can gladly swipe a whole nation’s population from the face of the world and have the audacity to claim responsibility1. It should not be condoned at any cost. Discussion One of the greatest challenges in the course of the next decade shall be proliferation. This is the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by terrorist organizations. Currently there are numerous terrorist organizations in the globe. The Al Qaeda movement is one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world currently. Even after the demise of Osama bin Laden, it is still assumed that the group is still operational and it will take time to be wiped out. Th ese are poised be regenerate in numbers and might in the course of the next decade. If they are allowed to get their hands to weapons of mass destruction, they shall for sure strike and strike hard for that matter. The next decade holds the challenge of containing the increased number and strength of terrorist organizations2. ... Attacks by national governments are a relatively subtle issue as compared to attacks from terrorist organizations which is the challenge that the world is out to face in the course of the next decade. Nations are easy to diplomatically deal with. They have vested interests which can be put on the table and used as bargain to compel them to refrain from terrorist activities. They can be threatened with sanctions; charges of crimes against humanity in the Hague based International Criminal Court; Free traveling restrictions among others. These might hold governments at ransom and thwart them from getting engaged in terrorism activities. On the other hand, terrorist organizations do not face these challenges. They cannot be cowed with sanctions or travel restrictions and the likes. It is even hard to identify who they really are in the first place. They do not have to come out in the open as heads of nations should. In this regard, the multiplication and intensification of terrorist gro ups is a very huge challenge in the course of the next decade. Meeting the challenge of the increase and intensification of terrorism organizations is a hard nut to crack, and it needs governments and law agencies to be thorough and resilient3. The best way of meeting this challenge is keeping the organizations constantly on the run. If they are allowed to settle down and organize themselves, they are able of lay their hands on extremely lethal weapons of mass destruction. They can cause the world a great deal of havoc. The world needs to hunt them down from the thickest of forests and fish them out from the deepest of oceans. This shall keep them always aloof and wary of their back. They shall concentrate on soliciting more fortified hideouts rather than soliciting

Herr Samsa Is Content Essay Example for Free

Herr Samsa Is Content Essay In Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa, the main character turns into an insect. Although many would argue that this transformation is literal, I would argue that Kafka uses it as a metaphor or some other form of symbol. If my theory is right, this metaphor is used as a means of portraying the dehumanisation and hence insanity of Gregor Samsa caused by the intense stress and demands of his daily job that he worries about so much. I also believe that Kafka uses the particular case of Gregor to represent a whole generation of workers that all fear the same fate. Herr Samsa, Gregors father, in particular fears this and having seen what he fears most in his son, he becomes violent and aggressive towards him; eventually delivering him a slow, gradual death. To support this argument, we find out that, even before the actual transformation, Gregor behaves strangely with regards to his work; studying train timetables for example. It is for this reason that I have decided to carry on with this idea. With Gregor dying at the end of the novella, I decided to use this metaphor of dehumanisation again and apply it to another one of the workers of the same generation as Gregors his sisters boyfriend that she has found since the Samsa family left their home to start a new life. In order for my adaptation of Kafkas extended metaphor to be successful, I have had to adopt his style of writing, something that is very particular to Kafka. Kafka uses long sentences yet keeps the novella moving at quite a fast pace. This is because he pays great attention to detail and turns each detail into something significant. Despite this, he is not particularly descriptive concerning the settings that he has chosen in Metamorphosis. This has the particular effect of rendering the scenes of Metamorphosis full of action and gripping for the reader. This is what I have tried to apply in my extension of Kafkas fantastic tale. Grete watched her father open the door, pull his feet across the mat, throw his overcoat off his shoulders and drop it on the banister. He took both his daughters shoulders, smiled at her for a moment with an expression that could only be associated with pride and then gently kissed her forehead. He then moved on to the kitchen, Grete in his footsteps. Once there, he placed his hand on his wifes shoulder, squeezed it, asked her what was for supper and, in turn, kissed her. Herr Samsa presently moved to the living room and with a pleasant sigh of relief he settled into an armchair and watched in amusement as Grete gazed fixedly at the clock on the wall counting down the seconds. At precisely five, the doorbell rang and Grete let out a little squeal of delight before glancing sheepishly at her father and rushing off to answer it. The same routine had not changed one bit for the last two months yet Herr Samsa could not complain. He knew that five was the time when he could afford himself the pleasure of watching his daughters face light up, making her even more beautiful; reminding him of the attractive and successful woman she was turning into. He had never been happier. Simple and polite but pleasant conversation came from the kitchen a mixture of questions, exclamations and quiet laughter. Following this, Grete entered with Franz who greeted Herr Samsa with a gentle inclination of his head. Ah! Franz my son! How are you? And how are things at work? asked Herr Samsa. Well, as you know sir, not too well Im afraid. We all have a ridiculous amount of work to get through and I, for one, can hardly cope. The only thing that keeps a smile on my face is the prospect of coming to visit your daughter each evening. Grete looked up at him adoringly and smiled before turning to her father with a face that begged no more talk of work matters. Accepting this, Herr Samsa looked at them both. Very well. Off you go. Thank you, sir replied Franz and he eagerly scuttled behind the beautiful young woman who led him to the parlour. Herr Samsa got up and poured himself a small glass of schnapps and settled back down into the warmth of his armchair. As he let his eyes close, he reflected upon how much better life was now. Even going back to work didnt bother him in the least. He felt healthier and fitter than he had been in a long time and he was now always able to join in with the family walks on Sundays. Franz also came with them. The four of them would walk with their arms linked, talking and laughing with a spring in their step. Thus half an hour passed very happily for Herr Samsa before he was called to join the rest of his family at the dinner table. Grete was rather sullen right throughout the meal. Her usual manner of vigorously attacking her food was not there. Eventually, whilst Gretes mother was in the kitchen, clearing the table, he asked her what the matter was. She dismissed the question with another intense stare at the table so her father thought it best to leave the matter alone. The next evening, the atmosphere at the dinner table was tense once again. Grete insisted on glaring sullenly at her plate. Again, Herr Samsa asked her what the matter was whilst his wife was busy in the kitchen. Once more, she tried to ignore him but this time, her father insisted and she lifted her face, covered in tears, before answering. Hes exhaustedI cant stand it anymorehe puts on a brave facebut with me She desperately tried to control herself but burst into tears. Frau Samsa, who had come back into the room, put her arm round her and encouraged her to go on. Gretes parents watched, bemused and shocked, for this was the first time they had seen her cry since theyd decided to restart their lives. Seeing the discomfort in her parents faces, Grete took a deep breath and started again. He doesnt complain about it but when were alone, he talks about nothing but work, almost as if he doesnt know how to talk about anything else. Just last night, instead of talking to me, he spent two whole hours studying a train timetable! And hes developed a regular twitchspasms every now and then. Hes not reallymy Franzanymore. The following evening, nothing changed. As always, Herr Samsa was met in the hallway by his daughter whom he embraced before making his way to the kitchen, in order to greet his wife. As Grete waited for the clock to approach five, she had the same anxious look on her face. But it faded and was replaced with a frown because as the hands hit five she heard a far-off cry. She glanced at her father but he obviously hadnt heard it and so she continued waiting. She was silently surprised that Franz hadnt turned up yet, despite the fact that it wasnt even a minute past yet. As she continued waiting, now perched on the arm of one of the sofas, she heard another cry, closer this time and it resembled more a scream. Yet again, Herr Samsa had not noticed but he was watching Grete with amusement as she visibly became more and more nervous as the minutes went by. Once again, a scream came from up the road. This time, it was accompanied by the smashing of a window. Grete rushed to the living room window and pressed herself up against the window to see what was going on. The last cry had even managed to reach her father and he too had jumped out of the comfort of his chair to see what was going on. Both wore anxious looks upon their faces and as more shouts of terror approached their house, Frau Samsa joined them from the kitchen, wiping the backs of her hands in her apron as she walked. Wheres Franz? she asked immediately. A look of horror crossed Gretes face as it occurred to her that the angry manifestation outside and Franzs lateness could be linked. She tried desperately to see what was going on through the living room window but the angle wasnt wide enough. A couple of flying stones and an apple came into her field of vision and with that she rushed to the front door with both her parents close behind her. It was as she grabbed the cold brass handle to pull the door open that she realised what this was. She remembered the conversation last night at the table and, sure enough, as she hastily poked her head through the door and looked down the street, she clasped her heart. Franz was there sure enough, scuttling desperately down the street, followed by an angry mob yelling at him in disgust and flinging stones of hatred at him. Before her parents were able to see anything, she ran back in, bolted the door and sunk to the floor. Bibliography à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka, translated by Malcolm Pasley, Penguin, 2000

