Customer Service Review Questions Essay

What are some innate qualities or characteristics that make people unique? Innate qualities are qualities and characteristics that one is born with and has within them. Some innate qualities that make people unique are race, ethnicity, gender, height, natural hair color, and birth order. What external or societal factors affect the way members of a group are seen or perceived? Some external factors that affect the way members are seen the way they dress, talk, act, which religion they support, and how they communicate and treat people. What are values? Values are long-term appraisals of the worth of an idea, person, place, thing or practice held by individuals, groups or cultures. They affect attitudes and behavior. Do beliefs differ from values? Explain. Beliefs are convictions arising from repetitive experience showing some logical consistency. When beliefs get stronger, they from into principles and philosophies called values. So things start out as beliefs and turn into values that are held onto and passed down Why would some people be reluctant to make eye contact with you? There could be a number of reasons why one wouldn’t make eye contact with you. It could be a culteral thing, where it is considered rude to look people in the eye. It could be that they are nervous or shy and feel awkward making eye contact. Or the nonverbal cues that you’re giving off may have them a bit scared or too intimidated to approach you. When dealing with customers with a disability, how can you best help them? When dealing with customers with disabilities, the most important thing is to treat them equally as you would with any other customer that walks through the door. Be prepared and informed, be careful not to patronize, refer to the person and not the disability, offer assistance but do not rush to help without them asking, and lastly, be respectful. How can recognition of the cultural value of â€Å"importance of family† be helpful in customer service? Recognizing the importance of family would be helpful in customer service because it shows the customer that relationships are important forming a trust relationship with your customers. Customers like to feel secure and trusted when dealing with anyone in customer service so they know that they are feeling heard. What are some considerations for improving communication in a diverse environment? The diverse nature of the customer population requires businesses to be aware of the various ways people from different cultures interact in the business setting. Being aware of all the different cultures prepares you for whoever walks through the door and needs help understanding certain things and communicating effectively. Avoid jokes, sarcasm, and have respect for the person. How can you effectively communicate with someone who has difficulty with the English language? The best way to communicate with people that struggle with the English language or any language that is foreign to them is to use general nonverbal communication, like smiling. Avoid slang and sarcasm, as well as jokes. Stick to basic general terms. What are some techniques for effectively providing service to older customers? Effective techniques for dealing with the elderly are being respectful, being patient, answering any questions they have, try not to sound patronizing or bossy, remaining professional and don’t let biases interfere with good service.

Social Phsycology

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY FINAL EXAMINATION (CH 12, 13, & 14) SPRING 2011 MULTIPLE CHOICE: 3 points each 1. An act performed voluntarily to help someone else when there is no expectation of receiving a reward is known as a. nurturance b. altruism c. pro-social behavior d. modeling 2. True altruism is defined by a. the circumstances surrounding the behavior b. the person's intentions c. the person himself or herself d. culture 3. Pro-social behavior is defined as a. any act that helps others, even if it is done to make yourself look good b. a voluntary act to help others with no thought of reward . helping that serves to perpetuate one's genes d. none of the above 4. Ethan volunteers to help with the local Special Olympics in order to build up his resume for job hunting.His behavior would best be described as a. prosocial behavior b. altruism c. reactance d. reciprocity 5. Researchers have found that we are most likely to be helpful to a. anyone who asks b. strangers c. friends d. all of the above 6. Which of the following is NOT one of the theoretical perspectives on helping described in the text? a. evolutionary psychology b. a learning approach c. a decision-making perspective . social impact theory 7. Evolutionary psychologists have observed that a. prosocial behavior is rare among non-human animals b. prosocial behavior is common among primates, but not in other animal species c. prosocial behavior is observed among animals only when a mother is protecting her young d. prosocial behavior is common among non-human animals8. Evolutionary theorists believe that altruism among animals and humans persists because a. helping provides the helper with emotional rewards b. helping increases survival value c. helping is rarely risky to the helper d. elping makes an individual appealing to potential sexual partners 9. The notion that any genetically determined trait that has a high survival value will tend to be passed on to the next generation is a cornerstone of a. evol utionary psychology b. genetic determinism c. learning theory d. the nature/nurture debate 10. Sociobiologist Robert Trivers has argued that only ________ is biologically based. a. prosocial behavior b. reactive altruism c. reciprocal altruism d. maternal altruism 11. Laws that require bystanders to an emergency to help a potential victim are based on a a. norm of reciprocity . norm of social justice c. norm of social responsibility d. diffusion of responsibility 12. Which country has the highest murder rate?a. Finland b. Great Britain c. Canada d. the United States 13. According to materials presented in your text, _____ percent of violent crimes are committed by strangers. a. 0. 6 b. 44 c. 56 d. 90 14. In explaining the origins of aggression, Freud focused on the concept of a. childhood learning b. pathological behavior c. instinct d. self-esteem 15. The definition of aggression as â€Å"any behavior that hurts others† would be the preferred definition of a. ognitive disson ance theorists b. exchange theorists c. social impact theorists d. learning theorists 16. One problem with a behaviorist definition of aggression is that does not take into account a. displacement b. learning history c. intentionsd. sanctioned aggression 17. An unprovoked criminal act that hurts others would be considered __________ aggression. a. prosocial b. sanctioned c. aggressive d. retaliation 18. You see a television news report featuring a policeman foiling a bank holdup by killing two of the robbers. This is a case of a. reactance b. sanctioned aggression . prosocial aggression d. frustration-aggression 19. You see a television news report featuring a shopkeeper who shot and killed a masked gunman who was trying to rob his store. This is a case of a. covert aggression b. prosocial aggression c. social exchange d. sanctioned aggression 20. One of the most common sources of ________ is an attack or intrusion by another person. a. frustration b. anger c. low self-esteem d. rea ctance 21. The interference with or blocking of the attainment of a goal is known as a. frustration b. normative blocking c. reactance d. anger 22.A child who sees an adult on television hitting another person and then hits his little brother is engaging in a. disinhibition b. dehumanization c. imitation d. aggression anxiety 23. The realization that health is a psychological as well as a physical issue has given rise to the field of a. epidemiology b. oncology c. psychological anthropology d. health psychology 24. The study of health psychology focuses on a. preventing and treating illnesses b. promoting and maintaining health c. improving the healthcare system d. all of the above 25. The _____ model says health is social, biological, and psychological. . psychosocial b. sociological c. sociobiological d. biopsychosocial 26. Annual cancer deaths in the United States could be reduced by _____ percent if everyone stopped smoking. a. 5-10 b. 25-30 C. 55-60 d. 85-90 27. Your text descr ibes disorders such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes as a. preventable b. epidemic c. political d. ecological 28. Deaths due to vehicular accidents could be reduced by _____ percent if drunk driving were eliminated. a. 5 b. 20 c. 50 d. 85 29. Which of the following is described by your text as â€Å"preventable? † a. diabetes b. Heart disease c. Cancer d. All of the above 30.Which of the following is classified by your text as a â€Å"health behavior? † a. being no more than ten percent overweight b. not eating between meals c. eating breakfast each day d. all of the above 31. The reason many people do not engage in health behaviors is a. they do not know the behaviors most associated with better health b. they have biological predispositions that encourage unhealthy behavior c. the consequences of health behaviors often do not appear for many years d. all of the above32. Which of the following is NOT a basic health belief, as identified in your text? a. general health values b. sychological reactance c. self-efficacy d. personal vulnerability T/F (1point each) 33. It is very rare for people to offer help to strangers. F 34. Freud is the person most associated with evolutionary approaches to helping. F 35. An uneven distribution of economic resources in a country is associated with higher murder rates. T 36. Most scientists agree that aggression is learned; it does not come from inherited tendencies. F 37. Health beliefs have not done a very good job of predicting most health behaviors. F 38. Adolescents who engage in risky sexual behaviors are unlikely to use condoms consistently. T

