Comparing and contrasting Adult Fans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Looking into Adult Fans - Essay Example That is the reason I consider it a fixation on a movement/even in ones life. Various individuals have various diversions relying upon a wide cluster of elements. While some adoration playing computer games on their PCs, others like tuning in to music, others despite everything discover perusing sentimental books their most favored action, etc. Ask anybody what they do routinely in their lives and you will be interested at the fluctuated answers you will get, these are their leisure activities. A few elements impact the enjoying of such pastimes in various individuals. Such incorporate, social class, level of training, peer types, condition, age, sex, occupation, and so forth. Side interests are for the most part done during recreation hours, a few people anyway think that its important to dispense some time in any event in the middle of their center obligations to fit in some an ideal opportunity for their leisure activities. To this degree accordingly, we can contend that various in dividuals have various degrees of enthusiasm for various side interests. In this paper, I will take a gander at the different variables which impact the selection of leisure activities in grown-up populace of LEGO and bronies. Leisure activities will in general change significantly from adolescence to adulthood. Youngsters appear to like playing while in the periods of between 2-5 years. Playing distinctive delicate games which don't include a great deal of cerebrum work, for example, PC games, biking, and so on relying upon their social classes rules their lives and structures their diversions. These pastimes will in general be basic to the two young men and young ladies in the equivalent social setting. Such diversions anyway changes as the kids develop into adulthood. At around 10 and 15 years the high school young men and young ladies get intrigued by entirely unexpected exercises in every single social assorted variety of the world. In addition, more changes happen over this age as the adolescents graduate to youthful grown-ups. A few components play together to encourage these changes. Such factors are shifted and remember the progressions for ways of life and spots of occupants with new companions a nd situations which come to fruition with entirely unexpected

A Beginners Guide to Identifying Trees in Winter

A Beginner's Guide to Identifying Trees in Winter Recognizing a torpid tree isn't close to as muddled as it would appear from the start. Winter tree recognizable proof will request some devotion to applying the vital practice to improve the aptitude of distinguishing trees without leaves. Yet, on the off chance that you adhere to my guidelines and utilize your forces of perception you will locate a pleasurable and useful approach to upgrade your aptitudes as a naturalist-even in the dead of winter. Figuring out how to recognize a tree without leaves can quickly make your developing season trees simpler to name. Utilizing Botanical Markers and Tree Characteristics for Winter Tree Identification Dont be tricked into imagining that a twig key is the main answer while recognizing a lethargic tree. Your general perception abilities and evaluating a tree will be significant even as the twig key is concealed in your warm library. A trees crown can give you significant pieces of information to finding a trees natural name by interesting crown shape, leafy foods/their extra compartments, tireless leaves, live twigs and development propensity. Become more acquainted with a trees qualities or markers. Looking at a Tree Twig for Winter Tree Identification To utilize a tree twig key methods learning a twigs natural parts. A key can assist you with distinguishing a tree to the particular species by posing two inquiries where you can insist one and take out the other. This is known as a dichotomous key. Become acquainted with a tree twigs qualities. Utilizing Alternate and Opposite Tree Leaf and Twig Arrangement for Winter Tree Identification Most tree twig keys start with the course of action of leaf, appendage, and buds. Deciding inverse and interchange game plans is the essential first partition of the most widely recognized tree species. You can dispense with significant squares of trees just by watching its leaf and twig course of action. Recognizing a lethargic tree can be a visual test. Visit theâ gallery of winter photographs that outline numerous unobtrusive natural pieces of information showed by lethargic trees. Naturalist Josh Sayers has built up his Portrait of the Earth photograph asset for recognizing trees in winter. It might assist with utilizing this and different assets as you find out about trees and their torpid parts.

Alcohol in College Scotland and the US

Alcohol in College Scotland and the US What the Americans can teach the Scots about drinking In todays The Sunday Times, one of the United Kingdoms most respected newspapers, rising MIT sophomore Grace Kane 11, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, authors an article commenting on alcohol culture in the US and her homeland. The reason for the commentary is a proposal to clamp down on binge drinking in Scotland by people under the age of 21, though the legal drinking age is 18. You can read about it here, but the basic story is: Proposals to tackle Scotlands binge-drinking culture have been announced by the Scottish Government. The plan would see anyone under the age of 21 banned from buying alcohol in off-licences and set a minimum price at which a unit of alcohol can be sold. The consultation document also proposes ending some cheap drink promotions and making some retailers help pay for the consequences of alcohol abuse. Graces article is a great read, and not only because it is fun to see British terms like Freshers week. It is very interesting to see the American (and MIT) college social life from a different perspective. Check it out: From The Sunday Times June 22, 2008 What the Americans can teach the Scots about drinking Grace Kane 11 Freshers week means just one thing for most first-year students â€" a big, happy cloud of collective inebriation. I was one of those new students last September, but while my former school friends enjoyed discount vodka shots in the union bars of Britain, I was 2,000 miles away, building a robot. I was in the middle of “freshman orientation week” at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, in a country where the legal drinking age is 21. It was a culture shock. How would a bunch of 18- and 19-year-olds â€" particularly MIT’s infamously geeky crop of scientists and engineers â€" socialise with strangers without the help of alcohol? I had visions of sober and awkward all-American activities. Although sober, orientation week was not awkward in the least. We went sailing, toured the city, took a trip to Cape Cod, ate our weight in free food and got to raid one of the labs to build submarine robots from spare parts. I had fun and made friends that will last through college. All without the help of so much as half a bottle of Bud. So I am not one of the young Scots protesting about “demonisation” in response to proposals to stop us binge-drinking. Under the plans, alcohol will no longer be sold to under-21s in off-licences and supermarkets. There have been warnings that the measure will be extended to pubs and clubs, as in the US, forcing us all to abstain or break the law. Ross Finnie, a Liberal Democrat MSP, has written to every student union in the land warning of dark, dry days ahead. The Tories have joined Finnie and the drinks industry in wailing disapproval. In my experience, however, raising the legal age to 21 has many merits. America isn’t filled with teetotal, bored young people. Its full of young people who have other things to do. I was sceptical at first and slightly disappointed to celebrate my 18th birthday last September with cake and soda. But as my first year passed, I noticed that I seemed to have more money than my friends back home, even though we were on the same tight budget. I also had more free time, even though I had more coursework. Young people in America play more sports than here, and not just the “jock” types. Everyone has a hobby or talent â€" from fairly typical ones such as sailing, theatre and music, to extremes like skydiving and fire-breathing. A few undergraduates I know have already started their own businesses. At MIT a great deal of energy goes into complex practical jokes, called hacks, such as putting a life-size fire engine on the main building’s famous dome. Too many students in Scotland, on the other hand, just go to the pub. It sounds like the old stereotype: American enthusiasm versus British apathy. But people in the US do seem to care more about life. Perhaps this is because they spend their free time doing stuff they love, rather than using it to forget about the rest of the week. Of course, young Americans break the law and drink underage. But it’s much harder than it is at home. Teenagers in Scotland can get hold of booze so long as they have a tall, stubbly 14-year-old friend with a vaguely convincing ID card. In Boston, you need to find someone over 21 to go to a liquor store and present a Massachusetts drivers’ licence. Given the general disapproval of underage drinking, not many adults will do this. In this climate, drinking is regarded more as an occasional treat. American students will go several weeks drink-free between dorm parties, or will store beer in their cube fridges for a particularly bad day. The longer I lived in Boston, the more I realised my attitudes towards alcohol were a bit odd. American students were aghast when I told what I thought were unremarkable stories of elbowing my way through walls of drunks in a Glasgow railway station on Saturday evenings. “But it wasn’t that bad,” I’d reassure my horrified audience. “Only a few people were vomiting in the street and most of them were still walking upright.” In America lots of people will announce, “I don’t drink”, with pride. This is not to say that everyone in the US approves of the legal drinking age. A minority favour liberalisation and argue that young people would drink more responsibly if it was out in the open. They point to cases such as that of Scott Krueger, an MIT student who died of alcohol poisoning weeks after arriving at college. Schools in America have poor alcohol-awareness education, with many teaching only abstinence. Some young people drink themselves to death through sheer ignorance as soon as they get their hands on spirits. Yet despite these isolated tragedies, Americans are generally more careful about where, when and how much they imbibe. Scots, and Britons generally, do themselves more damage despite having responsible drinking messages drilled into them at school. Eventually I curbed my frustration at having to walk past Boston’s Irish bars unable to go inside for a Guinness. I stopped envying pub-crawling friends back home and started to feel I had the better deal. It helps that drink here is more expensive. I can take a day trip to New York City for the price of a bottle of Jack Daniel’s â€" it’s a no-brainer as to how I’d rather spend my Sunday. I go to see bands completely sober and enjoy them all the more. I’ve picked up random skills, such as Chinese juggling and how to construct theatre sets. More importantly, I passed courses such as multivariable calculus and relativistic electromagnetism. I had, in retrospect, a much better first year than if I was freely allowed to drink. So I say to the under-21s in Scotland: don’t be too scared of a drinking ban, even one that goes “all the way”. You might save money, go to new places, find out what Sunday mornings look like. Or at least, get something more out of the next few years than a million drunken photos on Facebook and a slightly degraded liver. Grace Kane from Glasgow is studying mechanical and ocean engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Alcohol in College Scotland and the US