What Is Happening To Mother Earth Media Essay

What Is Happening To Mother Earth Media Essay In this paper, I would like to investigate the negative impacts of environmental damage through the media. Primarily through An Inconvenient Truth (2006), Cool it (2010), and Darwins Nightmare (2004), I aim to demonstrate how film makers critique environmental activities and the condition of Mother Earth today. Especially in todays society where sustainable development is emphasized, it is of paramount importance to shed light on why and whether our Earth is really deteriorating. With capitalism being the dominant ideology around, environmental damage can be perpetuated by developed nations at the expense of those less fortunate. More importantly, I aim to scrutinise the realities of the films and to what extent they are objective and accurate to viewers. The advantage of this strategy is that it holds on to the concept of the real (Williams, 1993).The presence of cinematic tricks and direction has allowed documentaries to be scripted and staged. However, I plan to determine if environmental films are merely being staged or exaggerated to evoke fear and to sustain an ideological agenda and economic model (which is capitalism) or whether they indeed reflect Mother Earths deteriorating condition through various cinematic depictions of reality. Preliminary research question(s), hypothesis(es): RQ1: Do these environmental films portray objective representations of environmental issues? Planned Methodology: I have chosen these 3 films for a few reasons. First of all, these 3 films are shot in different years. This enables a gradual and successive tracking of the environmental condition across a decade and also provides a nuanced analysis of cinematic direction towards Mother Nature. Also, these films cover a multitude of environmental issues, including issues concerning the air, water and land. Not only is this crucial to our analysis of the films, but is also needed to give a balanced approach towards the research questions. For example, Darwins Nightmare gives a thorough depiction of water pollution in Tanzania, while An Inconvenient Truth shows more of a reaction towards global environmental devastation and its repercussions on its inhabitants. Cool It on the other hand, depicts a response to inadequate institutions and governments when tackling environmental devastation. Timoner audaciously depicts Lomborg heading the Copenhagen Consensus who claims that this issue has been blown ou t of proportion by government officials and scientists. This movie stands in contrast to An Inconvenient Truth which depicts Al Gore the politician, educating and evoking fear in the public over environmental atrocities. Yet, it is precisely this stark contrast that allows us to juxtapose and compare analyses. First up, I would argue that An Inconvenient Truth on first impression seems like a very objective representation of the issues at hand. This is because Al Gore not only uses facts throughout his speeches, but peppers them with wit and farce. For example in the opening of the film, he greets the audience with a joke: I am Al Gore; I used to be the next President of the United States. Although he jokes frequently, he puts on a serious expression when relating to facts, figures and images. He also discusses the  scientific opinion on climate change, as well as the present and future  effects of global warming  and stresses that climate change is really not a political issue, so much as a moral one. With that, he is praised by Reason journalist, Ronald Bailey (2006) becasuse Gore gets [the science] more right than wrong. Although he shares his personal life anecdotes (with early climate expert Roger Revelle, sisters death from lung cancer, and sons near brush with death), he can b e mainly seen as reflecting, and not attempting to spark emotion. He is hence, seen as largely detached. Comedic farce is also seen when he stood on a contraption to point to the highest point of the graph depicting the release of carbon dioxide omissions. This does not undercut reality, but instead humours the viewers, and also shows a sharp throwback to the harsh realities of the situation. However, it may seem theatrical or staged to cynics like Bjorn Lomborg (2010) who view him as attempting to use fear to change circumstances. Documentaries are meant to both alert and convince in my opinion. Hence, if we look into what environmentalists say about the film, we will discover that the aforementioned facade of objectivity is exposed  when we realise that the film is laden with misguiding claims about environmental science and global warming. I will now attempt to discredit Al Gore and his film by exposing his misrepresentations (Robert, 2006): Misleading claims about effects of climate change:  Gore claims global warming caused the advent of new diseases, but most of the diseases named have minimal relationship to climate. Gore also neglects the strong influence of external factors, like wildfires or pest outbreaks to global warming. Even with malaria which is a climate-based disease, more important factors like management of human infrastructure and health systems are named instead. He also claims global warming is causing a huge number of polar bear drownings but other researchers think otherwise. Glacier-melting in the Glacier national park and in Africa on Mount Kilimanjaro are labelled as the aftermath such environmental neglect, but we see that these have been melting since the 19th Century. Exaggerations about sea level rise:  He claims that ice-sheet meeting in Greenland and West Antarctic will forcefully expatriate millions elsewhere so as to avoid the 6 meters sea level rise. Regretably, we discover that even worst-case scenarios are not that bad. Most research indicates that such melting would only take 1,000 to 5,000 years if it were to happen. Even the United Nations IPCC anticipate only sea level rise of less than a meter for the next 100 years. Reliance on worst-case scenarios:  An underlying problem is that Gore presents worst-case scenarios as fact and is hence characteristic of propaganda. He relies on models that he deems evermore accurate, but the accuracy of such models are still questionalble.Climate change here is described at an international scale instead of a regional or local level where impacts would swing both sides depending on how we choose to respond. However, his intonation suggests that positive change is near to impossible. For example he says that The most vulnerable part of the Earths ecological system is the atmosphere. Its vulnerable because its so thin. (Arnold, 2006). Yet, we can see thinner and more destructible parts like the hydrosphere. The usage of emotive and superlative adjectives are meant to spark off emotions to fulfil his personal agenda. Misleading claims about the responsibility of the United States:  Gore states America as the guilty party, but doesnt give a balance viewpoint. There are deceptive comparisons of the American fuel economy standards in the U.S. and also inaptly lambastes his country for failing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol without making it known the ways in which America was unfairly targeted in the terms. Furthermore, considering that in the beginning of the film as one who prides himself as someone who used to be the next president of the United States, he is furthermore seen as untrustable and even allows one to imagine what could potentially happen to America if he succeeded in being elected in. Misrepresentation of data:  Gore presents one temperature data to support that present temperatures are warmer than in the past millenium. The graph however, is derived from other proxies and tree rings. Scientists are skeptical because this is similar to temperatures in 1100-1300 AD . He also claims that 2005 was the hottest year ever, but in reality there is no accuracy from present data to differentiate the period of 1998 to 2005. What is even more appalling is this quote from Al Gore (Arnold, 2006): Moreover, since science thrives on uncertainty and politics is paralyzed by it, scientists have a difficult time sounding the alarm bells for politicians, because even when their findings make it clear that were in grave danger, their first impulse is to replicate the experiment to see if they get the same result. (Arnold, 2006). However, we see that this statement is merely stereotypical. Many scientists are actually quite willing to sound alarm bells to shed light and awareness (Robert, 2006). It is therefore unfair to suggest that scientists will tend not to call for attention to clear evidence of danger. Hence, this claim is largely a personal opinion and does not reflect objectivity. Because such representations are no longer accurate, we are now plunged into a permanent state of the self-reflexive crisis of representation and what was once a mirror with a memorycan only reflect another mirror (Trinh, 1990). In Timoners Cool It, she depicts Lomborg in a raw manner, including all his anxieties and concerns about the environment. With interviews with Lomborg interspersed throughout the film, Timoner follows Lomborg on his mission to bring the smartest solutions to climate change, environmental pollution, and other major problems in the world. In the opening of the film, Timoner depicts childrens voices and children-drawn pictures about the earth. This raises the success of his cinematic development up a level by allowing current viewers to reflect on their personal environmental usage and treatments. By alluding to children, it encourages reflexive methods towards environmental usage for scientists and raises awareness for common folklore and that if improvements continue to be slow, both mother earth and children of the world will suffer from the excesses of our hedonistic demands. Timoner is seen to be objective and realistic in her film because she depicts the lowdown nature of governme nts, including the biggest in the world. This can be seen when Lomborg remarks that The climate-industrial complex does not promote discussion on how to overcome