Barbican Centre Description and analysis of motivations behind the Essay

Barbican Centre Description and analysis of motivations behind the planning scheme - Essay Example Then, the effects of the site on the social and economic life of the local community should be identified, as possible. Also, the resources available for the realization of the particular planning scheme have to be taken into account. In current paper another aspect of urban planning schemes is explored: the motivations that can exist behind such schemes. Particular emphasis is given to the potential influence of modern and postmodern culture on the planning schemes developed within cities. The case of Barbican Centre in London is used as an example for checking the interaction between urban planning and culture. The literature developed in this field is reviewed aiming to show that urban planning is not independent from the cultural environment of modern cities. However, the level at which an urban planning scheme is affected by culture is not standardized; the practice followed in other urban planning schemes developed locally is commonly used as the basis for defining the cultural characteristics of urban planning schemes. In the case under examination the above finding is explained as follows: the designers of the Barbican Centre were based on cultural trends used in the high majority of similar buildings across UK. Of course, differences between Barbican Centre and other sites of similar use have not been avoided, a fact that it is related to the personal perceptions of its designers but also to the needs that the specific Centre has to cover. In addition, through the years, the alterations of certain of the Centre’s initial parts have been necessary under the influence of postmodern culture, an issue discussed analytically below. 2.0 Barbican Centre as a planning scheme reflecting modern and postmodern culture 2.1 Barbican Centre – Description and key characteristics The interaction between the Barbican Centre and the modern/ postmodern culture can be understood only by referring primarily to the key characteristics of Barbican Centre, meani ng especially its construction elements/ structure both in its initial phase, in 1982, and after its two refurbishments, in 2006 and in 2012. The Barbican Centre in the City of London can be characterized as an exceptional architectural work. The idea for the Centre’s establishment can be identified in 1955 but it was quite later, in 1982, that the Centre was finally completed;1 the Queen was invited to open the Barbican Centre in 1982, an invitation to which the Queen responded positively.2 At that time, the Barbican Centre was thought to be an exceptional work, not just in aesthetic terms but also in functional terms: the Centre included not only theatres and cinema but also ‘a library and a series of galleries’.3 Figure 1 – Photos of Barbican Centre, as in 1982 (E-architect 2013) The cost of Barbican Centre has been estimated to ?153m.4 In 2006 the refurbishment of the Centre was considered as necessary so that certain functional weaknesses of the Centr e to be addressed; the works done on the Centre in 2006 reached a cost of ?14m.5 Today, the Barbican Centre is the largest complex of buildings dedicated to art.6 The Centre is consisted of a series of buildings of different size; the London Symphony Orchestra is one of the most important buildings of Barbican Centre.7 The annual visitors of Barbican Centre are about 1.5million.8 An important characteristic of the construction process has been its duration.9 In fact, when the Centre was finally completed its main construction material, ‘the concrete hulk, had fallen out of fashion’.10 The access to the Centre is rather strange: ‘at street level the available connections are limited’.11 Instead, the Centre can be accessed easier by ‘

Migration of human beings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Migration of human beings - Essay Example International trade is another factor that is seen to be supporting globalization in the world today. When people from different parts of the world are involved in trade, they tend to have a relationship that will go beyond trade. With international trade, specialization of products is realized a country produces what it can best and then distribute it to the rest of the world. This kind of trade really facilitates globalization. Integration of financial market and rapid movement of capital on the other hand supports the concept of globalization. For the case of an international company, it brings about movement of capital and integration of financial market thereby facilitating globalization. In cost globalization divers it entails the factors of production differences in different areas, high product development in some areas, rapidly changing technology, global scale economies and sourcing efficiencies. In government globalization drivers, it entails common market regulations, unrestrictive trade and investment policies and compatible technical standard. When these factors are harmonized in the world, they facilitate globalization. Globalization effects are felt in different perspective depending with the impact it will have as a whole. Inflation effects are felt due to the globalization meaning the monetary policy is greatly affected.

Customer Relationship Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Customer Relationship Management - Essay Example CRM thus involves efficient handling at all stages. The role of the customer relationship manager begins even before the company purchases the software. The manager should be well conversant with the technology, the process, its benefits and application. This would enable him to derive the maximum benefit from the implementation of the CRM system. Merely knowing how to use the system and be able to generate information is again insufficient. Utilization of data is equally important or rather the most critical part of the system. Dissemination and analysis of information about the customer helps an organization to take effective steps in segmentation. This segmentation is valuable because the company knows where to lay its focus and how to maximize benefits. The customer relationship manager also has a role in empowering and keeping the key personnel motivated because it is the team work and cohesion that matters. The organizational environment is important for the success of the CRM system. Customer information helps to apportion the budgets when the key areas have been identified. Consistent flow of information has to be maintained from the point of origin to the point of action. The manager acts as the bridge between the IT and the marketing department and on him depends the success of the system. It is his responsibility to ensure that all operations with the organization are integrated and functional boundaries do not become barriers to implementation.

The Journal of Helene Berr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Journal of Helene Berr - Essay Example The book is a compilation of Berr’s diary that took every day of her life during the two years of Jews’ persecution. The book presents persecution of Jews in France during the Nazi era. It accounts for the great suffering of the French Jews during this era. The book shows how the Jews were snatched from the streets and their deportation, and others killings. The book elaborates on the treatment of the Jews during the World War Two. She began writing the diary in 1942 but, the publishing was 63 years after the death of Helene Berr. The author records all the humiliations that the Jews went through in the occupied Paris in the hands of the Nazis. Helene Berr entrusted the diary to the family cook who was to pass to Helene’s fiance.1 Helene Berr was a 21 year old Jew who was pursuing English literature at Sorbonne. She was from a rich Jewish family that was living in France. She lived with her family, which included her parents, elder sister and a domestic worker.2 She was intelligent, brave, loving and passionate about everything that she did and full of talent. There is well presentation of these traits in the book as it flows. During the peaceful times in France, Helene and her family had a decent life that the rich people could afford. Helene had a normal life and socialized with most people in the surrounding society even those who were not of her social class. This is shown by the life she was living by having friends from the school, amateur musicians, her family and how they went for holidays and her maternal grandmother.3 During this time, there were two parts of France; Paris and South France. South was the peaceful state when Paris was unsafe due to occupation of the Nazis. The occupation of the Nazis led to people escaping to the South including Helene’s younger brother Jacques. After the Nazis occupation, life of Helene and that of her family took a new turn in that they could not live in peace anymore. Her father was arres ted and deported. This is where her transformation sets in because she had to join Jewish supporters and relief agencies which were her fifth circle of her life. In these agencies, she became friendly to many people who were the front runners in protecting the French Jews. At the agencies, she helped in saving many lives of the Jews who were threatened by the Germans. They took care of the orphans whose parents were arrested and killed. The friendliness is well presented in the book, because of many friends she had in the English studies department, in Sorbonne. This show how humble she was even though she came from a rich French family of Jewish origin. The book also shows how Helene was caring; this is evident where she suppressed feelings towards her fiance who fled to the South so as to stay with the rest of the family and not to act in a cowardly manner. During this period, Helene took the orphans in an aid organization to nature walks and helped in running the headquarters. Th e act shows how brave she was to stay and identify with the suffering Jews. She was brave enough to put on a yellow star that was used to identify the Jews.4 She develops this change of mind to identify with fellow Jews who were facing persecution. This situation affected Berr’s family life as Helene’s father was arrested and deported. She even stopped schooling and the man she loved fled to the South; this made her lose the things she loved most; her fiance and her studies.5 Helene was a strong person because she survived and lived without the men she loved; her father and her fiance. Helene criticized the French Christians who ignored what was happening to the Jews.6 She advocated for socialism where all people were to be treated in the same manner no

Systems Feedback Loops for Deckers Outdoor Corporation Research Paper

Systems Feedback Loops for Deckers Outdoor Corporation - Research Paper Example   The two categories of feedback loops utilized at DOC are the balancing loops together with the reinforcing loops. Sources consider such loops as significant constituents of the thinking of Deckers outdoor corporation. Concisely, systems thinking to refer to ways in which different elements present in an organization interact with each other, therefore, culminating in their growth, or fall. The literature describes systems thinking as people, different structures, as well as inherent processes essential for the overall prosperity of an organization. The two of the roles identified in DOC execute various, divergent functions. For instance, balancing loops are endowed with the conscientiousness of enhancing an organization’s stability. Alternatively, a reinforcing loop performs the role of controlling the pace of growth of an organization (Burgoyne, Araujo & Easterby-Smith, 2000). At DOC, a suitable example of a reinforcing loop is notable after an appraisal of an employeeâ⠂¬â„¢s performance and the support they obtain from the management. It is notable that employees who have demonstrated excellence in their performances tend to acquire incalculable support from the management. The management directs such individuals by the provision of bonuses, additional training for skills development, as well as allocation of better assignments. As a result, the performance of such individuals continues to improve, and the company notes an addition of its profits. This is among the reasons for the sustained expansion of DOC to diverse locales. In a different scenario, the workforces’ performance may progressively slow down. Simultaneously, the management is unable to offer the much-needed support thus the decline. In such a case, the reinforcement loop applies. In the largest percentage of companies, the reinforcing loop cannot drive an organization towards attaining its stability, therefore, the necessity of looking into a different category known as the balancing loops (Burgoyne, Araujo & Easterby-Smith, 2000). The balancing loops As opposed to reinforcing loops that focus on the growth or decline of an organization, this loop aims at attaining a stated steady state, or an objective. An apt action is unavoidable when trying to move from a current state to the designated desired state. The DOC has enacted various strategies for purposes of devising apt techniques for enhancing its growth to other geographical locations across the globe. Therefore, it resorts into incorporating some balancing loops to aid in achieving its stated goals. At DOC, instances of this class of loops are numerous (Burgoyne, Araujo & Easterby-Smith, 2000). This is because DOC has many plans for bringing new products to the market, therefore, creating a balancing loop. The interaction occurring between the two states results into formation of the gap.  Ã‚  