Alcohol in College Scotland and the US What the Americans can teach the Scots about drinking In todays The Sunday Times, one of the United Kingdoms most respected newspapers, rising MIT sophomore Grace Kane 11, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, authors an article commenting on alcohol culture in the US and her homeland. The reason for the commentary is a proposal to clamp down on binge drinking in Scotland by people under the age of 21, though the legal drinking age is 18. You can read about it here, but the basic story is: Proposals to tackle Scotlands binge-drinking culture have been announced by the Scottish Government. The plan would see anyone under the age of 21 banned from buying alcohol in off-licences and set a minimum price at which a unit of alcohol can be sold. The consultation document also proposes ending some cheap drink promotions and making some retailers help pay for the consequences of alcohol abuse. Graces article is a great read, and not only because it is fun to see British terms like Freshers week. It is very interesting to see the American (and MIT) college social life from a different perspective. Check it out: From The Sunday Times June 22, 2008 What the Americans can teach the Scots about drinking Grace Kane 11 Freshers week means just one thing for most first-year students â€" a big, happy cloud of collective inebriation. I was one of those new students last September, but while my former school friends enjoyed discount vodka shots in the union bars of Britain, I was 2,000 miles away, building a robot. I was in the middle of “freshman orientation week” at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, in a country where the legal drinking age is 21. It was a culture shock. How would a bunch of 18- and 19-year-olds â€" particularly MIT’s infamously geeky crop of scientists and engineers â€" socialise with strangers without the help of alcohol? I had visions of sober and awkward all-American activities. Although sober, orientation week was not awkward in the least. We went sailing, toured the city, took a trip to Cape Cod, ate our weight in free food and got to raid one of the labs to build submarine robots from spare parts. I had fun and made friends that will last through college. All without the help of so much as half a bottle of Bud. So I am not one of the young Scots protesting about “demonisation” in response to proposals to stop us binge-drinking. Under the plans, alcohol will no longer be sold to under-21s in off-licences and supermarkets. There have been warnings that the measure will be extended to pubs and clubs, as in the US, forcing us all to abstain or break the law. Ross Finnie, a Liberal Democrat MSP, has written to every student union in the land warning of dark, dry days ahead. The Tories have joined Finnie and the drinks industry in wailing disapproval. In my experience, however, raising the legal age to 21 has many merits. America isn’t filled with teetotal, bored young people. Its full of young people who have other things to do. I was sceptical at first and slightly disappointed to celebrate my 18th birthday last September with cake and soda. But as my first year passed, I noticed that I seemed to have more money than my friends back home, even though we were on the same tight budget. I also had more free time, even though I had more coursework. Young people in America play more sports than here, and not just the “jock” types. Everyone has a hobby or talent â€" from fairly typical ones such as sailing, theatre and music, to extremes like skydiving and fire-breathing. A few undergraduates I know have already started their own businesses. At MIT a great deal of energy goes into complex practical jokes, called hacks, such as putting a life-size fire engine on the main building’s famous dome. Too many students in Scotland, on the other hand, just go to the pub. It sounds like the old stereotype: American enthusiasm versus British apathy. But people in the US do seem to care more about life. Perhaps this is because they spend their free time doing stuff they love, rather than using it to forget about the rest of the week. Of course, young Americans break the law and drink underage. But it’s much harder than it is at home. Teenagers in Scotland can get hold of booze so long as they have a tall, stubbly 14-year-old friend with a vaguely convincing ID card. In Boston, you need to find someone over 21 to go to a liquor store and present a Massachusetts drivers’ licence. Given the general disapproval of underage drinking, not many adults will do this. In this climate, drinking is regarded more as an occasional treat. American students will go several weeks drink-free between dorm parties, or will store beer in their cube fridges for a particularly bad day. The longer I lived in Boston, the more I realised my attitudes towards alcohol were a bit odd. American students were aghast when I told what I thought were unremarkable stories of elbowing my way through walls of drunks in a Glasgow railway station on Saturday evenings. “But it wasn’t that bad,” I’d reassure my horrified audience. “Only a few people were vomiting in the street and most of them were still walking upright.” In America lots of people will announce, “I don’t drink”, with pride. This is not to say that everyone in the US approves of the legal drinking age. A minority favour liberalisation and argue that young people would drink more responsibly if it was out in the open. They point to cases such as that of Scott Krueger, an MIT student who died of alcohol poisoning weeks after arriving at college. Schools in America have poor alcohol-awareness education, with many teaching only abstinence. Some young people drink themselves to death through sheer ignorance as soon as they get their hands on spirits. Yet despite these isolated tragedies, Americans are generally more careful about where, when and how much they imbibe. Scots, and Britons generally, do themselves more damage despite having responsible drinking messages drilled into them at school. Eventually I curbed my frustration at having to walk past Boston’s Irish bars unable to go inside for a Guinness. I stopped envying pub-crawling friends back home and started to feel I had the better deal. It helps that drink here is more expensive. I can take a day trip to New York City for the price of a bottle of Jack Daniel’s â€" it’s a no-brainer as to how I’d rather spend my Sunday. I go to see bands completely sober and enjoy them all the more. I’ve picked up random skills, such as Chinese juggling and how to construct theatre sets. More importantly, I passed courses such as multivariable calculus and relativistic electromagnetism. I had, in retrospect, a much better first year than if I was freely allowed to drink. So I say to the under-21s in Scotland: don’t be too scared of a drinking ban, even one that goes “all the way”. You might save money, go to new places, find out what Sunday mornings look like. Or at least, get something more out of the next few years than a million drunken photos on Facebook and a slightly degraded liver. Grace Kane from Glasgow is studying mechanical and ocean engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Essay on A Critique of “the Undercover Parent” by Harlan...

A Critique of â€Å"The Undercover Parent† by Harlan Coben I have talked with some of my friends about â€Å"Should parents install spyware on the computer to inspect their kids?† All of them think that was not an appropriate way. One of them, Tonya Steel said, â€Å"It makes me sick that parents can put spyware on computer to stalk their kids.† She didn’t mean the software that just blocks porn sites; she just couldn’t accept the one that record every keystroke, every page clicked on even every msn convo. Tonya said: â€Å"It crossing the line way too far!† However, when I discuss this question with some parents, their answers are diversity. Some of them think it depend on children’s age, such as if kids are just 10, and they will consider to put spyware†¦show more content†¦If people posting something online, it won’t be secrets anymore; not only your parents can read them, but also other strangers can read them, too. For teenagers, in order to against with parents, they will discover other ways to use the Internet. For instance, children may use some watchwords to talk. In addition, once teenagers notice that there is a spyware on the computer, they won’t trust their parents anymore. Once the trust between children and parents disappear, everything will become tough. As the Internet developed, it brings a lot of benefits, such as getting information much quicker; however, it also brings problem. One problem that Internet brings to today’s society is children’s safety on virtual world; there are a lot of temptations attract kids on the Internet. This issue Coben discusses is a particularly controversial one because it’s hard for parents ignore the dangerous on the Internet; on the other hand, if parents surveillance kids’ privacy world, it’s really embarrassed for children. How could we solve this problem? What is a compromise way for both parents and c hildren? Coben thinks parents should use spyware on the computer, but not surreptitious doing this; parents should tell