this challenge in a way that will be best for everybody. We should not be surprised or impressed that those who stand to make a profit are among the loudest calling for politicians to act. Spending a fortune on global carbon regulations will benefit a few, but dearly cost everybody else. This reflects the tonality of the worlds greatest leaders on environmentalism (official website, 2010). However, while on one hand it may seem objective, upon scrutiny, we discover that there are loopholes in the film. These loopholes appear not solely because of Timoners artistic direction, but because of the featured Lomborg too, his networked connections and his fixated mentality on environmentalism. Amateurs who view this film may regard this film as objective because of the reasons above. However, I will now analyse and discern it from a critical point of view. I posit that this film may in fact do more harm than good and is in fact, an attempted reflexive mixed with expository mode of documentary (Nichols, 1983). However, we see that this does not succeed well with viewers as they may not reflector buy into the arguments posited by Timoner through images. This is because it is unrealistic to cast environmentalists as the primary establishment when they do not play a primary role in multinational corporations and international agencies like World Bank, United Nations and the Inter national Monetary Fund (IMF). Viewers are also given the chance to question the filmmakers ability to represent any reality fairly and adequately. This loss in faith in the objectivity of the image seems to point nihilistically, like the impossible memory of the meeting of the fictional Rambo and the real Roosevelt, to the brute and cynical disregard of ultimate truths (Williams, 1993) Furthermore, Lomborgs central stand in the film is that all the money dedicated by the European Union is a massive waste and that we should invest in green technologies instead. $250 billion is quoted. Whilst this may seem rational and practical, one will soon realise that it is no zero sum game. He also spends much time talking about emerging green technologies, like solar, wind and wave power, fuel cells, and algae biofuels. It may seem as though he is the only one who has thought of these, failing to mention that it is environmentalists who have been on the forefront of pushing these efforts for decades. This expository ethos soon fails and it starts to appear propagandistic. We see not only hidden messages, but also a film that compels people to attitude and action. Also, Bjorn is a credible and persuasive figure, uses contextualisation, cynicism and fast-pacing, traits that are similar to Black/real propaganda. He also picks a fight over more controversial technologies, like the next-generation nuclear power and so-called geo-engineering which purposefully changing the climate. In this Lomborg comes across as a technofixer, as someone who believes that humankind can innovate ourselves out of every problem. He also skips over how he is actually going to raise the $250 billion. Whether this is deliberately left out by Timoner or not mentioned by Lomborg, we do not know. However, we presume that this is not mentioned by Lomborg because it would be such a monumental step and feature-worthy point for Timoner. Also, judging from his numerous sweeping statements, it is likely that Lomborg does not address that issue. In all his complaints of how addressing climate change would cost so much money, Lomborg also never addresses the fact that spending money on green technologies will actually stimulate the global economy (Howard, 2010). To add on, also like a creationist film,  Cool It  is loaded with experts who arent specialists in the subject at hand. Because they arent climate scientists, interpreting the actual science of global warming that can be a problem. Also, the few critics like the Stanford professor are carefully edited and are shown to be hostile and edgy. All this points to the film being truthful only where it is possible and that much truth is hidden behind the issues that seem like the truth. One last important point is there have been numerous and extensive accounts of Lomborgs many factual errors. They appear in the highly respected science journal  Nature, by  Scientific American, magazines, newspapers, web logs and many others. While challenging the status quo is essential, getting the facts straight is also crucial for his credibility and as such, the films credibility. I would hence conclude that Cool It is far from objective, has many grey areas, and definitely worth exploring deeper before documenting and finalising it into a film. Moving on, Darwins Nightmare tells of environmental and social effects of the fishing industry around  Lake Victoria  in  Tanzania. It acutely alerts us to what economic exploitation can mean for inhabitants who fish for a living, hence showing the dichotomy of the rich-poor. Having environmental troubles is hence an extra burden to those already struggling to make a living. This film is objective because Hubert Sauper ranges widely to document this new fishing economy, hence taking us to many places. For example, he takes us to places like boats, around the country, with dying prostitutes, and to lakesides. We also see hunger-stricken kids, glue-sniffers, and stomach-bloated children fighting for food. The cinematic arts are often meant to inspire, instruct, and entertain, but this is a rarity of its own because the images here are are meant to produce a outrage beyond ones threshold. Darwins Nightmare, Saupers new documentary, is so punishing (and yet realistically scary) in its bleakness, and hence acts as a white flag for all further endeavors (Cale, 2006). Also, it is Saupers moving images that has the power to move audiences to a new appreciation of previously unknown truth (Williams, 1993). In surveying humanitys collision with the environment, Sauper examines matters often absent from the nature film genre. He gives us mother nature in devastation and a failing society with its dire repercussions. His gut-wrenching methods and audaciously visual images can be viewed by some as a ideological aim towards instilling fear, but yet on the same side of a coin, these images are plain revelations and tell of an inescapable flaw of capitalism.Although his methods seem extreme (just like the depiction of the Nile perch, having chewed through its prey, has now turned to cannibalism), this is sheer rawness of objective reality without lies or hidden facts. Just like An Inconvenient Truth, the questions it raises are some of the most pressing of our time. Both films uses black comedy intentionally (Cale, 2006), hence highlighting pessimism in the face of the corrosive effects of imperialism. One may speak of markets and invisible hands until theory is literally coursing through ones veins, but it is an inescapable flaw of capitalism that a nations goods are wholly exported while the citizens of that country waste away and die. The rich-poor dichotomy however is also present and it is often forgotten that only those with capital  benefit from such arrangements. The poor and the homeless continue to be lag behind in society and is poorly treated. Such images leave viewers with an objective and essential truth that guides ones world view through each and every waking moment. In the name of jobs and economic development, the white men has committed more unspeakable atrocities than ever before. We seem alright however, with Herbert Spencers (1851) perverse vision of survival of the fittest, where the lowest of the social hierarchy sinks to the bottom. What the West truly thinks of the African is often sugar-coated by benefit concerts and television appeals (ie: Live8 concerts), but at the end of the day, its gradual deterioration is little noticed. This film hence not only alerts us to the harsh realities, but gives us a shocking revelation like never before. So as the camera goes across the Tanzanian landscape, we are filled with ambivalence as we see not only hunger-stricken infants, but also scrawny and ashamed prostitutes and glue-sniffing kids, and bloated infants. Conclusion: As seen from the above three movies, it is evident that Darwins Nightmare remains as the only film out of the three with consistency and objectivity. Even though its visual images can be revulsive, it does not conjure up fake statements unfairly in order to increase sales or fulfil a personal agenda. Truth is not guaranteed. Interestingly, Gore claims to be presenting the scientific consensus on global warming but this is not always so. His dramatic theatrical stance gives way as the film progresses, hence rendering it not as objective as it might initially seem. Al Gore clearly used a number of tricks to make his case more persuasive to make the data better fit his explanation of whats going on in the world. Intentional or unintentional, when one is dealing with an issue that could have an economic impact measured in the trillions of dollars, Al Gore should have been more careful when making his case because inhabitants of the world deserve better knowledge. Cool It is no better. Its unreliability and lack of objectiveness is less personal, but more of a lack of in-depth analysis of the bigger global picture. Lomborg seems too engrossed in challenging the status quo and attempting to question environmental methods and hence failing to double check his facts. He uses whatever is needed to justify his personal agenda. It is hence of no surprise that both Cool It and An Inconvenient Truth have sparked off much controversy while the earlier 2004s Darwins Nightmare is one largely praised by many. The documentary era has arrived where manipulation of data is no longer tolerated to make their points more convincing. Especially in this society where elites (and hence shapers of the world situation) become more intelligent, people are easily more outraged when blatantly deceived. Because Nichols four documentary modes are historically and textually intertwined, we have to use a discerning eye when addressing any queries or issues.