Asda Stores - Internal communications Assignment

Asda Stores - Internal communications - Assignment Example It does this to build trust in the organization. Townley (1994) and Caruth et al. (1995) both emphasize on the importance of providing stakeholders and staff with enough information in order to avoid cases of mistrust and build staff morale. Benefits of transparent communication in an organisation It gives the staff a clear picture of picture of their tasks and the subsequent outcome. This in turn helps to build their morale and motivation to put more effort to their tasks. Transparent communication makes the staff feel part of the organization or have a sense of ownership. Asda has greatly tapped into this in ensuring that the colleagues feel like the owners of the store. Transparency in communication also ensures that in case of problems at work the manager or owner will be freely informed therefore avoid incidents that can easily be solved. The staff could also bring in their individual suggestions and ideas to foresee the success of the store. The store will therefore be able to enjoy a greater contribution of ideas. Distinction between internal and external communication is another strategy Asda uses in its communication as well as maintaining regular and frequent communication among the staff (Boxall 2003, p. 13). Media Used in Communication in the Organisation 1. Employee Branding Miles and Mangold (2004) define employee branding as the act by which employees of a particular organization internalize the organization’s trademark and project the same to customers and the entire public. Employee branding works well where the employees or colleagues as referred to by Asda willingly make an emotional connection with the store’s products by deciding to be part and parcel of all the store’s ventures. Successful employee branding leads to increase in number of customers and eventually increased sales and profits. Employees need to like a particular brand in order for them to effectively connect with it and decide to be branded using the same . Artain and Schumann (2006) came up with thirteen points that are important to note about employee branding. These are discussed below. The organization’s promise to its employees The organisation has to explain what is in store for the employees. For instance, the benefits could be accumulated by the decision of employees to be part of the organization. This will help the employees to be motivated to work for the organization. Business Strategy Employees must have complete information of the organizations plan of action. They must fully understand the goals, objectives and strategies that the company wishes to adopt. The organizations expectation from its employees is also critical to be known in advance for effective branding. Doing this will help the employees decide whether this is what they want to experience through their professional life (Enz & Siguaw 2000, p. 54). Customers Employees should know how the organization wants them to treat the customers. For example, ma nagers should take lead by example when it comes to treating customers with respect and high esteem. Employees’ tasks: The company should lay down in advance what is expected from the employees for example the mode of action, dressing, and working hours among others. The company should also invest in ensuring that employees fully understand what the brand is all about. Connection of what happens outside the organisation and what happens inside: The organisation must find a way to

Presentation Of The Greek Society Essay Example for Free

Presentation Of The Greek Society Essay One of the prolific poets that ever emerged from Greece is Homer. Not only was he known for his poetic exploits, his works are one of the works that gave an idea of what life was like in Ancient Greece. Early philosophers of the Ionian school found his work intriguing and His work was criticized by Thales. For the purpose of this essay, focus will be drawn on one of his works, Iliad. It is impossible to speak of Greek literature without considering Iliad. Iliad is not just a literary piece; it gives an account of the wars and conquests in Ancient Greece. It informs us about of the various doctrines held by the Greeks and how they conceive of a lot of things. The work is written in a prose form and is divided into Books from I to XXIV. As seen from Iliad, the ancient Greek society was characterized with conquests and battles. There is the innate desire of men to engage other nations in war. It shows the lust of men for power and their thirst for fame and glory. There was also the belief in gods and spirits. The Greeks are depicted as set of people who believes and explains everything that happens to the as an act of the gods. When good things happen, it is so because the gods are happy with you. Hoverer, when things are going out of hand, it is conceived that the gods are angry. The poem also depicts the ancient society as a society that lives of men were not regarded. There was no room for pity because if a man was considered to be a coward if he allows feelings of compassion. Men are motivated by a sense of duty to their nation and they fight for the case they believe in. these people fought, shed their blood and gave their lives for what they believe in. it was a time that was characterized with battles and for a man to be honored, you have to be a soldier or someone who has gone to battle.