Bringing Kumon Math And Reading Center Into Vietnam

For this investigation I am going to research on bringing Kumon Math and Reading Center into Vietnam. Kumon Math, as its name, Kumon provides a program in which students will have the chance to improve their mathematical skills, from the basic one to the advanced level. It is available for students from all ages to join. Vietnam is a great potential market to invest in. Since Vietnam has the policies of searching for oversea investment, it has been an attractive market for many foreign companies. The economy and industry there are in the developing process, which means that they are lack of investments from outside. Moreover, the educational system has been focusing a lot on natural science subjects such as math and other ones which also†¦show more content†¦A person who purchases franchise called franchisee, and the firm that sells franchise called franchisor. Franchisee and franchisor have to agree on a compromise, both sides need to sign in the business contract and follow the cooperation legislations that are normally set up by franchisor. Commonly, franchisor is profitable by the royalty payment (the commission that is paid by the franchisee as it sold the products). Brand recognition is also beneficial for the firm because it would gain more reputation from franchisee stores which are located in diversified distinctive markets. Franchisee makes the benefits from selling products or services of well-known brand name. Moreover, this is a safe starting method for people who are new to business as the low starting risks and the existing reputation. As the result of these advantages Franchising is a popular trend in plenty economies from several nations, it not only allows national businesses to purchase and run a franchise stores, but also foreign entrepreneurs are welcomed to participate in the franchising form. How to be a Kumon Math Reading centre franchisee: There are several steps that a businessman can make to be Kumon franchisee, which could be summed up generally in 9 steps: 1. Visit the Kumon Math and Reading Centre official website (in case you do not feel comfortable to visit their representative office): http://www.kumonfranchise.ca/, ( Own a Franchise |Kumon Canada. Own a Franchise |KumonShow MoreRelatedBringing Kumon Math Center Into Vietnam1211 Words   |  5 PagesEE Outline Intro For this investigation I am going to research on bringing Kumon Math Center into Vietnam. Kumon Math, as its name, Kumon provides a program in which students will have the chance to improve their mathematical skills, from the basic one to the advanced level. It is available for students from all ages to join. Vietnam is a great potential market to invest in. Since Vietnam has the policies of searching for oversea investment, it has been an attractive market for many foreign companiesRead MoreHow The Kumon Math And Reading Centre Franchise Into Is Beneficial?1811 Words   |  8 PagesResearch Question: How bringing Kumon Math and Reading Centre franchise into is beneficial? Intro For this investigation I am going to research on bringing Kumon Math and Reading Center into Vietnam. Kumon Math, as its name, Kumon provides a program in which students will have the chance to improve their mathematical skills, from the basic one to the advanced level. It is available for students from all ages to join. Vietnam is a great potential market to invest in. Since Vietnam has the policies of

The Correlation Between Unemployment And Inflation

Both unemployment and inflation are two important components when it comes to studying an entire economy and it is also very easy to get those statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) which is a governmental statistical organization that gathers, processes, analyzes, and broadcasts important statistical figures to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor. The Bureau Labor of Statistics also assists as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor, which main drive is to support, nurture, and improve the wellbeing of the labor force (All individuals ages16 and up, who are working or seeking employment), and retirees of the United Sates. The connection between unemployment and inflation has been a debatable subject, which has been discussed by economists all around the world for many years. However, it is this debate that has created the thinking about it. (Now that all of this was explained in deta il, let’s get to the main point. First, explaining the consequences, reasons and how unemployment is measured, and later doing the same with inflation). It is important to get a better understanding of these two terms, inflation and unemployment. Inflation refers to an increase in the average level of prices of any good or service inside an economy. In other words, means that you have to pay more money to get the same quantity of services or goods as you attained before. However, there’sShow MoreRelatedCorrelation Between Unemployment And Inflation1782 Words   |  8 Pagesmodel to check the impact of inflation and unemployment reactions to changes in the labor force in Switzerland using data from 1965 to 2010. Their overall, findings established that there exist long term equilibrium relations between the rate of labor force change and inflation rate. AMINU (2012) investigated the relationship between unemployment and inflation in Nigeria economy between 1977 and 2009. The results indicate that inflation had a negative impact on unemployment. The causality test revealsRead MoreMacroeconomic Variables Of The Stock Market974 Words   |  4 Pagesmacroeconomic policy; the solid finding of this relation will enable policy makers to efficiently and effectively control the economy as well as the capital market. We aim to cover some relationship between macroeconomic indicators, including consumption, interest rate unemployment rate and inflation rate, and with stock price. Stock price or return and consumption Consumption has been viewed as one of the most fundamental and critical macroeconomic variables to explain the stock price/returnsRead MoreUnemployment And The Rate Of Inflation1673 Words   |  7 PagesUnemployment and the rate of Inflation are two main problems faced by most economies around the world. Lower rates of each are sought after in order to create and maintain a more stable economy. Unemployment rate can be officially defined as a measure of the prevalence of unemployment and it is calculated as a percentage by dividing the number of unemployed individuals by all individuals currently in the labour force. The inflation rate is the percentage rate of change of a price index over timeRead MoreEconomic Growth Between Emerging And Developed Economics Essay1181 Words   |  5 Pagesgrowth. 1. Literature Review Inflation Inflation can influence economic performance throughout the monitory policy of the economy. The economic specialists argue, that inflation effect economic growth of nations by decreasing domestic and foreign saving, inefficiency and ineffectiveness of resource allocation and declining balance of payment. Fischer and Modigliani (1980) suggested that there is a nonlinear and negative relationship between the rate of inflation and economic growth. Similarly,Read MoreThe Relationship Between Inflation And Unemployment On Growth1553 Words   |  7 Pagesachievement of a high rapid and sustainable economic growth. The relationship between inflation and unemployment on growth remains a controversial one in both theory and empirical findings. Originating from the Latin American context in the 1950s, the issue has generated an enduring debate between structuralists and monetarists. The structuralists believe that inflation is essential for economic growth, whereas the monetarists see inflati on as detrimental to economic progress. There are two aspects to thisRead More The Phillips Curve Essay1316 Words   |  6 PagesThe Phillips Curve Economists agree that unemployment and inflation are two of the major macroeconomic problems of the twentieth century. If a relationship between the two existed then this would be a major break through for the macro management of the economy. Phillips work was empirical - started with evidence and worked towards a theory. The causation for the Phillips theory was that the level of unemployment caused the rate of change in money wages to be what it was. What economicRead MoreUnemployment in Peru: An economic concern1207 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Unemployment in Peru: an Economic Concern AIU Online Abstract The Peruvian unemployment rate has started to decline in the past few years. The lowered unemployment rate connects to Peru’s economy and means it is on the mend. There are several relationships between the lowered unemployment rate and the economy that will be described. The data on this occurrence has a trend that shows it will continue to decrease. This will mean the economy will continue to improve.Read MoreThe Relationship Between Inflation And Unemployment1662 Words   |  7 PagesThe relationship between inflation and unemployment is a topic, which has been debated by economists for decades. It is this debate that has made the opinions about it evolve. In this essay, the controversial topic will be discussed by viewing different economists’ opinions on that according to time sequencing. Inflation is an increase in price levels within an economy. Basically it means that you will have to pay more for the same goods. Unemployment is even more straightforward. It means thatRead MoreDifference Between Real Gdp And Nominal Gdp1395 Words   |  6 PagesThere exist some differences between real GDP and nominal GDP. Real GDP is the measure (macroeconomic measure) of economic output that has been adjusted for a change in price. The meaning for this adjustment is that inflation or deflation has been factored in the computation of real GDP. It is the aspect of adjustment for price changes that makes a transformation of the money value to become a nominal value (Tucker 230). Nominal GDP refers to the value of Gross Domestic Product that has not factoredRead MoreThe Factors Affecting Unemployment : A Study Of Us Economy Essay1679 Words   |  7 PagesEffecting Unemployment: A Study of US Economy in 1985-2014 Introduction In the past few years, the US unemployment rate dynamically fluctuated: more than five millions jobs were cut in November 2008 due to economic crisis, but recently, the unemployment rate dropped by 0.3 point after eight years. Figure 1 revealed how the US unemployment rate fluctuated over the last three decades. On the other hand, one of the major signs of an economy’s health and the testimony of economic growth, unemployment rate