Theories of Workplace Motivation

Theories of Workplace Motivation Crystal Mullen I find myself interested in the concept of motivation. What is that motivates people get up and do an honest day’s work versus wasting that same day lying in bed watching the Lifetime Movie Channel? Why is one person motivated simply to make a paycheck while someone else is driven to take charge of their own business? As it turns, out, scientists and psychologists have been asking these same type of questions regarding for centuries. As a result we have received many theories from different scientific, psychological perspectives that offer explanations for where our motivation originates and even suggestions on how to how to increase it. Understanding four of the most common motivation theories can be especially useful as it pertains to the workplace (Anderson, 2014). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs One of the most well-known motivational theories came from Abraham Maslow. Maslow created a theory that suggested that humans are motivated by a hierarchy of needs that leads them to take actions in a particular order based on that person’s need for survival. Furthermore Maslow’s theory purposed that human beings must fulfill their needs in a lower category before attempting to fulfill needs in a higher category. Maslow’s order of needs are: physiological, safety, love and affection, esteem and self-actualization (which involves clarity or an achievement of personal goals) (Anderson, 2014). If I were to identify any of Maslow’s five needs, in the work place, I would need to see what it is that is motivating a person’s actions. For example, a worker is only motivated by physiological and safety when they are worker is motivated simply by a need for a paycheck, and a means to keep a roof over their head and gas in their car. Furthermore, I can tell if a worker is motivated by love and affection, esteem, and self-actualization if they derive more joy and fulfillment from all aspects of their work-life on, whether it would be making their work deadlines to taking parting in a company-wide community project. (An eHow Contributor, 2014). The Two-Factor Theory Frederick Herzberg’s created a two-factor theory that can explain workplace motivational tendencies. According to Herzberg, the two consistent factors that play into workplace motivation, are hygiene and motivators. Hygiene involves factors that are needed it remain present and active in order to ensure workplace satisfaction. These factors include a fair paycheck, a stable work environment, and even a level of supervision. Motivators involve factors, that if present, increases workplace satisfaction but does not diminish workplace satisfaction levels if absent. Examples of motivators include recognition of abilities, a sense of personal achievement, or even the overall nature of their job (Anderson, 2014). If I were to observe Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory, I would need to determine if a worker’s actions are motivated by either the fulfillment of his or her needs or by the avoidance of undesirable factors. Under the two-factor theory, if a worker is striving for positive rewards, such as a pay raise, he or she may be motivated by motivators. However, if that same worker is motivated by avoiding avoid negative feedback, such as a being written up in his or her review, then that person is motivated by hygiene (An eHow Contributor, 2014). McClelland’s Theory of Needs David McClelland’s developed a motivational theory of needs that although similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but instead suggests that an individual’s needs are usually shaped by his or her life experiences over a period of time. McClelland’s motivational theory lists three different types of motivation styles: high achievement needs, affiliation needs, and a need for power. People who are motivated by high achievement are driven to excel at everything they attempt and seem to enjoy high-risk situations. Individuals motivated by a need for high achievers would serve an organization best being given challenging projects that have clear goals and are given constant feedback. Workers who are motivated by a need affiliation are most content in harmonious workplace environments that provide amiable relationships with their superiors and coworkers. These individuals work best in teams or groups that are supportive of each other. Finally, workers who are moti vated by a need for power excel when they are able to direct and organize others for either their own personal goals or for their company. Individuals who are motived by a need for power are best suited for management positions (Anderson, 2014). Expectancy Theory Victor Vrom’s motivational theory actually uses Herzberg’s two-factor theory to challenge the various workplace hygiene factors that do not always result in employee satisfaction and increased productivity. These employees however, will only increase their productivity if they believe their service is directly related to them achieving their own goals. Furthermore, contrary to Herzberg’s theory, Vrom’s motivational theory, suggests that motivators are completely essential to a worker’s increased productivity (Anderson, 2014). Identifying Vrom’s expectancy theory a worker’s actions and motivations happens to be the trickiest of the four motivational theories listed. For example, a worker who is motivated by a need for promotion in her workplace may actually be motivated not for the benefit of the company he or she works for but for his or her own personal desire to buy a new car or home. In fact, in some cases, a worker’s personal goals may actually result in lower productivity rather than instead of higher. For example, if a worker, is motivated by the need for less time, then at work and more time at home, he or she may decline career advancement opportunities in order to maintain a position with less responsibility. (An eHow Contributor, 2014). Conclusion Based on what I’ve read, I can see how all four of these motivational theories can be useful in the workplace. I can see how I’ve used Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs were in place when I took that second job at McDonald’s just to make sure I had enough money for rent. This would suggest I was motivated by physiological and safety needs. I’ve also noticed my own motivation to sharply decline at a job if Herzberg’s two-factor theory if I’m working in a volatile workplace environment. This suggests that they company’s hygiene factors are low and hampers job satisfaction. Furthermore, I can understand now why I do enjoy working in a group of supportive co-workers. Based on McClelland’s theory, this motivation speaks to my need for affiliation. Finally, based on Vrom’s theory of expectancy, I can identify with the individual’s personal goals actually decreasing their desire to advance within the company. I have also had my desire to for more time with my studies to keep me away from taking more overtime or working Saturdays. Therefore, motivational theories can be very instrumental to recruiting and maintaining the best people in any organization. References: An eHow Contributor. (2014). How to Identify the Four Theories of Work Motivation. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from eHow.com: http://www.ehow.com/how_5002492_identify-four-theories-work-motivation.html Anderson, E. (2014). Four Main Theories of Motivation. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from eHow.com: http://www.ehow.com/list_6737018_four-main-theories-motivation.html