Contemporary Use of Rhetoric Essay Example for Free

Contemporary Use of Rhetoric Essay Aristotle believed that rhetoric is an art that could, and should, be studied and that good rhetoric is not only persuasive but also ethical. I agree with Aristotle’s claim that good rhetoric is not only persuasive but it is ethical. Rhetoric is value neutral in that the principles of rhetoric are not necessarily moral or immoral; it is dependent on how they are utilized. I believe it is unethical when good rhetorical principles are used to persuade the ignorant or the unwary of things which are against their best interest and is used to force the beliefs of the hegemonic group of our society upon other less powerful cultural groups. While many believe public engagement in rhetoric has been geared towards establishing absolute truth applicable to the universal appeals of human nature, I believe the principles of rhetoric are used in this modern era unethically to perpetuate certain dominant ideologies in order to maintain social hierarchies. By analyzing modern media and applying the theories and discoveries of the scholars we have discussed throughout the quarter such as, Nietzsche, Habermas, and Fraser it is apparent how language is currently used unethically in attempt to rhetorically persuade the public. As we learned in class, â€Å"rhetoric is one of the oldest and most studied human arts in Western civilization. † The rhetorical tradition can be traced back to the Sophists who first taught rhetoric in the ancient Mediterranean world and were viewed as controversial figures because of it. The Sophists, and specifically Aristotle, laid the groundwork for modern public communication. The Sophists were the first to systematize rhetoric into a true art or discipline and believed that anyone could become a skilled rhetorician with proper teaching and practice. Aristotle was essentially the ‘father’ of rhetorical study and was the first person to systematize the study of rhetoric into a rational system of argument and presentation. He was the scholar that created the three genres (deliberative, epideictic, forensic) and appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) of rhetoric and many of his ideas still remain extremely relevant today, nearly 2,500 years since his lifetime. Aristotle’s ideas are still considered and applied to many forms of contemporary rhetoric. However, although the Greek rhetorical tradition and Aristotle’s beliefs helped shape and define rhetoric and are grounded in its foundations, it has evolved greatly over the centuries and is now used in unethical manners. As we learned in class, although rhetorical tradition viewed rhetoric as an instrument, persuasion, rational, and public art that was a tool of cultural heroes, the contemporary era of rhetoric started focusing less on how to persuade and more on how public audiences are produced by rhetoric and language. Although I believe that the classical rhetoric as defined by the Greeks was accurate, informative, and ethical, I find that the contemporary beliefs of rhetoric are much more fitting in describing the current relation of rhetoric, public, and ethics. I agree that rhetoric is in fact constitutive rather than instrumental in that it constitutes our social world and creates identities within it. In the contemporary era rhetorical theory became less about how to produce good rhetoric and how to use rhetoric as an effective instrument as the Greeks were concerned with, and instead focuses more on how we are affected by rhetoric and how it constructs and reiterates certain cultural ideologies. This is extremely important to consider when examining how rhetoric is used currently in the media to produce persuasive messages to the public. A major theme of rhetoric in the 20th and 21st centuries is that â€Å"language doesn’t just describe reality. It helps create it and the way we talk about things has real material effects. † This is clear through rhetorical devices such as using language to describe â€Å"communism as cancer. † Not everyone defines communism as a negative concept- yet in our society we use language to compare it to cancer. By doing this our culture learns to associate communism with a terrible and tragic disease that there is no cure for. The rhetorical language used gives the term power and teaches the audience to associate the concept with illness and death- giving communism negative connotations. However, those in other countries that utilize communism are probably exposed by their media and government to language that teaches the audience to associate communism as a constructive and positive concept that is beneficial. This demonstrates the concept that Nietzsche introduced that language is power. As discussed in class Nietzschean influence introduced he theme that language cannot be separated from its poetic or metaphorical function and that rhetoric is inextricably linked to power. I agree with this concept and think it is important to analyze rhetoric in such a way when considering how rhetorical devices are employed currently in attempts to persuade the public and normalize certain ideologies through our media and pop culture. I believe it is imperative we consider the first persona or who the rhetors are, the historical context that shape rhetorical texts, and the messages they attempt to produce. Who has the authority to speak is extremely important to consider as one is exposed to messages of pop culture. In our society the dominant group is white, heterosexual men. When considering the statistics of who controls our media and pop culture it is overwhelmingly controlled by men included in this hegemonic group. By critically considering the messages constantly reinforced and presented by the media we can see how history has shaped the way media is written and the rhetoric that enables the perpetuation of binaries that divide our society in everyday life. Pop culture and media is driven, run and written by men, for men, and it is in their best interest to promote messages that maintain their place at the top of the hegemonic social hierarchy- demonstrating how the language they choose to use is power for them. The means of promoting messages through rhetorical devices that keep the dominant groups in power are what I consider to be unethical. The public sphere in theory is a positive concept that promotes democracy and equality by providing everyone with the opportunity to be heard and express their opinion. However, one major threat to the public sphere is the commercialization of the media. Media in our culture has become overwhelmingly commercialized which is a major reason I find current rhetorical practices unethical. Media is owned by different corporations that are overwhelmingly controlled by men so they can use their power to influence the messages presented in reporting’s and edge out alternative views and voices. The hegemonic group that controls the media can promote the messages they want to see that are in their best interest. This is apparent when we watch stations such as NBC that are ran by General Electrics. While watching, you can see the constant promotion of GE products everywhere in their broadcasting. Commercialization allows an unethical bias in rhetorical practices and does not allow for equal expressions of opinion or promotion. Instead it is the companies that have power that can promote their products and stay in power, which is an unethical use of rhetoric in that it is not equally accessible by everyone as it should be. The same bias that is apparent in rhetorical product promotion due to commercialization is also used to promote the values of the dominant group in control of the media. In accordance with Fraser’s critique of the public sphere, the public sphere excludes many groups because democracy is more complicated than Habermas accounted for. Access is essential and not everyone has equal access to the public sphere, which is overwhelmingly apparent when considering how minority groups are overtly portrayed in the media . The hegemonic group in control of media messages uses rhetorical devices to present persuasive messages about the other less dominant groups. For example through rhetoric, election coverage tends to portray political issues in a manner that reinforces sexuality, gender, and racial hierarchies in order to protect the privileged positions of those on the dominant side of our culture’s binaries. For example, specifically media rhetorically portrays women as emotional, uninformed, and thoroughly objectifies them. Media focuses on the way a female politician looks and acts rather than her merits or political stances and there is little to no similar coverage of men (the dominant group that has control over the public sphere) in this same way. Rhetorical tactics used to effectively do this include saying a woman â€Å"complained† while saying a man â€Å"stated. † This effectively makes women seem emotional, while men seem stronger. Another common tactic is labeling a female politician â€Å"Mrs. † instead of addressing her by her title such as â€Å"senator. By refusing to label a woman by her position the newspapers are unethically and effectively diminishing her importance and are presenting a rhetorical message about females in our culture. By focusing on a woman’s appearance, media unethically uses rhetoric to put the emphasis on female’s looks rather than policies which make them seem less powerful than men and this is reflected in our daily lives- demo nstrating how rhetoric can be used to create identities and normalizes beliefs while making them appear to be common sense. This concept is also apparent in the unethical representation of racial minorities in our media through rhetoric. For instance, when quoting a person of color the media will sometimes use tactics such as writing with poor grammar. To better explain, they may use the spelling â€Å"cuz† instead of correcting the spelling to â€Å"‘cause† or â€Å"because† to paint a picture that the minority group is ineloquent and uneducated in order to promote unethical messages that reconfirm the power of the dominant group that currently controls our media. Often this unethical use of rhetorical normalization is overlooked and goes unnoticed. This ostracizes anyone who does not fit clearly into the accepted categories by delegitimizing values and beliefs that are not in accordance with our cultures hegemonic ideologies. These concepts relate to Nietzsche’s concept that by abstracting, language tends to do away with differences and abolishes specificity by assuming sameness where there is none. Our society is composed of many unique individuals but the rhetorical language that is constantly presented to us does not account for differences and is responsible for creating binaries in our culture. Not everything is as simple as black and white and there are many shades of grey that need to be considered and accounted for, yet we assume these black and white binaries are common sense and that individuals can easily be grouped into common categories. This is why society views controversial issues such as racism and sexism the way it does- because those stereotypes or ideological norms have been so frequently mentioned throughout history and our culture that we accept them as common sense and feel no need for action to challenge and change these beliefs. As Nietzsche described there is no truth, truth is only to lie with the herd. To me, this theory can be applied to hegemonic ideologies. Our media promotes sameness in our culture where there is none making it seem like â€Å"common sense† and not accounting for the fact that our society is comprised of unique individuals. Social ideologies are constructed by society and are in no way innate. We are constantly exposed to these constructions from the moment we are born without even being aware. For instance, simple acts such as dressing girls in pink and boys in blue assume sameness about gender preferences where there is none. There is nothing predetermined that says boys cannot like pink yet our culture creates this assumption. Our pop culture, such as Disney reiterates these messages of â€Å"sameness† and â€Å"norms† as well by rhetorically promoting patriarchal ideologies that teach girls their goal in life should be to get married and depend on a man, since that is what the heroin characters of their stories all ultimately do. We are so often constantly exposed to these messages overtly that we start to view them as common sense and normalize them but the majority’s way is not the ONLY way there is to view the important issues of our society; we just tend to see things in accordance with the norms of the â€Å"herd† that are constantly reinforced. That is why I comply with postmodernist views that there is no truth- because everyone has a different idea of â€Å"truth† and we should not accept the version that is unethically reiterated in society and normalized through the media. In conclusion, it is extremely difficult to define rhetoric. Having been in existence for over three thousand years, one cannot hold rhetoric in the same light, as it is constantly shifting and evolving over time. We use rhetoric to help us explain things and mobilize action. Recognizing that rhetoric is a necessarily public deployment of discourse shows the crucial distinction between rhetoric and all other forms of language, which is the fact that rhetoric is utilized specifically to motivate action on the part of an audience. Rhetoric is a very useful and powerful tool that artfully can be used to persuade audiences. However, in my opinion it is currently used unethically in our society to push the beliefs of the hegemonic group in order to keep social hierarchies in place and make them appear as a normal â€Å"truth. † There are many opinions that are often not represented in our society through the language portrayed in our media. Rhetorical devices are used unethically to push what is presented to us as â€Å"common sense† or â€Å"truth† but true equality and equal representation can only exist when it’s reflected in the language of our media. This is why invitational rhetoric is an important concept to consider rather than rhetoric as merely a form of persuasion. In order to act as ethical rhetors in a world without universal truths we must acknowledge all cultural groups and beliefs in our use of rhetoric presented to the public and not just the dominant values of society. Rhetoric should be a tool used to promote democracy and equal representation of opinions instead of used unethically to hinder such attempts by reiterating and normalizing the hegemonic values of our culture.