Embracing and Pursuing Change free essay sample

www. thetimes100. co. uk Embracing and pursuing change Introduction With the changing expectations of customers, organisations constantly need to adapt to remain competitive. When faced with such pressures for change, managers may look for situations which are familiar to them. This may involve improving the ways in which they operate, but only little by little. This is called incremental change. The danger is that improving little by little might not be enough. They need to adapt to all of the bigger changes in the environment of that business as well. If they don’t, what happens is strategic drift. When an organisation experiences strategic drift, it does not make strong and radical decisions to deal adequately with all of the changes in its business environment. To avoid strategic drift, managers within organisations have to embrace change fully. This means building a responsive organisation. This case study focuses upon AEGON in the UK, part of the AEGON Group, one of the world’s largest life insurance and pensions companies. AEGON owns pensions, life insurance, asset management and adviser businesses in the UK. The case study illustrates the success that embracing and pursuing change has brought to AEGON in the UK. It is helping AEGON move towards its goal of becoming ‘the best long-term savings and protection business within the UK’. CURRICULUM TOPICS †¢ Business strategies †¢ Change management †¢ External business environment †¢ Business culture GLOSSARY Incremental change: improving the way in which an organisation meets the external forces within its business environment little by little. Strategic drift: situations in which an organisation’s strategy does less and less to face the changes within the business environment. Asset: something of worth to an organisation e. g. people, cash, financial claims on others, machinery, buildings. Goal: general statement of purpose that falls in line with an organisation’s broader mission. The AEGON Group has 27,000 employees and over 25 million customers worldwide. Its major markets are in the USA and Netherlands. Since 1994, the UK has become another major and increasingly important market. In 1994 AEGON bought a large stake in Scottish Equitable. Scottish Equitable was a strong brand with a heritage that went back to the 1830s. Since then AEGON’s UK business has grown both organically and by acquiring other businesses. As most of the acquired companies kept their existing identities, awareness of AEGON in the UK remained relatively low. AEGON realised that such low levels of awareness could impact on its ability to achieve its ambitions. Therefore, it needed to combine the global strength of its parent with the experience and reputation of the domestic company brands, like Scottish Equitable, that made up AEGON in the UK. Heritage: name and reputation associated with the past. Organically: increasing the business through current activites. External factors influencing change One of the main challenges for decision-makers is to understand the environment in which they are operating. They can then identify key issues which they need to respond to. Understanding these key issues improves decision-taking and reduces uncertainty. Few industries have experienced as many changes in their external environment in recent years as financial services. AEGON 21 www. thetimes100. co. uk GLOSSARY Mis-selling: selling inappropriate products to customers. Financial Services Authority: independent non-government authority that regulates the financial services industry within the UK. Stock Exchange: marketplace in which stocks are bought and sold. Investment return: the return on funds invested in the business. Mortgage endowments: mortgage loans for a property in which interest only is paid, with the capital paid off at the end of the period of loan. Consumers: purchasers and users of the products. Brand values: the behaviours, personality and all that a brand represents for its customers. Positioned: place in a market that an organisation occupies in relation to its competitors and within the minds of consumers of its products. Thinking ahead and saving for retirement is a concept that is sometimes difficult for people to understand. In the UK, life expectancy has risen in recent years so people can expect to be retired for longer. In many instances, individuals have not planned properly for retirement and there may be a shortfall in the amount of money available. There is also a drive by the government to reduce dependency on the State in old age. Added to this many companies have introduced new, less expensive pension schemes or insisted on employee pension contributions where they did not in the past. These factors mean people have to make decisions to invest properly at an earlier stage of their working lives. Investing in the future helps people to prepare in advance for old age. The benefits of such an investment are only realised years later. The life insurance and pensions industry, in which AEGON operates, has had a poor reputation in recent years. Some organisations have been accused of ‘mis-selling’ by not providing consumers with the best product for their needs. To prevent similar situations arising in the future, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has put significant amounts of regulation on the industry. Financial services products are often difficult to understand. People do not always feel equipped to choose between the range of financial products and services and are not sure where to seek support and advice. In addition, falling values on the Stock Exchange have affected the investment return on some products, such as mortgage endowments. For some people this means that the product they bought has not delivered the financial return they expected. All this has created uncertainty in the financial services industry. The industry has also been characterised by intense competition. AEGON is in competition with organisations which sell directly to consumers and which are better known in the UK. AEGON distributes its products and services to customers mainly through financial advisers. AEGON, as a reputable company, has had to address and overcome these industry-wide problems to remain competitive. Reasons for change AEGON had historically been successful but government-imposed price controls had reduced profitability. Compared to its competitors, AEGON was not well known by consumers. It had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of Scottish Equitable. However, it was not as well recognised in areas other than pensions. Often these other areas, such as offshore investment products, were more profitable. If consumers are to invest in a product long term, they need to know more about the organisation they are dealing with. They need to recognise the brand and understand more about the brand values that it represents. As AEGON traded under a number of brand names it was not always easy for financial advisers and consumers to recognise the breadth and depth of the company in the UK. With a new Chief Executive (CEO) in place, AEGON underwent a discovery phase. The purpose of this was to find out what it had to do to meet the CEO’s goal. This goal was to build ‘the best long-term savings and protection business in the UK’. This time of discovery focused on three key questions: 1. What do we stand for in the UK? 2. What do we want to stand for in the UK? 3. What should we be doing about it? To answer these questions AEGON undertook a brand audit. This audit looked at two aspects: †¢ the company internally †¢ how the organisation was positioned externally. The purpose of the audit was to find out more information about the organisation. This helped AEGON to provide a more informed approach to the decisions that were needed to start the process of change. 22 www. thetimes100. co. uk GLOSSARY The audit showed that AEGON was solidly placed within the market. Its staff were known for their considerable expertise, innovation and clarity of communication. The external audit also helped to discover where AEGON was positioned in relation to its competitors. People who were aware of AEGON saw it as being a refreshing and different organisation. However, there was evidence that people were confused about the breadth of what AEGON did because it traded under a number of different company brands. Culture: the typical way of doing things in an organisation. Creating a new culture is a key part of the change process Culture refers to the personality and attitude of an organisation. It also includes the shared beliefs, values and behaviour of the employees. These determine the ways in which the organisation and its people make decisions and solve problems. The goal of AEGON’s CEO helped to provide a vision for change. Financial objectives were important as the path for future developments depended upon these. It was also important to create more clarity about who AEGON was. With limited awareness of AEGON in the UK, it was important to explain what it had to offer, how big the organisation was within the UK and how strong it was globally. At the heart of this strategy was the need to: a) simplify financial services and provide more customer focus. It was important that consumers understood more precisely what they were buying, as well as the benefits and services they received. b) develop the workforce. The objective was to develop the skills needed within the business to help it change. AEGON also created opportunities for progression from one job to another in a way that provided individuals with a coherent career path. c) create a more distinct presence within the marketplace. This involved refreshing the AEGON brand in a way that made it more distinctive from its competitors and more attractive to customers. In order to help embed this culture, AEGON developed a behaviour framework to support its brand values. This was designed to influence how people at all levels within the organisation could work and make decisions. These behaviours emphasise the values of the organisation. They have helped to build AEGON’s culture and have also influenced its performance. AEGON also introduced a Management Development Programme, supported by a leading Management College. The eight behaviours are: †¢ Think customer †¢ Embrace change †¢ Encourage excellence †¢ Act with integrity †¢ Decisive action †¢ Work together †¢ Learn and grow †¢ Relate and communicate. For example, ‘Think customer’ is about ‘ensuring that the customer’s needs are at the heart of our business, informing actions, decisions and behaviours’. For senior managers this means keeping the customer’s experience at the heart of what AEGON does. Other managers and professionals are encouraged to ‘innovate with your customers in mind’. All staff are encouraged to keep to commitments made to customers by doing what you say you will, when you say you will’. 23 AEGON Implementing the change www. thetimes100. co. uk Before the change consumers were confused about who AEGON was, what it did and how it fitted together. The audit had shown that global scale was important but so was local expertise. In the past, the AEGON brand had not been heavily promoted alongside Scottish Equitable or the other brands that it traded under. The brand strategy helped to reposition the brand within the industry. Now the association with AEGON is much stronger. For example, Scottish Equitable is now AEGON Scottish Equitable – reflecting both local knowledge and global power. All the brands now carry a new common look which is refreshing and different. This, along with the values and behaviours, is helping to make the brand ‘refreshingly different’. The changes affected the organisation both internally and externally. Within the organisation, they influenced not only how people behaved but also how they communicated. The organisation has become more focused on the customer. The emphasis is on making information clearer for the customer to understand and the company easier to do business with. To help embed the values and behaviours, AEGON established a new relationship with Shirley Robertson, the famous yachtswoman and the only British female athlete to have won gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. By associating AEGON with an individual who embodies similar values, it was able to bring the values and behaviours to life for staff. However, AEGON had to develop the brand and its reputation. It did this is a number of ways: †¢ External promotional campaigns emphasised the relationship between Scottish Equitable and AEGON. This helped to reinforce the local knowledge and the global power of AEGON in the UK. †¢ The CEO talked to the media about the need for change. The refreshing of the brand internally and externally resulted in strong positive feedback. †¢ AEGON has launched new and innovative products. For example, the 5 for Life annuity has helped to change the way in which consumers can look at their retirement income. It provides more certainty about levels of income for the consumer, with AEGON providing the levels of return promised and being responsible for any risks associated with doing so. Today the AEGON brand has a position from which it is influencing the financial services industry. It has posted record results with significant growth in underlying earnings. It has also increased its new business across a mix of profitable products and services, reflecting its continued strength. GLOSSARY Strategy: long-term business plan of an organisation. Annuity: product sold by financial services company providing the holder with payments at specific intervals after retirement. Conclusion The Times Newspaper Limited and  ©MBA Publishing Ltd 2007. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information, neither the publisher nor the client can be held responsible for errors of omission or commission. Change is continuous. The process of change is a journey. External factors will always be there to influence business organisations. AEGON responded to these factors by simplifying, clarifying and strengthening its brand in the UK. As organisations change, their patterns of behaviour and business culture develop. For AEGON, this is a cycle in which the business uses its knowledge to learn from its experiences. This has helped AEGON as an organisation to move positively towards achieving its full potential and to remain competitive in an increasingly difficult market. Questions 1. Use an example to explain what is meant by strategic drift. 2. Describe in detail one external factor influencing change within AEGON. What sort of changes might have taken place because of that external factor? 3. Describe the purpose of the eight behaviours. 4. Evaluate the role of an audit within and outside an organisation. To what extent can a process of audit form the basis for a business strategy? www. aegon. co. uk 24

The ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder Essay Research Paper The free essay sample

The Obsessive-compulsive Disorder- Essay, Research Paper The Obsessive-compulsive Disorder- John D. Rockefeller, the Standard Oil baron who, by the clip of his decease in 1937, was likely deserving near to a billion dollars, is possibly one of the best historical illustrations of an obsessive-compulsive. An obsessive-compulsive is one who is driven to an act or Acts of the Apostless, by and large being asocial, by his ain arrested developments but by nature of his curious mind must equilibrate these actions with others more socially acceptable. There are abundant illustrations of Rockefeller # 8217 ; s workss suiting these clinical features, and John D. Rockefeller is today by and large regarded as an obsessive-compulsive. The roots of this upset are traceable back to his childhood. While much of Rockefeller # 8217 ; s concern history remains a enigma today, it is evident that much of his success is attributable to his obsessive-compulsive upset. Franz Alexander and Louis B. Shapiro # 8217 ; s description of the obsessive-compulsive upset from their book # 8220 ; Neuroses, Behavior Disorders, and Perversions # 8221 ; is a often used sum-up of the normally agreed-upon features. It states: # 8220 ; Full blown instances of obsessive-compulsive provinces present a dynamic equilibrium in which obsessional preoccupation with ego-alien phantasies # 8230 ; are precariously balanced by rites stand foring an hyperbole of societal criterions, such as cleanliness, promptness, consideration for others. The dynamic expression is similar to clerking in which on the one side of leger are the asocial inclinations which the patient tries to equilibrate exactly on the other side with moralistic and societal attitudes # 8230 ; Every asocial move must be undone by an opposing one # 8230 ; # 8221 ; The term # 8220 ; ego-alien # 8221 ; refers to ideas, emotions or stuff which are consciously abhorrent to the patient ( though non he may non needfully be witting of the ground ) . This sum-up is of import, and we will return to it subsequently. Rockefeller was born in 1839 and raised in a troubled, so broken, place. His male parent, who sold quack # 8220 ; quick-heal # 8221 ; complaint medical specialties, was frequently off for months at a clip. Rockefeller was raised basically by his female parent. Finally his male parent consummated a bigamous matrimony with a teenage Canadian and left Rockefeller and his female parent and siblings. At an early age, it became evident that immature John was non rather like the other kids. For case, he adamantly refused to drama with other kids unless he could take the game. In about every description of him as a kid, he is frequently described as # 8220 ; believing # 8221 ; . He married Laura Celestia Spelman, a miss who was strikingly similar to his female parent, which is neer a good mark ; and when he decided to travel into concern, he borrowed $ 1000 from his father- at 10 percent involvement. Ten per centum was good above the traveling rate ; Rockefeller # 8217 ; s father basically loansharked his boy. Rockefeller was seemingly disturbed by his childhood ; he absorbed his cutthroat concern techniques from his pettifogger male parent, and at some point other influences at a immature age likely began to develop his obsessive-compulsive upset. Unfortunately, few intimate histories of his early life and household exist, so it is hard to nail these influences. Rockefeller seemed to do his luck with barely any attempt ; a brief lineation is appropriate. After dropping out of high school and functioning a clerical apprenticeship, Rockefeller went into concern, organizing a green goods house with one spouse and $ 4,000 of capital between them. In its first twelvemonth its gross income was $ 450,000, with a net income of $ 4,400- better than one 100 per centum return. After booming through the Civil War roar, Rockefeller # 8217 ; s company bought its first refinery. Rockefeller shortly gave up his original partnership to concentrate on the oil concern. In 1870, with a capital of better than one million dollars, Rockefeller reformed his company as the Standard Oil Company of Ohio. Buying the agencies to command production from the smallest item ( he even built his ain barrels to salvage money ) Rockefeller shortly managed to rule the countrywide oil market. In 1879 Standard Oil controlled 95 per centum of oil production in the United States. Like all successful concerns of the clip, Rockefeller # 8217 ; s company did a just sum of illegal dealing ; and while Standard Oil was possibly non rather every bit crooked as its rivals, it is in this fact that we see the first aspect of Rockefeller as an obsessive-compulsive. While Rockefeller encouraged illegal railway discounts and even invented a few new 1s ( such as the # 8220 ; drawback # 8221 ; , a fluctuation on the kickback ) he was an inexorable church member. He strongly disapproved of: smoke, imbibing, card playing, dancing, gaiety, # 8220 ; wenching # 8221 ; , theatre traveling, concert traveling, feasting, idleness, socialising in general and # 8220 ; good family # 8221 ; . He took no holidaies, no clip off. He did nil in his little sum of free clip except spells to church two or three times a hebdomad. These are the # 8220 ; rites stand foring an hyperbole of societal criterions # 8221 ; mentioned by Drs. Alexander and Shapiro. Rockefeller, who as an obsessive-compulsive had to equilibrate his asocial Acts of the Apostless ( the seamy and/or illegal Acts of the Apostless of Standard Oil ) by societal Acts of the Apostless, in this instance showing ( to himself every bit good as others ) a frontage of deep morality. In the anti-corporation chromaticity and call of the late 1800 # 8217 ; s and early 20th century, Rockefeller was assaulted by the tribunals in an effort to cut down his practical monopoly. In 1892 he was ordered to fade out his trust, one of his innovations which allowed him command over a figure of subordinate companies. He merely placed relations and friends at the helms of the newly-freed subordinates. In 1906 Standard Oil # 8217 ; s railway discount strategies were discovered and the company was fined $ 29.2 million. The justice, fortunately for Rockefeller, had made an unqualified determination ( his mulct was excessively high by at least an order of magnitude ) and the determination was reversed in a higher tribunal. Standard Oil paid nil. In the twelvemonth following the 1892 determination, Rockefeller donated over $ 1.5 million to charities. While he had been donating money since his teenage old ages, this sum was three times every bit big as any amount he had of all time donated in one twelvemonth. In 1907, after the 2nd major tribunal instance, he donated over $ 39 million. This was besides the largest sum he had of all time donated, by a big border. We can state with some confidence that these brawny contributions were a consequence of Rockefeller # 8217 ; s obsessive-compulsive upset ; he was merely equilibrating the guilt he felt from his concern patterns with philanthropic gift. To what extent was Rockefeller # 8217 ; s obsessive-compulsive upset responsible for his phenomenal success? Rockefeller was unimpeachably a fiscal mastermind, obsessive-compulsive or no. However, clearly Rockefeller # 8217 ; s perturbation was responsible for his illegal activities that continued into the 1900 # 8217 ; s, after he had made more money than he could perchance utilize, and when he donated a big per centum of his personal income to assorted charities. Rockefeller # 8217 ; s tactics put left 10s of 1000s of workers ( at least one estimation is even over one hundred 1000 ) after the bend of the century after he had accumulated a astonishing sum of wealth. It would likely be safe to state, at the really least, that any luck generated by illegal activities after the mid 1890 # 8217 ; s was the consequence of his obsessive-compulsive composite ; possibly his compulsion for money spurred him on from his really first concern venture through the last yearss of Standard Oil. Too few records exist of Standard Oil and Rockefeller for us to be certain at what point Rockefeller # 8217 ; s obsessive-compulsive upset became the dominant force. John D. Rockefeller is, by all historical histories, a distinct instance of an obsessive-compulsive, one who commits asocial Acts of the Apostless and feels a demand to equilibrate these actions with more socially going behavior. The beginnings of Rockefeller # 8217 ; s upset appear to hold occurred in his childhood ; the obsessive-compulsive syndrome that resulted was likely responsible for most of his fiscal aspiration and subsequent success.