Signification of Icons in a Computer GUI :: Icons Symbols Essays

Signification of Icons in a Computer GUI In 1867 in his paper "On a New List of Categories", Charles Peirce said that there were three kinds of signs: icons, indices, and symbols. According to Thomas Sebeok "a sign is said to be iconic when there is a topological similarity between a signifier and its denotata". Icons are then something that resembles the object that they represent. That similarity between icon and object is fundamentally what sets icons apart from the other two kinds of signs. Indices do not have any similarity with their significants, but have a cause and effect relationship. Symbols do not have any direct relationship with an object other than the meaning that imposed or collectively agreed upon a group of humans. In this paper I want to reflect only on one of the three kinds of signs in Peirce triad. I have selected the icon for this discussion because this is currently one of the most common used and misunderstood terms in our society. One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the fact that some very particular pictures called icons have appeared in millions of computer screens around the world. These so called icons are the core elements of the concept called "graphical user interface" (GUI). The GUI is the computer industry's attempt to make personal computing a reality for every one. This virtual environment provides pictures that are suppose to be familiar and allows users to interact directly with them by virtue of a kinesthetic action like the movement of a mouse. This has proven to be a lot more appealing for a great amount of people as oppose to having to memorize and type verbal (symbolic) computer commands. Computer icons within a GUI are supposed to resemble some real object. The success of an icon on communicating the right meaning to the user depends on the accuracy of the representation and, of course, the user's ability to recognize the relationship. Notice that a computer system will have all kinds of signs built in to communicate with the user. Key words and sentences that provide instructions or alert the user of the status of the system are symbols. A user is considered computer literate when he or she can understand those symbols. Another way in which a computer system communicates with a user is by means of indices. When a system is turned on or off, a light that indicates the status of the system is an index.

Internet Radio Essay -- Expository Technology Essays

Internet Radio When a new technology is pioneered or discovered it is often the case that this new technology is used to emulate the function of old technologies, for example, when Marconi was inventing the radio he was trying to emulate the function of the telegraph system and saw the defracation of radio waves as an obstacle. Eventually these new technologies mature and the advantages and disadvantages are weighed up and used in their most effective capacity. Internet radio is a prime example of this kind of technology convergence, which uses the world wide web, â€Å"the publicly available worldwide system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching over the internet protocol (IP)†¦..made up of thousands of other, smaller business, academic, and government networks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (WWW.WORDIQ.COM 2004) to transmit live, streaming audio information from all over the world. Whilst this media cross over is still in its relative infancy, current developments show t hat internet radio has the potential to make local broadcast radio almost obsolete. Arguably, the first regular internet radio ‘broadcast’ started in 1993 when Carl Malamud established Internet Talk Radio featuring a regular Geek of the Week interview segment. (Naughton, John 2004) This was radio by name only, in reality the radio show had to be down loaded in full as a sound file before it could be listened to, the technology had not progressed far enough to listen to the interviews ‘live’. The other down side to this system was that the files were exceptionally large and took a long time to down load. This all changed in 1994 (Naughton, John. 2004) when a company called ProgressiveNetworks created audio streaming technology in which a file could be p... ...ssed 11 September, 2004] Naughton, J. (July 21, 2002), "The Golden Age of Internet Radio", (The Guardian), Available: http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,759023,00.html(Accessed: 2004, September11). Naraine, Ryan (July 26, 2002) â€Å"Web Radio Law Changes Introduced† (www.internetnews.com) available at http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/1433921 [accessed 11 September, 2004] Reed, Fred (August 5, 2004), " Internet Radio - Redefining through Personalization ", (Knight Ridder Tribune Buisness News), Available: http://www.digitalhollywood.com/SanJoseWedSix.html [Accessed 11 September 2004]. Sawhney, Harmeet and Lee, Seungwhan (October 2000), â€Å"Areas of Innovation, Fringe Groups and Discovery of New Liberties of Action†, (www.slis.indiana.edu), [Available] http://www.slis.indiana.edu/CSI/WP/wp00-03B.html (Accessed September 11, 2004)

Danielle Steeles Daddy and Norman Macleans A River Runs Through it :: essays research papers

The two books Daddy by Danielle Steele and A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean are both stories where the main characters are male. The books deal with how a man reacts when he is presented with different situations. Oliver, the main character from Daddy, and Norman the main character from A River Runs Through It, are both presented with different situations that bring out their prevailing qualities. The two men have both similar and different traits. The time periods and society that they live in have totally shaped the way Norman and Oliver react when presented with certain qualities however they still have the same masculine traits. The time period in witch both men are accustomed to are very different. Norman lives in the early 1900’s when it was still the time of men had their place working and women had their place in the kitchen. While Oliver is in the time setting of around the late 1980’s to the early 1990’s in a time when women are equal to men. The time periods that the two characters live in have changed their personalities. If they were to switch places they would more than likely have reversed personalities. Norman is living in the early 1900’s when the man was expected to be the strong one in the any situation. Norman does this stereotype justice he is in his early to mid 20’s and an upstanding citizen. Norman is faced with the problem of facing his brother’s death. His brother’s death is not a situation that is confined to this time period it is just handled differently because of this time period. Norman handles the situation by not mentioning it very often and acting like it didn’t happen. Whereas if Norman was living in a more modern time period he may be more apt to talking about his brother’s death Oliver is a middle aged advertisement agent in the 1990’s, a time when men are not depended on so much to be the tough guy and people are more open-minded to the different things. Oliver is presented with a lot of the problems that are common to the 90’s. He is also a very decent guy that is presented with some of the hardships of life, but unlike Norman Oliver is not ashamed of his problems because they are more acceptable in the time that he is living. Danielle Steele's Daddy and Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through it :: essays research papers The two books Daddy by Danielle Steele and A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean are both stories where the main characters are male. The books deal with how a man reacts when he is presented with different situations. Oliver, the main character from Daddy, and Norman the main character from A River Runs Through It, are both presented with different situations that bring out their prevailing qualities. The two men have both similar and different traits. The time periods and society that they live in have totally shaped the way Norman and Oliver react when presented with certain qualities however they still have the same masculine traits. The time period in witch both men are accustomed to are very different. Norman lives in the early 1900’s when it was still the time of men had their place working and women had their place in the kitchen. While Oliver is in the time setting of around the late 1980’s to the early 1990’s in a time when women are equal to men. The time periods that the two characters live in have changed their personalities. If they were to switch places they would more than likely have reversed personalities. Norman is living in the early 1900’s when the man was expected to be the strong one in the any situation. Norman does this stereotype justice he is in his early to mid 20’s and an upstanding citizen. Norman is faced with the problem of facing his brother’s death. His brother’s death is not a situation that is confined to this time period it is just handled differently because of this time period. Norman handles the situation by not mentioning it very often and acting like it didn’t happen. Whereas if Norman was living in a more modern time period he may be more apt to talking about his brother’s death Oliver is a middle aged advertisement agent in the 1990’s, a time when men are not depended on so much to be the tough guy and people are more open-minded to the different things. Oliver is presented with a lot of the problems that are common to the 90’s. He is also a very decent guy that is presented with some of the hardships of life, but unlike Norman Oliver is not ashamed of his problems because they are more acceptable in the time that he is living.