Feminist Art Movement: Overview and Analysis

Feminist Art Movement: Overview and Analysis The feminist art movement that officially began in the 1960s- refers to the efforts and accomplishments of feminists who made art reflecting womens lives and experiences. In doing so, it brought more visibility to female artists, and was a very influential political statement in itself. It was a movement that consisted of various artists and general public alike, who all fought for the same things, equality, womens liberation and womens rights. Artists that made more than their fair share of political statements through their art were the likes Ghada Amer and Barbara Kruger. The issues that they addressed were ideologies commonly held in society, and were issues that they intended to change. In this case, the challenging task that the artists dealt with in the following works, is the issue of equality between males and females, through examining the issue of the predominant male gaze -acknowledged all throughout Feminist art history. In La Jaune, 1999, Ghada Amer addresses the idea of the male gaze, and the representation of the female identity. With We Wont Play Nature to Your Culture, 1983, Barbara Kruger uses direct address exploring the gendering way of looking, and focusing on the predominant male gaze and works to favor the female gaze. Most Feminist Political theory, in contrast, sees women and their situation as central to political analysis; it asks why it is that in virtually all known societies men appear to have more power and privilege than women, and how this can be changed. The issues that feminist artists fight for have been around for many centuries, but only up until the 1960s had it truly been acknowledged. Although during the years 1850 to 1914 had the first official wave of feminism occurred, the feminist movement gave way to several woman activists part taking in the political actions performed by all female organizations scanning across the globe, that also gave way to the three -then- newly founded, very influential groups of woman who protested and demanded there be equality between men and woman in all aspects of life. First to be acknowledged are the Suffragettes, who triggered off other woman movements campaigning for womens suffrage, namely the National Union of Womans Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), and from the rights movement in 1848, the Womans Social and Political Union (WSPU), (McQuiston, 1997, p. 18). These political groups utilize manual mass production of political posters in order to spread their messages, and like the discussed work s of Amer and Kruger, their artworks addressed the gendering way of looking, (King, 1992, p. 135). In saying that, these are works of the two artists that are primarily concerned with patriarchy in the viewing of their artworks to do with the representation of the female identity, and what they can do to change this gendering way of looking. It wasnt until the social revolution of the 1960s occurred, and within it the second wave of feminism, that woman themselves once again used communication media and other innovative formats to produce their own visual and verbal messages for womens liberation. (McQuiston, 1997, p. 19) Barbara Kruger is one of the more acknowledged female artists that do this; use visual, and verbal messages to communicate their ideas. All throughout the three waves of feminism, the male gaze has remained a dominant universal issue, intensifying through out the years through that of bold statements made by artists like Barbara Kruger herself. The concept of the gendering way of looking became a visual construct through the way the male visual ideology treats woman as an object of art to secure the artist as primarily male (King, 1992, p. 135). Whilst some feminists have argued to be included in malestream ideologies, many have also long argued that women are in important respects both different from and superior to men, and that the problem they face is not discrimination or capitalism but male power. (Bryson, 2003, p. 3) Through the artwork, We Wont Play Nature to your Culture, 1983, Barbara Kruger directly approaches the concept of the dominant male power and redirects this power to favor the female audience. She communicates her belief in refuting the idea of men being the producer of culture, and women merely being a product of nature. This is exactly what the visually imagery and text in this work demands, and her direct approach in attempting to do so will let us assume that Jacques Ranciere would agree -that Krugers use of text would be effective in this situation- as he once stated: One must recognize that the first tool used to subjugate another is also the first great equalizer: Language. (Chan, 2007, p. 260). Put simply, Krugers approach to reach equality in the gendering way of looking has placed both male and female viewers in a place of lesser patriarchy, but further favors the female gaze through her bold statement We -meaning women- Wont Play Nature to your Culture. The fact that [m]en still [had] greater power to look (Allen, 1992, p.5), had Kruger responding with We Wont Play Nature to your Culture, directly addressing the female audience, instilling the female point of view with more validation in comparison to that of the male gaze. This then shows the attempt that Kruger is making to change the concept of the gendering way of looking, and instead of catering to male gaze, she indirectly does this, but in favor of that of the female gaze, thus giving females the dominance in spectatorship. [] It has an immediate, emotional impact. It can be interpreted as holding a complex comment on the place of scenario and representation in male-female relations under patriarchy. She builds on the feminist analysis of representation as political [] (Mulvey, 2009, p. 134). In saying that, Krugers use of the female figure in this work embodies very strong political statements, as stated by Catherine King -in other words, but to the same effect-, where although Kruger is directly addressing the male audience, in We Wont Play Nature to your Culture, she has in turn privileged the female audience and given them primacy of spectatorship, whom presumably share the same views as the artist herself (King, 1992, p. 187). Therefore, directly approaching the concept of patriarchy, and reverses its place in the viewing of this work. In doing so, also addresses the way in which male representations of women, to stand for nature; take away womens ability to see in their own right. [This image reverses] the advertising tricks used in designs [that are aimed at the female] consumer. and as a result, now favors the female gaze (King, 1992, p. 187). One of womens greatest instruments for visual shock has been the female body itself, assigned political status for the first time by the Womens Liberation Movement in the 1960s. As the female body had been so often stigmatized, exploited in the misogyny, women suddenly took a firm stand and began to use their bodies to make political statements. (McQuiston, 1997, p. 14) Although she wasnt a feminist artist so to speak, Ghada Amers work, La Jaune, 1999, speaks loudly to the ideologies that feminist artists held, namely the concept of addressing the male gaze. Through this work, she works to communicate, and challenges us to rethink the way in which women are represented in society. Amer asks us to rethink the issue of presenting female sexuality in the media by focusing on a cultural aspect of the Western world -extracting pornographic imagery from sex industry magazines and representing them in copied and traced images (Aurricchio, 2001, p. 27). By doing this, Amer directly addresses the idea of the male gaze through presenting women as sexual objects, as [m]en still [had] greater power to look (Allen, 1992, p.5). The 1990s have witnessed an ongoing battle against oppressive representations of women in the media, as well as new examples of women using their bodies to create their own power-messages for political causes. (McQuiston, 1997, p. 172) In response to the degradation of the representation of females as sexual objects, Amer is concerned with this being an issue in dire need of recovery. The idea that women, and the images of women, are constructed in order to be looked at by men -and was constructed with theories in art history, especially those about the female nude- was an idea that Amer sought to change (Allen, 1992, p. 4). So in saying that, Amers work is a direct attempt at making women prime viewers, and make it impossible for the dominant ideologies -such as the male gaze- of feminism to recuperate. [] figures are repeated [of a female in a provocatively arousing position as if to show that a] typically female pastime was literally playing with itself. An endless chain of masturbating women, veiled by a mass of cotton as if attempting to evade the viewers voyeuristic gaze. (Grosenick, 2001, p.30) Amers work slowly manifests itself and comes into being when you as the viewer come to the realization that the art works is not just tangled colored cotton, but that youre staring at a painting of embroidered provocative female figures. It comes in and out of being as its cotton veil brings our perspectives as the audience, in and out of focus, acknowledging the expertise of the maker in the application of the materials evident in the work, then to acknowledge the imagery. Thus, instead of submitting to the male gaze, our attention as the viewer is redirected and aimed at acknowledging the making of the work itself and the craftsmanship of the artist. Amers approach to the idea of reclaiming female pleasure- and in turn, intending to change the idea of the predominant male gaze- prevents the viewer from subjecting to the common ideologies that this work was intended to change, the ideology that [w]omen are suppose to make themselves passively receptive, and men are supposed to seek out their pleasures. (King, 1992, p. 136). The idea of reclaiming female pleasure embeds itself in La Jaune, and the two levels on which Amer interprets pleasure help to convey this concept. As seen evident in the work is the physical pleasure, which is made to appeal to the male gaze, and reclaiming the feminine activity of sewing through the embroidery also evident in La Jaune. Although the representation of the female figure is displayed as an erotic object of desire (Grosenick, 2001, p.35), the veil of cotton that partially hides the imagery helps to guide the viewers attention evade the concept of sexuality and the work becomes a purely busy, colourful painting. Politically speaking, the works by these two very different influential female artists speak to the universally held ideology of the predominant gendering way of looking, addressing the concept of the male gaze through the representation of the female identity. The concept of giving female perspective dominance over that of the male gaze is the main objective of the selected works that have been discussed in this essay. Through Ghada Amers, La Jaune, 1999, she reclaimed the idea of female pleasure, acknowledged the male gaze and commented on the degradation of the female identity through her attempt to recover it. Barbara Kruger, We Wont Play Nature to Your Culture, 1983, did what all feminists tried to accomplish, she created art that directly addressed the issue of the gendering way of looking, and gave privilege to the female gaze above the validation of the predominant male gaze.

Morals of The Milagro Beanfield War :: Milagro Beanfield War Essays

Morals of The Milagro Beanfield War The Milagro Beanfield War, written by John Nichols, demonstrates several themes on life. They range from the interactions of the rich and the poor to the hot arid farming climate in New Mexico. All of which have significant importances in this famous novel. Perhaps the most important theme that is represented in this novel is the idea that people should do what is wright no matter the consequences. People are constantly faced with the choice of right and wrong. What they choose not only effects themselves, but everyone else involved. That is why being true to yourself is being true to everyone. "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? Yet if I am for myself only, what am I?"(p. 1). This theme carries the plot throughout the book. Milagro is a small agricultural town located in the hot arid state of New Mexico. Joe Mondragon, a man of his mid 30's, provided for his wife and two kids. He was a farmer, but a farmer with no fields. During the 1935 Interstate Water Compact, much of the water was transferred to big-time farmer's fields, like Ladd Devine. This would not have been a problem except for the fact that Joe's field was located on the west side of Milagro and all of the water flowed to the southeast side. All of the people of Milagro were unhappy about this change, but no one would say or do anything that would oppose the Devines. One day, Joe had had enough and tapped into the water supply. He knew that watering his father's field would cause problems, but he didn't care. Day after day Joe worked in his fields, preparing them for harvest. People from all the town gathered each day to watch Joe work. While Joe worked on his fields, the Devines worked on a plan to get rid of him. They did not like the idea that Joe Mondragon, a simple farmer, had not conformed to their ways. The Devines involved several various people in order to get rid of Joe, but all of these people could not stop Joe from obeying his morals. Bernabe Montoya, the Milagro town sheriff, and Sheriff Kyril Montana, a government officer, were assigned the duty of arresting Joe. They worked hard and diligently to arrest him, but time after time, they failed.