Understanding Traits and How They Are Determined

Understanding Traits and How They Are Determined Have you ever wondered why your eyes are just like your mothers? Or why your hair color is similar to your grandfathers? Or why you and your siblings share features? These physical characteristics are known as traits; they are inherited from parents and expressed externally. Key Takeaways: Traits Traits are inherited characteristics from our parents that are expressed externally in our phenotype.For any given trait, one gene variation (allele) is received from the father and one from the mother.The expression of these alleles determines the phenotype, whether dominant or recessive. In biology and genetics, this external expression (or physical characteristics) is called a phenotype. The phenotype is what is visible, while the genotype is the underlying gene combination in our DNA that actually determines what is expressed physically in the phenotype. How Are Traits Determined? Traits are determined by an individuals genotype, the summation of the genes in our DNA. A gene is a portion of a chromosome. A chromosome is composed of DNA and contains the genetic material for an organism. Humans have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes. Twenty-two of the pairs are called autosomes. Autosomes are typically very similar in males and females. The last pair, the twenty-third pair, is the sex chromosome set. Those are very different in males and females. A female has two X chromosomes, while a male has one X and one Y chromosome. How Are Traits Inherited? How are traits passed from one generation to the next? This happens when gametes unite. When an egg is fertilized by a sperm, for each chromosome pair, we receive one chromosome from our father and one from our mother. For a particular trait, we receive what is known as an allele from our father and one allele from our mother. An allele is a different form of a gene. When a given gene controls a characteristic that is expressed in the phenotype, the different forms of a gene show as the different characteristics that are observed in the phenotype. In simple genetics, alleles can be homozygous or heterozygous. Homozygous refers to having two copies of the same allele, while heterozygous refers to having different alleles. Dominant Traits vs. Recessive Traits When alleles are expressed via simple dominant versus recessive traits, the specific alleles inherited determine how the phenotype is expressed. When an individual has two dominant alleles, the phenotype is the dominant trait. Likewise, when an individual has one dominant allele and one recessive allele, the phenotype is still the dominant trait. While dominant and recessive traits may seem straightforward, note that not all traits have this simple inheritance pattern. Other types of genetic inheritance patterns include incomplete dominance, co-dominance, and polygenic inheritance. Due to the complexity of how genes are inherited, specific patterns can be somewhat unpredictable. How Do Recessive Traits Occur? When an individual has two recessive alleles, the phenotype is the recessive trait. For example, lets suppose that there are two versions of a gene, or alleles, that determine whether or not a person can roll their tongue. One allele, the dominant one, is symbolized by a big T. The other allele, the recessive one, is symbolized by a little t. Lets suppose two tongue rollers get married, each of whom is heterozygous (has two different alleles)for the trait. This would be represented as (Tt) for each.   Traits are inherited characteristics that are expressed externally in our phenotype. Copyright Evelyn Bailey When a person inherits one (t) from the father and then one (t) from the mother, the recessive alleles (tt) are inherited and the person can not roll their tongue. As can be seen in the Punnett square above, this would happen approximately twenty-five percent of the time. (Note that this tongue rolling is just for the sake of providing an example of recessive inheritance. Current thinking around tongue rolling indicates the involvement of more than just a single gene, and is not as simple as was once thought). Other Examples of Weird Inherited Traits A longer second toe and attached earlobes are often cited as examples of a weird trait that follows the two dominant/recessive alleles forms of one gene inheritance. Again, however, evidence suggests that both attached earlobe and longer second toe inheritance are quite complex. Sources â€Å"Attached Earlobe: The Myth.†Ã‚  Myths of Human Genetics, udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythearlobe.html.â€Å"Observable Human Characteristics.†Ã‚  Nutrition the Epigenome, learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/basics/observable/.

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Statement - Essay Example This becomes one of the major reasons why I want to gain business experience and apply in this university. My passion to gain knowledge about this field and about German language specially has nurtured this eagerness within me to take admission in BA (Hons.) International Business and German language course. This supporting statement describes my eagerness for this course. I have always been a very good student getting positions and certificates. My teachers and professors at all times considered me a student worthy of reward. I have attended numerous training courses and seminars which shows my passion for pursuing further knowledge regarding my field. I feel that I have enough knowledge and passion to show that I have a craze about going ahead in the business industry and contribute to the financial market. I keep myself updated with market requirement. I keep on reading related journals, books and magazines and attend related seminars being held in my vicinity. I feel that I posse ss those special skills needed to fulfill the requirements for this course. I have always come up fresh, innovative and unique ideas. I have learnt basic computer knowledge and softwares so as to equip myself with the latest technology that may help me in excelling in this course.

1980 MGM Fire and Fire Codes Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

1980 MGM Fire and Fire Codes - Case Study Example Fig.1 shows the site plan of the hotel. It had 26 floors designed luxuriously. Ground floor had the Casino, restaurants, showrooms and a convention center and upper level of the jai alai fronton. The below grade level had the lower level of the jai alai fronton, a movie theatre, several shops and boutiques, service areas, and underground parking. There were 2076 guest rooms and another 780 guest rooms under construction on the west side of the building. Hotel structure had fire-resistive, protected non-combustible and unprotected non-combustible segments. Both combustible and non-combustible materials were used for interior finish. Fire sprinklers were installed only in some major portions and every area was not protected for fire. Part of the 26th floor, the arcade level, convention areas, showrooms and some restaurants on the casino level were protected while the casino and tower were not protected with fire sprinklers. A manual fire alarm system was present in the hotel. The guest room floors had manual pull stations. The alarm system had bells and public address capability. There was no automatic detection system installed in the building (National Fire Protection Association, 1980).... Security tried to put off the fire but it was so huge that the Clark County fire department had to be contacted at around 7.15 a.m. (National Fire Protection Association, 1980). Fig.2 and Fig. 3 shows the fire magnitude at MGM Grand. Fig. 2 ("MGM", 2008) The MGM Grand - view from the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Rd Fig 3 ("MGM", 2008) The MGM Grand Fire - looking toward North-East from I-15 According to the fire department fire broke out due to an electrical problem in a combustible covered space next to a pie case in the restaurant. Presence of combustible interior finish and other material like plywood, plastic, paper, wooden decorative members and foam plastic padding of chairs and booths in the Deli helped fire spread very quickly and reach an uncontrollable magnitude. There was no protection in the path for the fire to spread to the Casino. Combustible interior finish, furnishings, other wooden and plastic materials like foam padding and moldings present in the Casino put in more fuel in the fire. Flow of air was also enough for the fire to inflate (National Fire Protection Association, 1980). Within 15 minutes of its detection fire had swallowed up a huge area including the Deli, the Casino and porte cocher on the west end of the building. Heat and smoke rising to the upper floors notified guests of the problem on the ground floors. Helicopters, fire fighters, construction workers and passersby were able to save many people. People who tried their way out through roofs and other exits were rescued while others waited in their rooms for help. Hotel was evacuated completely in 4 hours. 84 people died in the tragic incident. 14 people died on the Casino level, 29 in rooms, 21 in