Why Immigration Is a Controversial Issue in Uk

â€Å"It was once believed that when you were born, you were a blank state and could be taught to learn different things in a variety of way† (Gardner, H. Personal Learning Solution 2012) In this essay I will be talking about the importance of study skills for higher education. I will be identifying the different skills that are used both personal and professional and also providing some evidence towards my findings. The main skills I will be touching on will be people skills, reflective and creative skills, writing skills and also time management.I will be exploring how these skills have an importance in the higher education and viewing their similarity and differences between them. Study skills are the strategies and the different approaches used in learning to develop better understanding and knowledge for a life time. It is an essential piece of material that is needed for better grades in an exam, assignment etc and tackles problems such as bad organization, time manageme nt or writing skills which are useful for a life time.There are many different study skills that can be used in higher education in order to gain a successful qualification for a successful job application. It is important indentify your own personal learning style and develop on all the important study skills that helps with your learning. The reason for this is because it helps you remember and learn more and new information. It also allows you to do well in your essays/assignments and exams you are undertaking.Once your learning style has been identified and used, it will provide you with the opportunity to move up a level. There are different styles such as: The Diver: like to get on with it and get it out of the way The Dreamer: like to think a lot and research thoroughly The Logician: like things to make sense and reasons The Searchlight: like to see the bigger picture and find everything interesting (Cottrell, S. 2008. Third Edition. Pg59-60) The Dearing Report (1997) states that â€Å"the key to future success of graduates†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ommunication skills, numeracy, use of ICT, learning how to learn† (heacademy. ac. uk) This report gives a clear understanding of the main skills need for a successful future. On the other hands in the theory of Gardner’s, H (1983), he believes that everyone should be able to find 8 different areas to help with their learning, which may identify what they prefer (Gardner, H. Personal Learning Solution 2012). The first skill I will talk about is People Skills.This skill has a combination of inter-personal skill, which means the ability to work well with others in a team/group, and also intra-personal skills, which means the ability to manage your own attitudes and emotions within the environment (Cottrell, S. 2003. Pg 115). A people skill involves being able to communicate well with others and adapting to others within the team and interacting well amongst others. This skill can be turned into academi c skills by making connections with groups in class, listening well to others allowing everyone to talk, being assertive without demonstrating any form of anger etc.This is one important skill that is needed for higher education which can be developed further for a successful job in the future. My second skill I will talk about is reflective and creative skills. This is a thinking process that can put you in deep thoughts aiming to gain a better understanding. It allows you to make sense of what your putting together, go over what you have, make any judgements and changes needed and also weighing up what you have to get better balance which includes taking different things into account.In the book of The Science Good Study Guide, it states that â€Å"it is important that you take a systematic, analytical, strategic, and reflective approach to managing yourself and your studies† (Northedge, A et al, 1997, pg 16). Creativity plays a big role in study skill because; you need to identify what strategies are suitable for you in learning. With this you can be as creative as you can to help you in the process. The third skill is writing skills. This skill can also be combined with organisation as you will need to learn how to organise your essays and assignments e. . introduction, main body and conclusion/evaluation. Writing is another form of communication. In higher education, when writing an essay/assignment, you are communicating what you know and understand of what you have learnt in class. This is why writing skills is very important so you know what you’re writing is clear for the reader. However as Cottrell (2008) stated that writing a good assignment is a hard and challenging process but is a very rewarding aspect of your studying.Your writing skill is something that can always be developed as you grow (The Study Skills Handbook. 2008. Pg167) The last skill I will talk about is time management. This is one of the most essential skill needed, no t only for higher education but also for every other thing in life e. g. job, appointments, lectures, meetings etc. you need to know how long it requires for you to do something. Time is special because you cannot change time. I believe everyone has the same exact time on their hands; it depends on how it’s being used by the individual.Most students like myself will complain and say there is not enough time for their work, however what I have come to learn is that if time is managed widely it helps a lot with what you need to do or what you desire to do. In higher education, when time is managed well, it helps set your priorities straight, become more conscious with your decisions and also learn how to become more productive each day. In conclusion, I have come to read and understand how important study skills are in higher education. The first thing is to identify what type of learner you are and focus on the most important study skills.I have come across some understanding that if you lack in your study skills, there is a low chance of gaining good grades meaning less chance of a successful job application. As stated in the Dearing report (1997) the four main skills needed for success in the future and also Howard Gardner’s theory explaining how creative you should be in different ways of learning such as finding 8 different areas to learn that may help with your learning. I believe that we learn something new every day giving us the opportunity to move up a level of intelligence.