Reading :: essays research papers

For as long as I can remember, I've loved to read: short stories, fiction, nonfiction sometimes, even philosophy if nothing else were available. This term I've been given more reading assignments than I can ever remember having to deal with. This term has been extra special because we studied no less than three types of literature: short stories, poetry, and drama. While I was in high school, a short story was a book with less than three hundred pages. This term I learned that even though a short story may be only a few pages long, there are chapters of interpretation, ambiguity, and symbolism to understand. In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, I found a story teeming with so much symbolism that I had to read the story twice before I understood half of it. In "Araby" by James Joyce, I learned to look deeper than just the surface of the original wording to find new meanings to the story. Poetry, on the other hand, has been like a curse to me. I felt as if I were out of my depth when forced to read it. I could read the words, but comprehension was beyond me. Then, just last week I discovered poetry is indeed a foreign language. "I've always picked up languages easily," I thought. I then knew that all I had to do was translate the dead language of poetry into terms I could understand, then, with a blinding flash, comprehension dawned. E.E. Cummings is really just a dirty old man. Carlos Williams is a political activist, and Dylan Thomas is incredibly grief stricken about the loss of some loved one. The emotions of the poems were almost too overwhelming to deal with. Once I was told that as we evolve, so to does our language. I thought my teacher had been in the sun too long when she told me that. But when I started reading works by William Shakespear, I found just how right she was. The writings of Shakespear also have the added benefit of being like poetry. For me drama is tedious, boring, and too hard to keep track of.

Recollecting Childhood Memories

I went through my childhood with more happy memories than sad ones. Unfortunately, the dramatic and sad experiences stand out more in my memory bank. However among my childhood  memories  I remember a certain experience. back in my native place when I was a child of about six years age. My dad had promised me that if I finish my homework early for the day, he would take me to the exhibition. Back at that time exhibitions were rare in our city, and it only happened once or twice in a year.So, I was really excited and pumped up to go. After I did all of my work, I waited patiently for my dad to come home from work. Minutes felt like hours and finally he arrived from work. By seeing the excitement in my face, he knew that I have done everything that he wanted me to do. My dad kept his word and took me to the exhibition. Because our city was pretty small, exhibition was a huge event for the people of our city.People from near and outside of the city come here to enjoy and have a grea t time. It was my first time to the naval exhibition or rather to any exhibition and I was really happy that my parents were with me. At that time, there was a large crowd at the place. Even though the exhibition happens only once or twice, I never expected such a large gathering. I being a six year old had never seen such a large gathering at one place. In fact before getting into the exhibition my dad said to me, I love you.

Advantages of Verbal communication Essay

Verbal communication- The sharing of information between individuals by using speech. Individuals working within a business need to effectively use verbal communication that employs readily understood spoken words, as well as ensuring that the enunciation, stress and tone of voice with which the words are expressed is appropriate. Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/verbal-communication.html#ixzz2PT6EzJTZ We all communicate on a daily basis either with others or ourselves. Verbal communication is one approach for individuals to communicate in a straight forward manner. There are multiple basic components of verbal communication such as audio, words, dialog, and language. Whatever technique of interaction is used, written, body language, or verbal, each is considered a form of communication and is needed for us to communicate. In order to be a success in the world we live in today, possessing clear communication skills are essential for an individual to have strong comprehension skills and an aptitude for communicating effectively. Lacking these, abilities can be a great setback and may create concerns contingent given the situation. When communicating verbally, one of the most essential things not to forget it that our voice itself can communicate more about us than our actual message. Some superlative mechanisms exist while engaged in verbal communication, which are sound, language, and vocalizations. Throughout dialogues we often attempt to exclude any likely chance of misunderstanding and instead be specific and to the point. However, many times that is quite arduous to those who are not as skilled in communication as others are. Mostly, we hope and presume that the message we conveyed has been fully accepted by our speaking audience, since to us the information being transmitted may be important and so we assume that this information is be seen as important to those who receives it. While words only account for approximately 7% of the meaning people ascribe to your communication, tone of voice accounts for 38% of the m eaning. So, it’s obvious that to be a successful communicator, you need to be aware of your verbal cues and clues (e.g., everything from words to sighs, moans, grunts). Inflection refers to ups and downs in talking. Inflection helps you signal to your partner what’s important and may even indicate your emotional state (especially combined with volume and pitch). Volume indicates the degree of loudness to your voice. Again, volume can indicate your energetic involvement with a topic and gives your spouse clues about your temperament and mood. Pacing deals with your rate of speech or the speed of your talking. Matching your rate of speech and your intensity to that of your partner creates rapport and connection. Word choice of course means what words you use to convey your message. Though words may have specific definitions, our lifetime of experience with a word means that our meaning for the word and someone else’s meaning might be quite different. Silence refers to those gaps in our conversations. (Though silence is â€Å"non-verbal† it’s the absence of verbal communication, that’s why I’ve included it in this list.) Allow room for your partner to absorb what you’ve said and give yourself the space to take in what he/she is communicating to you. Advantages: Some of the advantages of the oral communication are: 1. Its easy and simple and saves a lot of money because oral communication is the less expensive way to communicate with each other. 2. It allows feedback on the spot so if the receiver is not 100 percent sure what the message meant, then that feedback will be answered right away. 3. Because the message is instantly, it helps in avoiding time wasted. 4. It brings personal warmth and friendliness and develops a sense of bonding because of these contact between the people. Disadvantages: Some of the disadvantages of the oral communication are: 1. There is no instant feedback between the messenger and the receiver and that the messages could be misunderstood. 2.Long and wordy type of communication cannot be as effectively as verbal messages. 3.The receiver might understand the message differently. 4. responses on the spot might not be carefully thought of. 5. More or less or a different meaning might be conveyed by manner of speaking,tone of voice and facial expressions. Verbal communication refers to the use of sounds and language to relay a message. It serves as a vehicle for expressing desires, ideas and concepts and is vital to the processes of learning and teaching. In combination with nonverbal forms of communication, verbal communication acts as the primary tool for expression between two or more people. Types Interpersonal communication and public speaking are the two basic types of verbal communication. Whereas public speaking involves one or more people delivering a message to a group, interpersonal communication generally refers to a two-way exchange that involves both talking and listening. According to Robert M. Krauss, professor of psychology at Columbia University, signs and symbols are the major signals that make up verbal communication. Words act as symbols, and signs are secondary products of the

Death of a Salesman Essay AP English III

Death of a Salesman Essay Wily Loan is a symbolic icon of the failing America. He is representing a typical chaser of the American dream in the sass's. He experiences a tragedy in his life where he was trying to find his place in his own life with his sons leaving, growing old, and an escalating sense of stubbornness. Wily was Just one of many Americans that experienced a great tragedy during this time which was a reason that led up to the great depression in 1929. This makes a symbolic icon of the failing America during this time.Wily Loan had a life most people admired while his sons were still in high school. He had a Job and was very happy at that time. His son Biff was the high school quarterback and was very good at his position. This made Wily extremely proud and hoped he would see his son go off to play football at the college level. He was very content with his life at this point and this symbolizes the booming American economy before the Great Depression. Wily soon got too caught up in the idea of the American Dream, to be hard working and honest among other things.He soon began to get greedy in the idea of the American Dream along with other things that went wrong. His pride soon escalated and prevailed in the worst way. Biff reveals to Wily that he has failed his senior math class and will not have enough credits to graduate high school. This incident highlights and really reveals Willis stubbornness for he Just thinks Biff could just go to summer school and get the credits he needed to graduate. It was not that simple as Wily soon learned. Biff then tells his father he is going to go to an interview or an important high paying Job and Wily is very excited for him to get the Job.Biff ends up not going to the interview because he felt he was not able to get the Job. As he tries to tell his father what happened, Willis stubbornness again shows as he would not even let Biff explain what had happened. Wily keeps talking and interrupting his son saying t hings as if he got the Job. This causes very high tension between the two and leads to a huge argument at the end of the play that indirectly leads to Wily killing himself. Another incident that escalates to the tragedy that occurs in the play is when Biff catches Wily cheating on his wife.Biff is heartbroken, in shock, and angry all at once and leaves the scene leaving Wily questioning what has become of him and started to realize his life was not what it used to be, but his stubbornness still prevailed. At the end of the play the whole family meets together at their house. A significant argument breaks out mostly between Biff and Wily about how stubborn and blind he really is. Wily ends up telling Biff to get out of his house and Biff says he never wants to come back. The argument was the deciding factor hat led up to Wily getting in his car and killing himself.In the end, Willis stubbornness and pride led to things such as the arguments between him and Biff, him getting fired and refusing to take another Job out of pride, and lack of realization that he was slowly setting the stage for his own demise. Wily was Just another lower middle class American stuck in the idea of the American Dream. Along with many other Americans during the time, he symbolized the failing America of the Great Depression of the sass's and even the digressing American economy of today.