The benefits of mental toughness in sport

The benefits of mental toughness in sport ABSTRACT On the basis of advantages that a mental toughness can offer to a performer, the study was designed to develop the understanding of the components of mental toughness in sport. The purpose of this study was to identify the components of mental toughness as perceived by the researcher and was guided by the two questions, which are as follows: What are the components of mental toughness and To what degree those components of mental toughness are trainable or teachable to a particular player. 10 cricket players ageing from fourteen years of age to twenty years of age were selected for the research so that they have enough experience to answer the questions in the research. The procedure of this was that the research is based on the questionnaire of mental toughness given by Sparkes in 1998. Each participant had to fill the questionnaire for the purpose of evaluating the importance and trainability of twenty different components of mental toughness. INTRODUCTION Cricket is one of the most popular games having a very high viewership and followers. Cricket is basically a mental game that requires a lot of psychological skills in addition to basic playing skills. These skills make player a champion and different from ordinary player. He (champion) is able to display his psychological as well as playing skills during the course of the game. Among the various psychological skills, mental toughness is an important psychological factor that effect’s player’s performance in matches. Sometimes, cricket teams despite their talents lose their matches. The researches on these poor performance lead to the finding that the players in these teams lack mental toughness and the ability to bounce back from the setback of losses. There is an evident to prove it when cricket’s great legend Sir Vivian Richards attributed the Indian cricket team’s loss in West Indies during the cricket world cup 2007 in the first round as the lack of m ental toughness in Indian players. Loehr (1986), he popularised the term mental toughness in sports performance and contested that at least half of superior performances can be due to mental toughness. Mental toughness is regarded as the most important factor in sports to achieve the goals and perform excellent. Jones, Hanton and Connaughton (2002), they stated that mental toughness can be defined as having a natural or developed psychological edge that helps or enables a player to generally cope better than his opponents in many demands (competition, training) and specifically would be more consistent and better than the opponents in remaining focused and determined and goal oriented in his sport. Attributes of mental toughness (Sparkes 1998), he talked about twelve different attributes that a player should have to be ideally mentally tough performer. For further investigation of mental toughness, the following questions were developed to guide this research. What are the essential components of mental toughness as perceived by the cricketers? To what degree are these stated components of mental toughness are trainable or teachable? On the basis of these two major criteria, the player was asked the following questions: I can bounce back from the from the set back as a result of increased determination to succeed. I have an unshakable self belief that i possess the unique qualities that make me better than my opponents. I have an insatiable desire and internalised motive to succeed. I remain fully focused on the task in hand in the face of competition- specific distractions. I am able to regain psychological control if facing uncontrollable situations. I can push back the boundaries of emotional and physical pain, while still maintaining techniques and effort in distress in training and competition. I accept that competition anxiety is inevitable and knowing that i can cope with it. I don’t get adversely affected by other’s good or the bad performances. I can thrive on the pressure of competition. I remain fully focused in the face of personal life distractions REVIEW OF LITERATURE The present study was undertaken to explore the physiological profile of the cricket players and to find to what degree their mental toughness, goal orientation actually helps them in their performances. The result showed that there is no significant correlation between mental toughness and different types of goal orientation i.e. task orientation and ego orientation. At the same time, the motivation dimension of mental toughness was found to be significantly related to both ego and goal orientation. (Duda and Hall,2001) Moreover task orientation has been found to be positively associated with various indicators of motivation, including intrinsic motivation positive affect and the tendency to seek out the new and challenging experiences and to try hard in difficult situations. (Ntoumanis and Biddle, 1999) â€Å"The general lack of clarity and precision surrounding the term mental toughness is unfortunate, since it ism arguably one of the most important physiological attributes in achieving performance excellence. (Jones, 2002) Another study conducted by researchers stated that mental toughness is an important physiological characteristic of the game. (Gould, 1987, 1993 and 2002); (Williams, 1998);( Jones, 2002) â€Å"It appears therefore, that virtually any desirable positive psychological characteristic associated with sporting success has been labelled as mental toughness at one time or the other†. (Jones,2002) METHOD This chapter will discuss the participants, procedure, analysis and instrument used in the study. This study involves both quantitative and qualitative measures of the components of the mental toughness of sportspersons. PARTICIPANTS This, study consisted of 10 male cricketers from the division 3 and 2 category of cricket teams in the city. A mix of different teams and players were chosen to increase the diversity of the group. Each participant was needed to have a minimum of three years of playing cricket so that they can answer the questions in their knowledgeable way. INSTRUMENTATION The instrument used in this study is the questionnaire comprised of twenty questions of mental toughness. These twenty questions comprised of twelve different components of mental toughness and eight components of preservance that were given by Sparkes in 1998. Each component was assessed by participants based on their perception of: The importance of including each component in the construct of mental toughness. The degree to which each component is trainable. The participants assessed both the importance and the degree to which the component is trainable, using a 5 point scale. Besides this two additional questions were also asked which are as follows: Are there other components of mental toughness that should be included which are not there in the questionnaire? Do you believe that there is any component that could be combined to form an individual, essential component of mental toughness? PROCEDURE When the questionnaire of mental toughness (Sparkes,1998) was adopted by the researcher, he then approached 10 different cricketers and asked them to fill up the questionnaire. Researcher also made sure that the identity of the players will be kept confidential i.e. it would not be disclosed to anyone. Researcher sat down with the players and asked them the questions and marked the answers himself. 1

H.D.: The Fusion of Classicism and Modernity Essay -- Hilda Doolittle

H.D.: The Fusion of Classicism and Modernity With foundations rooted deeply in an appreciation for and understanding of classicism, H.D. fused ancient Grecian literature, thinking and mythology with modernistic feminism, bisexuality and psychoanalysis to establish for herself a prominent voice among her contemporaries. Born Hilda Doolittle in 1886 to Helen and Charles Doolittle, her education was fostered by the intellectual curiosity of her parents (an artist and an astronomer, respectively) and the proximity of The University of Pennsylvania. Closely associated with poet Ezra Pound, she spent much of her adult and professional life surrounded by literary contemporaries. Doolittle was a woman whose work was not limited to a single interest but instead expanded to envelop several of the most outstanding facets of modernism: the exploration of women within a literary movement, the exploration of homosexuality and the exploration of self through psychoanalysis. H.D.’s major contribution to modernism is most often recognized as her use of poetic imagery. After only two years at Bryn Mawr, H.D. moved to England, where much of her poetry was written. Pound, a close friend and twice-fiancà ©e not only facilitated her acceptance into the literary circles of expatriate American writers, but also her entrance into the literary world. Affixing the signature "H.D., Imagiste," Pound submitted H.D.’s early verses to Harriet Monroe’s Poetry Magazine, which were accepted and published (Scott). Her poetry remains at the forefront of the imagist branch of modernism, a division whose writers dedicate themselves to the direct treatment of the subject, the prohibition of any word that not essential to the presentati... ...://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/HD.htm http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=238 Works Cited â€Å"A Brief Biography Of H.D.† < http://www.imagists.org/hd/bio.html> Bryan, Marsha. â€Å"Modern American Poetry.† Doolittle, Hilda. Asphodel. Editor: Spoo, Robert. Durham; Duke University Press, 1992. pp. ix-xix. Doolittle, Hilda. Collected Poems 1912-1944: Martz, Louis L. New York; New Directions. Pp. 39, 118, 128, 281. â€Å"H.D. Poetry Exhibit† <http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=238> Levertov, Denise. †H.D.: An Appreciation† Modern Critical Views H.D.: Bloom, Harold. New York; Chelsea House Publishers. Scott, Bonnie Kime. â€Å"About H.D.’s Life and Career† Bryan, Marsha. â€Å"Modern American â€Å"Poetry.† <http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/hd/life.htm>