Aging and Disability

Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What is ageism? How does ageism influence the presence of diversity in society? Ageism is prejudice and discrimination against the elderly. It affects the presence of diversity in society because when people become elderly, many companies no longer want to hire them. They think they are too old to be able to keep up with fast paced environments which the job may call for. Many companies pass up hiring experienced older people because the younger people will work for less money because they have less experience too.Also, being old is sometimes thought of as being slow or not being able to focus on the task at hand. Ageism seems to have people referring to elderly as being sickly whereas being young is thought of as being in good health. What is the Age Discriminitation in Employment Act (ADEA)? How does the ADEA address issues for the aging population? The Age Discrimination in Empl oyment Act (ADEA) stops any amployer from refusing to hire or fire individuals because of their age. This act pertains to persons over the age of 40.The Age Discrimination in Employment Act specifically deals with issue pertaining to compensation, employee benefit plans, health coverage, and pensions. Any action that could prohibit an individual from receiving gainful employment based on his age. For example, if an employer hires a younger person instead of an older person simply becauase they think the younger person can fulfill the job duties better, then they violation of the ADEA. What is being done to address the issues you identified? Congress has passed other laws to help lessen discrimination issues against the elderly.For example they have passed the â€Å"older workers benefit act†, as a way to further ensure the elderly will not be discriminated against. Also, every age discriminated case that is filed is required to have a 60 day investigation by the Equal Employm ent Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Most of these cases are closed for administrative reasons or no reasonable cause. Some cases are resolved before the EEOC gets involved. The ADEA was put into place so employers would hire according to ability and not according to age.Is the number of aging population expected to rise in numbers or decrease? The number of aging population is expected to increase in numbers. This means we will find new ways to deal with diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses that affect older individuals. The growing number of aging population means there will be a greater demand of insurance companies for health coverage, medical services, and social programs that assist the elderly. The increased number of fertility has an impact on the number of aging population also.With increased effectiveness of medical treatments, individuals will have a greater life expectancy which in turn leads to larger numbers of individuals living to older ages. W hat types of legislation may or may not be affected by the aging population? The government agencies that assist the elderly such as medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and even the Veterans Administration may be affected by the aging population. For example, the money that funds these programs could be reduced or increased by the federal government depending on which way they see they need to be.Also, money used to pay for the health care workers may be affected. For example, some of the elderly people may need long term care. They may have nurses, family, or friends that help care for them in their home and the program that funds the home health care may be reduced to where these individuals would have to pay out of pocket for these services. How does poverty affect the aging population? Poverty affects the aging population dramatically because most elderly people rely on social security benefits to survive on.Without these benefits many would not be able to get a job to pay thei r basic bills such as electric and rent. It is hard for the elderly to gain employment because of their age. The employer thinks they cannot perform as fast or accurate as someone who is young. So without being able to gain employment, the elderly rely on public progams such as food stamps and social security to keep them surviving with the basic necessities. Some elderly people live in nursing homes where their benefits are used to pay for these services, leaving them nothing to live on. Part IIAnswer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What does the ADA provide for people with disabilities? First, the ADA makes it illegal for anyone with disabilities be discriminated against for employment in the case of hiring, firing, promotions, or retentions. If the individual can perform the job requirements with or without accomodations, then the employer cannot discriminate against him due to his disability. It requires public tra nsportation systems, government offices, and programs to be accessible by people with disabilities.For example, wheelchair lifts in public transit vehicles, means for the hearing impaired, and disabled individuals must have the chance to participate in all activities in the city recreation areas. Also, city administration buildings have to be accessible. Restaraunts, stores, theaters, or any other business that serves the public must be sure to accommodate the disabled also. For example, they must be wheelchair accessible by installing a ramp or removing steps that would prohibit entrance of a wheelchair.How have people with disabilities been treated in the past? In earlier years, people with disabilities were considered to be evil or cursed. Some were even tortured as a means to rid them of their evil spirits. However, not all people thought of the disabled as being evil. Some were treated like outcasts and some were kept alive by their families even though they didn’t want to have nothing to do with them. While in some areas the disabled individuals were treated the same as everyone else and allowed to participate in activities as much as they could.In the past, people with disabilities was not hired for jobs, got less education, and kept quiet because many considered a disabled individual a curse on that particular family. They feared what society would think of them. How has the attitude toward people with disabilities changed over time? People with disabilities have a chance at employment and education now that they did not have before. The ADA helps protect them from being discriminated at the work place due to their disability.There are more advanced medical treatments now than before to try to improve the disabled individuals condition and allow him to have a more â€Å"normal† life. Not only has educational information been provided to people with disabilities but also to society so they will know people with disabilities have the same e qual opportunities that non-disabled individuals have. People with disabilities have access to public busineses and transportation services which allows them to be more independent. What are some unique circumstances or issues encountered by people with disabilities?I believe one circumstance that would be unique for people with disabilities would be trying to explain to non disabled individuals that just because you are disabled doesn’t mean you are ignorant. I have seen people that encounter a disabled individual change their regular way of behaving. For example, I have a friend who is completely paralyzed from the waist down. He has been like this since birth, yet he has learned how to maneuver himself by using his arms as legs. However, you wouldn’t believe the way people act toward him when we are out.One incident that I will never forget was this lady held the door open for him at the store and looked at him right in his face and said in a loud voice, real slow, â€Å"let me get this door for you†. It was as if she automatically thought because he was in a wheelchair, that he couldn’t hear or was mentally challenged as well. I knew he encountered some crazy actions from people, but this incident really opened my eyes on how bad people need to be educated concerning people with disabiilites. What is being done to address those issues?I believe making information available to the public about disabilities is one of the best hings that can be done for people with disabilities. When non-disabled individuals assume what is going on with the disabled individuals, more problems could arise from this assumption. As far as the circumstances that disabled individuals face pertaining to access to public places such as stores, theaters, or even transportation, wheelchair lifts and ramps have been put into place. Also, some vehicle companies have made it possible to customize vehicles to where disabled individuals can actually drive.By put ting the control pedals, gas and brake, in the steering area, some disabled individuals no longer require the help of others to get around in the public. Also, wheelchair lifts have been made available to private vehicles as well as public vehicles. Another area which has addressed issues for the disabled is the employment and education areas. Disabled individuals now have the same opportunity to advance their career or educational privelages as they wish without being discriminated against.What types of legislation have been introduced to address issues faced by people with disabilities? The most significant types of legislation that have been introduced to assist people with disabilities are: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, (DD ACT), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Rehabilitation Act (Rehab Act), Social Security ACT (SSA), Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA), and the Wo rkforce Investment Act (WIA).These programs provide assistance to disabled individuals and their families within needs of daily life activities. These programs assist them so they can work and perform daily life with the same opportunities as non disabled individuals. These services can act as a guide for individuals that need to know where and how to get the support they need for things like housing, employment, education, transportation, and any other economic security they may need.

Social Media and Network Technology

Colleges will need to embrace these new communities in order to keep up with recruitment of the younger generations, student to student interaction, student to professor interaction. Backbone and Linked are some of the internet communities that we will need to embrace to encourage our recruitment and student interaction. Backbone has been around since 2004 and is still growing in popularity. Backbone gives you the availability to send an instant message, an email, post discussions, provide media, and provide detail information.Colleges that have a Backbone page and interact with Backbone has the ability to recruit sophomores and Juniors in high schools not only in the surrounding areas but relied. This ability provides an advantage to have a more diverse student body. For young college students Backbone is a mean they utilize to communicate with other students about the activities going on in the campus. They also use this communication tool to converse about class assignments, organ ization functions, sports, and daily activities.Students who do not live on campus, Backbone allows them to still experience college life and the inclusion of student activities. College professors can also utilize this communication tool to correspond and interact with al students, including students who participate at satellite campuses. The surrounding community will also have the availability to interact with the students because they will be able to show the students the history of the area, and support the college with financial scholarships and the sports arenas.Most of the surrounding community makes up the professors, educators, the educator families and friends. Professors will have the accessibility to be active not only with the students but with the students families as well. As a parent of a college student, I enjoy being able to see what the students are doing, what classes are troublesome, the activities the students are participating in, and when parents can interac t with the student at school.The disadvantages of Backbone include accessibility, lack of personable interaction, lack of social interaction, non-clarifying answers, misunderstandings of context of messages and pictures, invasion of privacy, and possible compromise of security information. Yet, these disadvantages can be kept down to a minimum by the college handbook and the student conduct codes by the dents themselves. Most college's network security will keep secure information safe from any breaches or hacking. Linked will be very beneficial for our graduating students, faculty and local business.This social network will allow for the local and national business to see the types of students we are producing in the workforce. Linked will allow the students to make contacts with others in the corporate field of their choice and possibly encourage the company to reach an agreement with the college on training of their current staff. Our faculty will be able o utilize this social ne twork by seeing what the other colleges are teaching and producing in the coming work force and learn what skills the companies are looking for, and provide those skills to our students.The only down side to Linked will be headhunters from other colleges recruiting our faculty to come and work for them. But we can counter offer our faculty, pay retainer fees, and sign binding contracts with the faculty to keep them from leaving our facility. We will be using the waterfall model for the implementation of a Backbone page and Linked page. The system velveteen life cycle for this process we will need to make sure that all students will have access to the college Wi-If on campus, which we currently have in place all over the campus.Our second phase will include making sure that students and faculty will have accessibility to a computer, which currently we already have in place in the library and common areas. Our third phase of the process will require the college to set up a Backbone an d Linked account and have our IT department to maintain the accounts. Fourth phase of the process will require the college to get the rod out to the students about both pages on the internet and require all of our faculty to friend us on each site.The final phase will be having our IT department to hire someone to maintain both pages for content on the page, the context of the messages on the page and be a monitor for any violation of student conduct codes. The only disadvantage for using these websites, we will not be able to modify the systems. The advantages outweigh the disadvantage immensely because startup cost will be at a bare minimum, and we will still be able to get an idea of how many of our dents are using to communicate with one another by the amount of friend request we receive and the amount of conversation context on the page.