Discuss the theme of the Dream in the book Of Mice and Men Essay

None of the people on the ranch have freedom, and freedom was what George and Lennie wanted. Crooks, Candy and Lennie are victims, Crooks because of his back, where a horse had kicked him, Candy because of his hand, which he lost on the ranch, although he got two hundred and fifty bucks in compensation and Lennie is a victim because of his lack of knowledge. The main dream in the book â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is George and Lennie’s dream. Their dream is to have their own land where they will grow whatever they like, and to have a variety of animals, and Lennie will get to look after the rabbits, if he behaves well. The rabbits are all he talks and thinks about – the perfect land and the rabbits that he will look after if he behaves himself. â€Å"Don’t you think of nothing but rabbits?† The land will be ten acres, have a windmill, a little shack and chicken run. It will have a kitchen and plenty of food and water. They will build a smoke house where they will smoke the bacon, the ham, and the sausages. They’ll kill a pig or rabbit each Sunday. They’ll can fruits. They’ll also sell eggs and milk. They want to be answerable to nobody, to have freedom and be independent. Also, like Lennie says with a lot of enthusiasm, â€Å"An` live off the fatta the lan`† This is a dream that George believes will not come true, (but he continues as though the dream will come true to lure Lennie to behave himself.) because they don’t have the money and Lennie is always getting in some sort of trouble and then, they have to run away. He doesn’t mean to do any harm. â€Å"All the time he done bad things but he never done one of ’em mean† Soon Candy gets to know about their dream, and this is the only part of the book where it seems that the dream is only around the corner. With Candy’s three hundred and fifty bucks and George’s and Lennie’s fifty bucks each coming at the end of the month, which makes a total of four hundred and fifty bucks, George says he could swing the owners for that as the lady needs an operation. George has a dream of his own which is a life without Lennie. If he didn’t have Lennie with him all the time, â€Å"When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts. I never get no peace.† If he also didn’t have Lennie ‘on his tail’ all the time, he could maybe even have a girl. This dream does come true at the end, but George had to kill Lennie or otherwise Curley would have come and killed Lennie himself. George learnt from Candy’s mistake of letting someone else kill his dog, so he killed Lennie himself making sure that the gunshot would not give Lennie any pain. Lennie’s life is ended, also with the dream as Lennie and George are talking about the dream – until Lennie is killed like an animal. Candy’s dream was to be happy. The only time he was really happy was when he was a child. Candy has no other relatives, so he thought he’d be happy living with George and Lennie. Candy is heartbroken when he finds out that Lennie has killed Curley’s wife. Candy knows that their dream cannot come true now, because Lennie was part of the dream and now he is dead. Also, when Candy’s dog was shot, Candy covered his eyes with his arm. â€Å"Old Candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm.† And this was what he did when his dream was shattered. We do not know what happened to Candy or George after Lennie was killed, as the story ended there, so the death of Curley’s wife ended two dreams, but the death of Lennie made George’s second dream come true. Even though he didn’t like killing Lennie, he didn’t want to let someone else kill him. I suppose George thought it was the last straw – if he is killing unknowingly, he could kill again. They could not keep running from everything he did wrong. He would get caught one day, and be killed. Curley’s dream was to be big like Lennie and this is why Curley picked a fight with Lennie and he lost. He didn’t give Lennie a chance to show him that he was not against him, but straight away headed for Lennie and started asking him questions. George had told him not to speak, so he didn’t answer. Curley really got angry. George answered for him and he answered, ‘An’ you won’t let the big guy talk, is that it?’ He wants to be big and tall. He picks fights with anybody that is larger, in a way superior to him. He only has respect for Slim; we know this because he listened to Slim. â€Å"I think you got your han’ caught in a machine.† He knows what really happened. He didn’t want to get laughed at either, so he listened and obeyed Slim’s instruction. â€Å"But you jus’ tell an’ try to get this guy canned and we’ll tell ever’ body, an’ then will you get the laugh.† Curley agreed to this statement, otherwise he will be laughed at for starting the fight and then losing it. Even though Curley’s hand was totally ruined, and Lennie got a couple of bruises and cuts nobody got in any more trouble. When his wife was killed he was really mad. Not mad for losing a loved one. He was mad at Lennie for killing her, and instead of staying with his wife, he hurried off to find Lennie and to kill him. We notice that although Curley was very protective over his wife, he didn’t show any interest in her, and showed no signs of love. Nobody liked Curley, not even his wife. Curley’s wife was an outcast, because she is the only female on the ranch and wore a lot of red. We can sense she is heading for trouble, because of the way she flirted with all the men on the ranch. Red lipstick and red finger nails shows a sign of danger. Curley’s wife’s dream was to become a movie star, and have nice clothes. This dream only came about because; some guy had said that she was a natural. â€Å"this guy says I was a natural† Her dream was shattered because she didn’t receive a letter, this guy had promised to send to her. According to her, she thought her mother had thrown it away. We get the feeling that he didn’t actually send the letter. She really thought that her mother had thrown it away and only for revenge, she got married to Curley. She didn’t love Curley, nor even liked him. She’s not interested in Curley and Curley has no interest in her, but she is always looking for him, as an excuse, to talk to other guys. The other guys think she’s a tart, and is ‘jail bait’. Crooks has a dream, which is when he was a little child he remembered he had two brothers and they used to do everything together. His dream is to be back with his family. â€Å"I remember when I was a little kid on my old man’s chicken ranch.† He became negatively cynical. He doesn’t believe life will get any better and he thinks that people always behave selfishly or dishonestly. Crooks is lonely and the only one who has respect for him is Slim. When he was small he used to play with people that weren’t black and this would upset his father. He didn’t understand why until he was older. People called him a nigger and he is the only black person on the ranch. When he was a child, his family was the only black family for miles. Crooks had no other dreams; he just wanted friends that won’t criticize him, because of his colour. None of the dreams came true, and are all crushed and shattered, because George’s dream didn’t mean that he didn’t want Lennie at all, he wanted him, but not all the time. Lennie had to be killed and that ends another two dreams. Candy’s dream was to be a part of George and Lennie’s dream, but as Lennie was killed, his dream also vanished. Curley’s dream was to be big and as he’s a grown man he won’t grow any more. Crook’s dream is to be back with his family, but it is impossible to go back in time. Curley’s wife is dead which ends another dream. We see that John Steinbeck didn’t make anybody’s dream come true. Anjana Patel English coursework 2nd January 2001