French and English

Many philosophers with their struggle in understanding the behavior of human beings developed different means in which ethics can be approached and this leads to various conclusions. According to Palatal (2006), ethics is involve with the systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Thus, it could be said to be the principles, norm, values which indicates what is fair or unfair, true or false. This could be argued that the right is seen to be ethical and the wrong is seen as unethical.Hence, when it comes to being ethical doing the right thing is the best action that serves the idea of honesty, integrity, morality and good management practices (Palatal, 2006) The nature of ethics can be liken to deal with individual induct which is voluntarily carried out and not because of the circumstances in which one find themselves. Hence, there is total choice of freedom and freewill attached to any of their decision making. In any organization, ethical practi ces should be applicable to any organizational behaviors because there are rules which governs the activities of the organization which may be Judged.The moral standard of any organization can be applied to the organizational policies, behavior and institutions. Milton Friedman had believed that the â€Å"primary and the only responsibility is making profit† while abiding by the law. Others argued that any company with self-interest pursuing profit will automatically benefit the whole society. Edward freeman in his argument said shareholders should not only benefit from the business but the benefit should be extended to the employees, customers and suppliers, families and also the operations of this businesses.Ethical businesses offers the company a competitive advantage and also makes the consumers loyal to ethical brands no matter the situation. Building customers' loyalty is one of the source to a long-term business. Thus, the reputation for an organizations' ethical behav ior can help to create an image that is positive in the marketplace and can also serve as an advertisement for the company. On the other hand, bad reputation due to unethical act may hurts the company. The societies in which we live in has a big influence on moral, customs and values by passing on to next generations their culture through the process of acculturation.Hence, this leading to a distinctive set of morals surrounded by every social group: relativism. Although it is sometimes argued that moral varies. So many times, there are question as to whether the societal morals being absolute can be Judged or not: absolutism. In trying to analyses the context of ethical relativism, ethical absolutism and ethical pluralism. Moral absolutism sees its culture to be right and the best which cannot be challenged. In other words, there is no right nor good culture at which could be preserved.In this context following this morality could be dangerous and this could lead an organization or someone into radicalism. For example, Muslims in some part of the world who either killed or punished people who are not Muslims. Moral relativism says you believe in your culture and I believe in my culture. Here, there is no right or rang, because different has a different moral, in other words if a culture is seen as valid or invalid, this will totally depend on that time in which the culture had existed.For example, the biblical Jesus which is seen as the son of God by the Christians and also Mohammed which is also seen by Islam as God's messenger. There is absolutely nothing wrong in this, the main issue here is, respect should be given to all culture without trying to consider if or not harm will be done to someone or not. Another example is the tradition of circumcising women in most part of Africa or the Hinduism tradition which allows women to burn themselves after the death of their husband. In moral pluralism, it is believe that every culture should be given limited room to exist.For example people from different backgrounds no matter their ethnicity all over the world is permitted to live in Canada and also maintain their culture and languages peacefully, although Canada has its official language as French and English. Pluralism believes that we cannot be 100% right as human beings. The concept of pluralism respects and value other opinion which will lead to he enrichment of the society. However, as earlier stated, there is limits to pluralism. A harmful culture to a person is not allowed in pluralism.An example will be the circumcision of women and women burning themselves is not acceptable in Canada. A UTILITARIAN PERSPECTIVE: this concept was developed by Jeremy Beneath and John Stuart Mill. Its main goal is to provide the greatest number which is guided by the value, â€Å"utility'. ( Mullahs, 2010). Here, making decisions is purely on the basis of outcomes or consequences. Utility perspective take a look at action as right if it rings happin ess to the people involve. Although there are some issues involve with this view, utilitarian perspective is also concerned with the costs of a particular action.It thus, tries to make the evaluation of ethics precise by way of accumulating every ones happiness and thereby taking away their unhappiness. As seen in the case of Swiss Bank, the credit Issue had admitted guilt and plead guilty for their action, thus, this serves as a form of moral reasoning. Utilitarian perspectives believes that the moral right of any action course in any situation should generates infinite above harm to every person affected. The management of Swiss bank did not care if the profit the bank was making was as made under lies and deceit to the general public or not.Thus, utilitarian perspective does not consider that so long as it is beneficial to all the party involve. Using utilitarianism perspective in the case of credit Issue, Swiss Bank was acting in a way that will maximize the benefit of their cus tomers. A practice is good or bad if it leads to the best possible balance of good consequences over bad ones (Bà ©chamel and Bowie, 1997:22) cited in Camel Mullahs t al (2010). Many philosophers has argued about the utilitarian perspective as it involve the substantial reproduction of a better society is being maximized.The utilitarianism assumption centers on when difficult choice is being face, the right thing to do is trying to ensure that the possible best outcome is affected by bulk people so long as it is not resulting to being suffered by the minority. In the case study given, the entire organization takes blame for the act by resulting to pay fine given. In business world today, and the frequent operation of utility today, the odder neo-classical economists tend to refer to expected utility as the key mechanism that drives individual choice. Mullahs, 2010). Organizational choices should be that each of its decision should help in the minimization of the organizational util ity. Human resource managers view consumers as utility and the become self-centered. The case of credit Issue, their basic aim was to maximize their utility whether as citizens, consumers, shareholders or organization in competition in the marketplace. THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE: this perspective hold that individual has certain basic entitlement. (Mullahs, 2010). This perspective has to do with the language of rights.They are right to freedom of association, free speech, and employees' rights and so on. The USA independence declaration emphasized that every man is given unalienable rights (Velasquez, 2014). According to Velasquez, (2014), moral right are Justified by moral standards in which most people acknowledge, but which are not necessarily codified in law. Thus this standards are being interpreted differently by different people. To some the idea to rely on right as a guide to ethical action could not be match. Right in other words can be negative, Hereford pacing more emphasize o n moral right rather than legal rights.In Cant's philosophy, morals together with notion rights gives a theoretical foundation in which human resources in other to evaluate and reformulate ethical practices. According to Karma and Seed (2012), what a person deserves or is entitle to can be evaluated using rules or law that is related to the principles of equality, fairness and retribution, and non-discrimination. It has been argued that, many do not have the fundamental freedom to exercise their right which means that there is need for some right to be limited. As in the case of Swiss bank, THE VIRTUE PERSPECTIVE: virtue perspective is also use in resolving issues in workplace.According to Karma and Seed (2012), virtue ethics is concern with the actor rather than the action. The word virtue could not be mention without linking to the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It is believe that every human being has potential virtue in them. This approach, ethically tried to over rid the criticis m of people knowing what to do but choose not to as in the case study. Human resource managers sometimes trying to use this framework may face difficult choice to make. In relation to the case study, the managers has the right to protect customer's asset and wealth, and also being loyal to is one of the bankers/ customers right.The virtue perspective, once its in the organization, it will enable the workers to compete favorably without thinking of unethical practices. THE CARE PERSPECTIVES: this approach is distinct from the moral philosophy of Kant together with others. This framework is used as an alternative approach to solve problems and it recognizes, response to the well-being of other's needs. In analyzing the Swiss case, there is equal treatment for all the customers. The customers and the employers were treated in the same way. There was no discrimination among the customer as the case did not mention.The Swiss bank, plead guilty and was charge with a fine and did not discl ose the information of the customers involve. This is like the example of the case of the one eye mother who gave her one eye to the son and the child grew up hating her because she has Just an eye. A NON-ESSENTIALIST PERSPECTIVE: there is need for ethical operations in workplaces. Although sometimes organization which operates under ethics can be associated with less profit and still ill like to stay in the competition whereas large organization has large profit which will enhance their reputations.Still there is needs for ethical behavior and also understanding the culture different is paramount in the society. Swiss bank helping their customer might be ethical in some part of the society an unethical in other part. As managers views for moral being different in the organization the find themselves so is their decision making policies different. Ethical practices should be more focus, once this is achieve, there will be positive returns. What goes around comes around (Brattiest , T. Lass lectures. CONCLUSION: Business ethics as earlier discuss are said to be issues which are said to be identifying problems or identifying situation or opportunity and looking for means actions which could be used in solving them. This is also seen as set values norms and responsibility in which members of the same organization recognizes and share same. This also relate to the way business owners conduct their business in order to make profit. A business is said to be ethical when it gives positive contribution to the society without causing any damage to its environment or in any case exploiting it Rockford.In the corporate business world, culture and tradition and strong value are being taken under condition. Corporate business organizations are part of the society, so there are certain expectations in which people are willing to see. There are corporate ethics trend in the world today, business which are socially liable respond quick to public demand in order to improve eff iciency. RECOMMENDATION: As an international human resource manager there is need for the organization to adopt ethical code of conduct which will help the organizational development.The ethical code of the organization will help the organization to obtain the organizational core values and meet it objectives. This will bring about transparency and a true and fair value. Thus giving the organization respect in the society. Leaders in organization should also understand the different in culture, language, trade union of the environment in which the business operate. There is need to improve motivation in order to achieve goals and objective of the organization.In international resource management, different culture sees and perceive thing fervently, so there is need for organization to always try to improve their brand and image in other to attract new and retain old customers. International managers has different views when it comes to moral principle, also hiring of good manager is advice. This principle should be inculcate into the workforce and strive ethically for increase and put more focus on the organizational corporate level strategies. The organization should be able to fish out bad eggs in workplaces, it is normally said a journey of hundred miles begins with a step.

Human Resources And Organizational Development - 1046 Words

Human Resources and Organizational Development Employee Empowerment Working together may be crucial since the individual functions of these two departments are not the same. The most important function of Organizational Development is to align the mission, values, and culture of the entire organization to create partnerships between employees and management. Their emphasis is on connecting the employees and departments to work as a team by instilling the company’s main beliefs. Many employers feel employee development should be the full responsibility of Organizational Development because of their specialized skills and training in talent management. They feel this strategy should not be HR’s responsibility because Human Resources main†¦show more content†¦Increasing employee satisfaction can be as easy as changing the culture to empowerment in the workplace which begins with communication, encouraging feedback and giving team members the ability to make more decisions. This approach will have a direct relationship between empl oyee satisfaction and overall performance. As the team member’s performance improves so does the individual’s confidence and commitment to the company. That confidence in empowered employees can also be andisadvantage for organizations. Leaders have concerns of increased arrogance in individuals because encouraging employee empowerment creates a sense of overconfidence in team members. They are making important decisions without supervision and taking more risks. Although this is all a part of the empowerment principles, taking risks can be successful and they can also be failures. â€Å"Employee empowerment requires a strong and lasting commitment from an organization’s management† (p. 2) and that may require changing the culture or management style of the organization (Emerson, 2012). Many older and long-term team members are also resistant to learning new things or accepting changes but in order to make this change a success, it will take the entire o rganization’s commitment. But these programs will only succeed if the team member is motivated and has a desire for professional growth. The reality is that many employees areShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Human Resource And Organizational Development1285 Words   |  6 Pagessmaller companies that didn’t have a performance management process. My positions included aspects of human resource and organizational development, but focused many on communications and marketing. Over time, I wore many hats, including recruiting, payroll, and benefits. It was many years before I even gained an awareness that companies had formal performance management and employee development processes. 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