Acquired capability and skills Essay

Looking at my overall capability and skills acquired in my current academic class, I argue that I had improved a lot since I started taking this course. The activities the professor provided gave me the opportunity to recognize my strengths and weaknesses in composition and other elements significant in completing and creating a good paper. Given this idea, I seek to elaborate on areas that I had sought to improve on and other specific elements that need further attention. At the same time, to support these claims, I shall provide several examples from my previous works to highlight changes that occurred. One relevant element in academic writing is the creation of thesis statement. This sentence/s provides readers direction of the topic and helps them better understand the relevance of the subject (UNC, p. 1). Seeing this, our professor taught us that creating thesis statement must then encompass all of the paper and effectively summarize and point out the arguments presented in a particular paper. Due to this, my first intention was creating such statement and find ways to persuade, entice or provide information to readers. Looking at my compositions, it can be seen that I had significantly changed the way I approached creating thesis statements. In my earlier compositions, these statements are either too vague for readers to comprehend or just implied in the paper. Due to this, I had to make the necessary adjustments to improve the way I compose such. However, this problem has been addressed accordingly in my last paper. In here, I placed the statement at the end of the paper which says that â€Å"The growing problem of poverty simply created the other problems concerning other facets of life; environmental issues, urban housing, health issues, corruption, and the like† (The Slum Residents Feed Off From Danger, p. 4). Seeing this, I feel that I need to improve in the way I create thesis statements. This is to further create impact in my papers and foster deeper understanding on my readers. Whether it is an informational or persuasive, I must find ways to align my paper accordingly to my given thesis statement. Another area that I had seen myself improve is the creation of supporting details to assist my given thesis statement. I had learned in class that for a paper to be academic, it must be able to provide details that will either supplement or sustain the arguments provided in the main idea. That is why, during the course of activities, I had tried to find ways to align my paper to the given topic I chose. For example, the flyer I created concerning malnutrition sought to bridge together the idea of how this issue has affected many and what ways can one try to address the issue. Assessing my current capabilities as far as this facet is concerned, I feel that I still need to improve in the way I link my supporting details to my main idea. This is because there are still several non-related topics that get inserted within my paper. At the same time, I must make sure that these details correlate and synchronize effectively within my work. By actively doing this, I can give readers an easier time in understanding and comprehending my overall intention for writing the paper. Introduction is also a vital element in the creation of an academic paper. This is because it gives readers the ability to become aware of either a backgrounder or the topic discussed in the paper. Having an effective introduction can entice readers to read the article and help them become acquainted with the issue given (UNC, p. 1). Looking at my personal experience in generating introductions, I feel that I had made considerable progress. Though at first this may seem to be the most difficult part of the paper to write, I sought out different strategies that can help me maximize my ability to create a good academic paper. Looking at my compositions, there is one paper that I feel provided a good opening for my paper. Since the topic I am talking about revolves around contact zones, I began my paper by describing the idea for readers to actively decipher what to expect in the paper. It mentions: It is important to understand that the social construction of racial, ethnic, and hierarchical differences, whether physical or cultural, exist as a human experience in the form of contact zones. (American Society and Contact Zones, p. 1). Thus, assessing my capabilities in this facet, I feel that I had made improvements in the way I construct introductory sentences that bridge the main idea or topic to the readers. However, I still feel that there are still setbacks that I need to address to be able to maximize my ability in creating effective statements. I need to make sure each time that this assertion coincides with what I want the readers to make sense of. As far as creating conclusions are concerned, throughout the duration of the course, I had tried to improve on the way I compose these statements. It has been taught that is necessary that I make a striking ending assertion so that it can stick to the mind of readers. Allowing these things to happen can help increase the strength of the paper and further justify the arguments I presented. Analyzing my success in doing this, I feel that I still need to improve in the way I do this because my ideas only try to point out again what I wrote in the previous sections (e. g. Global Community and American Society). Rather than just restating what I mentioned before, I must also highlight the overall stand of the paper and signify the justifications for advocating such belief. Lastly, I had also learned that my conclusion must not end in conveying another topic because it can make the readers confused and think that this is just another part of the paper. Structure, organization and coherence are the next elements I wish to evaluate myself on. These three factors also contribute to the ability of an academic paper to convey information and insights to readers. By taking into consideration the relevance of these ideas, I can increase the ability of people to actively learn from the process and prevent concepts and arguments to be scattered (Darmouth, p. 1). Assessing my growth in the element of structure, I feel that I have shown great strength in making sure that my composition fit a particular structure in the paper. In here, I approached each research in a different manner depending on the scope and tone that I wish to convey. For example, in my argumentative essay entitled Global Community, I structured the paper by first pointing out my main argument and then providing justifications and details to support the paper. On the other hand, in my flyer paper, I brought out the thesis statement and provided relevant information associated with the said topic which is malnutrition. Thus, I feel that I had shown advancement as far as this idea is concerned. For coherence, I still feel that I need to focus on increasing and establishing links in every paragraphs of my paper. This is because the ideas I present in every section seem to not directly relate with one another. Such can give my readers a hard time in establishing a link with the main idea presented and the way I seek out to justify each one. Seeing this, I need to come up with good transition statements that can help readers relate the concepts from the previous paragraphs to the next. These statements can either be in sentence pattern or words such as (1) Moreover, (2) Likewise, (3) In addition, etc. This can help supplement the way I address the paper and signify a new set of ideas to be introduced to the reader. Another strategy I wish to explore and improve on is making effective outlines for a specific research/academic paper. I had learned in class that by making outlines, I can effectively and efficiently prevent mistakes in organization and coherence because this can serve as the backbone for the paper. Allowing myself to device an outline for a specific topic, I can insert and attach important items and concepts on categories it best fits. The last part I wish to ponder on revolves around sentence construction, grammar usage and punctuations. Since I am dwelling with academic paper and not a personal blog it is essential that I see to it that my papers are proofread and follow the rules of the English language. This can then help me hone my grasp of the language and apply the standards I had learned. Reviewing my punctuation marks, I feel that I still need to master and learn several elements. This is because, I can see that I still common mistakes in placing periods, semicolons, colons and commas in a sentences. In here, I must review and understand where each one should be placed and under what conditions can they be only applied. Due to this, I feel that I had only satisfactorily achieved this element and needs to be further improved. As far as grammar usage is concerned, I also consider myself satisfactory because I still have to improve on the words I use in a specific sentence or paragraph. Since these words convey meaning in a particular argument or statement, it is essential that I choose the idea that best fits the description. Though I also learned that using simple words is good, however I must also make sure that these things never get repeated over and over in a particular paragraph. In the end, I feel that the subject has given me new avenues to improve and develop. Comparing my previous compositions, I had seen myself acquire new ideas and skills that can help boost my ability to write academic paper. However, I must also recognize that there are still elements that I need to work on. By constantly working and honing these things, I can maximize my ability and skills to serve my purpose not only in this subject but also for my own personal growth. Works Cited Darmouth. edu Writing: Considering Structure and Organization. 2005 accessed 1 June 2009 from UNC. edu Introductions. 2007 accessed 1 June 2009 from UNC. edu Thesis Statements. 2007 accessed 1 June 2009 from