Computer Aided Instruction

COMPUTER-AIDED INSTRUCTION Douglas N. Arnold I. Introduction Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI), diverse and rapidly expanding spectrum of computer technologies that assist the teaching and learning process. CAI is also known as computer-assisted instruction. Examples of CAI applications include guided drill and practice exercises, computer visualization of complex objects, and computer-facilitated communication between students and teachers. The number of computers in American schools has risen from one for every 125 students in 1981 to one for every nine students in 1996.While the United States leads the world in the number of computers per school student, Western European and Japanese schools are also highly computerized. II. Types of CAI Information that helps teach or encourages interaction can be presented on computers in the form of text or in multimedia formats, which include photographs, videos, animation, speech, and music. The guided drill is a computer program that poses qu estions to students, returns feedback, and selects additional questions based on the students’ responses.Recent guided drill systems incorporate the principles of education in addition to subject matter knowledge into the computer program. Computers also can help students visualize objects that are difficult or impossible to view. For example, computers can be used to display human anatomy, molecular structures, or complex geometrical objects. Exploration and manipulation of simulated environments can be accomplished with CAI-ranging from virtual laboratory experiments that may be too difficult, expensive, or dangerous to perform in a school environment to complex virtual worlds like those used in airplane flight simulators.CAI tools, such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases, collect, organize, analyze, and transmit information. They also facilitate communication among students, between students and instructors, and beyond the classroom to distant students, instru ctors, and experts. CAI systems can be categorized based on who controls the progression of the lesson. Early systems were linear presentations of information and guided drill, and control was directed by the author of the software. In modern systems, and especially with visualization systems and simulated environments, control often rests with the student or with the instructor.This permits information to be reviewed or examined out of sequence. Related material also may be explored. In some group instructional activities, the lesson can progress according to the dynamics of the group. III. Advantages and Disadvantages CAI can dramatically increase a student’s access to information. The program can adapt to the abilities and preferences of the individual student and increase the amount of personalized instruction a student receives. Many students benefit from the immediate responsiveness of computer interactions and appreciate the self-paced and private learning environment. Moreover, computer-learning experiences often engage the interest of students, motivating them to learn and increasing independence and personal responsibility for education. Although it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of any educational system, numerous studies have reported that CAI is successful in raising examination scores, improving student attitudes, and lowering the amount of time required to master certain material. While study results vary greatly, there is substantial evidence that CAI can enhance learning at all educational levels.In some applications, especially those involving abstract reasoning and problem-solving processes, CAI has not been very effective. Critics claim that poorly designed CAI systems can dehumanize or regiment the educational experience and thereby diminish student interest and motivation. Other disadvantages of CAI stem from the difficulty and expense of implementing and maintaining the necessary computer systems. Some student failures ca n be traced to inadequate teacher training in CAI systems. Student training in the computer technology may be required as well, and this process can distract from the core educational process.Although much effort has been directed at developing CAI systems that are easy to use and incorporate expert knowledge of teaching and learning, such systems are still far from achieving their full potential. IV. History In the mid-1950s and early 1960s a collaboration between educators at Stanford University in California and International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) introduced CAI into select elementary schools. Initially, CAI programs were a linear presentation of information with drill and practice sessions.These early CAI systems were limited by the expense and the difficulty of obtaining, maintaining, and using the computers that were available at that time. Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations (PLATO) system, another early CAI system initiated at the University of I llinois in the early 1960s and developed by Control Data Corporation, was used for higher learning. It consisted of a mainframe computer that supported up to 1000 terminals for use by individual students. By 1985 over 100 PLATO systems were operating in the United States.From 1978 to 1985 users logged 40 million hours on PLATO systems. PLATO also introduced a communication system between students that was a forerunner of modern electronic mail (messages electronically passed from computer to computer). The Time-shared Interactive Computer-Controlled Information Television (TICCIT) system was a CAI project developed by Mitre Corporation and Brigham Young University in Utah. Based on personal computer and television technology, TICCIT was used in the early 1970s to teach freshman-level mathematics and English courses.With the advent of cheaper and more powerful personal computers in the 1980s, use of CAI increased dramatically. In 1980 only 5 percent of elementary schools and 20 perce nt of secondary schools in the United States had computers for assisting instruction. Three years later, both numbers had roughly quadrupled, and by the end of the decade nearly all schools in the United States, and in most industrialized countries, were equipped with teaching computers. A recent development with far ranging implications for CAI is the vast xpansion of the Internet, a consortium of interlinked computers. By connecting millions of computers worldwide, these networks enable students to access huge stores of information, which greatly enhances their research capabilities. Contributed By: Douglas N. Arnold, A. B. , M. A. , Ph. D. Distinguished Professor, Pennsylvania State University. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE â€Å"Computer-Aided Instruction,† Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta. msn. com  © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Final - Essay Example The company is a house hold name in beverage production and has since got many acquisitions of juices from several countries. The company also has a wide range of industries that use its trademark or is licensed by coca cola. The Company was set up to oppose the initiatives of the citizens about production of beverages Discussion Coca cola and its Mission The company has its mission, vision and values that form a strategy network for them to deliver quality products to its consumers. Its vision is to become the best and undisputed leader in every market in which the company competes. Its mission is to refresh, partner with its customers, enrich and uplift the lives of the local communities and reward its various stakeholders. The company holds values that propel it towards its future success which include; winning its customers, power of working together, caring, investing and empowering its people, learning, excellence and authenticity. The company is headed by Muhtar Kent who is th e chairman and chief executive officer. There are several other directors who head the company branches in several countries. The company has its own challenges that it has to rectify so that it can be successful. This includes health effects that could be caused by its products since it has a lot of calories and causes acidity and tooth decay. Use of contaminated waters in making of the coke and amount of water needed makes the aquifers dry hence posing serious environmental problems. The company has also been accused of bribery cases to dentists. The company also has opportunities of opening up new franchises in different countries as a trusted global leader in beverage production. Its strengths lies in its ability to integrate small juice companies and make them part of their acquisitions. The company boasts of 146,200 employees who are spread out across the world. The company has many directors across the world that is headed by an overall chairman. The company also has a board of governors that coordinate all the functions that take place within and outside the company. They also pass information and decisions from the board to the directors across the world (Ulrich, 34). Recruiting and staffing Staffing needs in the coca cola company are established by having a personal relations officer in each branch to whom complaints are given. An individual or group of persons with any complaint forwards their problems to this officer, who then forwards it to the managers and director or head of the branch. These problems are then forwarded to the board that discusses and comes up with solutions. The company also has an employee website where employees log in with their work numbers. This site provides an opportunity for all the staffs and executives to interact and air their views openly, which will be discussed in the board and solutions made (Mayo, 74). The company does a job analysis of its workers and new employees once every two years. New employees are recrui ted through rigorous interviews that are done to eligible applicants. The interviews contain important elements such as group exercises, psychometric tests, situational exercises and presentations that take various forms. Interviews are posted on the company’s website which can be accessed by all members of the public so that the affair may not be deemed biased. Interviews are done by the board of governing members or directors in the specific countries. The

Average amount of people late to work on a daily Essay

Average amount of people late to work on a daily - Essay Example The one chosen was had a population of 2,000 with 525 households. Only adults participated. Most people in the area had families living with them and lived just outside the base. Others had to travel to their work. Observations were also conducted directly on people living on their daily reporting routines to job. The questionnaires would then be filled by the researchers on the topics they could observe without bias. 250 questionnaires were received back, 172 of the total were completely filled, 50 were partially filled and 28 were damaged. The 172 were used to conduct the analysis. NB: those who work on weekends not included. Data was collected for only a week. This cannot give the final trend of the militia’s lateness. Therefore the data given should be compared with other research done before coming up with the final opinion. We had to ask why they failed to reach their workplaces in time. This had numerous response as they tried to justify themselves for their shortcomings. Some reasons were observed by the researchers in their data collection process. In the end we compiled the logical reasons putting others as one point while disintegrating others (Moses, 1996).The reasons given were mostly the same and they are numbered below. Lateness to work has caused many to lose their jobs, demoted to a lower position or have their salary being cut down. Warnings are always given before these consequences are faced. Those who fail to heed are the ones who suffer. When excuses are given, they should be genuine in order not to face one of the above. Sometimes people cheat to be given an excuse for coming late. They normally face a tougher punishment for doing this. These reasons are the ones which were faced by greater number of respondents. Some were minor reasons which only affected a few and could be done away with if one became serious with their work. In the event of collecting data, some of the reason were also faced by the

Managing Change in Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Managing Change in Organisations - Essay Example Employees and workers have to be well-equipped in the knowledge economy with the necessary mental, physical and psychological abilities. This is the new scenario in the twenty-first century: individuals should be ready for battle and their weapons are their knowledge, talent, capabilities, and experience to combat the multiple forces of modernity and technology. Organisations depend much on the workers; likewise workers can depend on organisational knowledge. This essay will present how our organisation is able to introduce change in a situation where everything seems to be crumbling. Complaints, suggestions, and rumors of forcible retirement are circulating, whilst top management is resigned to leaving it all up to fate or to next people interested to take the reins of power. Our concerns are deep rooted, mine perhaps is too personal, simply because I grew up with the company, my father and grandfather both came from ordinary workers to middle level managers of the organisation I have perceived to have become an institution. The organisation means many things to all of us. We have grown with the company. Letting the board do what they want to do because their job is done, or that they have attained what they wanted in life, is like leaving childhood memories to waste. Moreover, we are also fighting for survival here. Where will we go? Where will all these employees who will soon be replaced by new hires from the joint venture company find jobs? It is a major change, one which requires careful study, determination and will on the part of owners and management. How it is executed requires the cooperation of everyone, most of all, teamwork. Well, it is teamwork that we have missed all this time. The whole picture portrays a sick organisation. From the very beginning, the company seems going nowhere. First, production is really slow. The whole organisation is working at a slow pace that it seems the organisation cannot cope with the rising tide of

Why has the Korean War often been called the Forgotten War Does it Personal Statement

Why has the Korean War often been called the Forgotten War Does it deserve to be remembered - Personal Statement Example Another valid reason that made experts regard the war as forgotten was the non-inclusion of Korea in the American Foreign Policy during the Cold War. One of the obvious reasons was that most of the Americans had very little knowledge about this war, even though many of them were adults during the war years. Another reason is that the Korean War was barely a part of the history subject in most of the elementary and high schools and also in colleges. In case they are mentioned it in the educational texts, the entire conflict was not covered, instead a brief mention about the conflict, which often described it as the successful containment of communism by the United Nations and United States that resulted in freedom for South Koreans. These brief mentions removed a great deal about the painful episode that piloted the Cold War era and the enormous significance it has had, and still has, for Koreans, Americans and world

Personal experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Personal experience - Essay Example For instance, the fear of public speaking can be handled through practice. This means that if one has a fear of public speaking this problem can be encountered through practicing talking in front of the friends as they listen. After getting used to talk in front of the friend then one can look for a larger congregation like a class of fifty students and address to and through the practice the fear of public speaking may be solved. From the book, the lessons learned about the ambiguity aversion are that it comes from fear of the unknown. This is when someone feels it difficult to express his or her ideas in front of unknown congregation. This fear may be even deeply entrenched than the fear of public speaking. According to Berns 60, it is evident that the ambiguity aversion does not only happen to the human beings but also the other animals have this phenomenon and also experience the same. This fear can also be inhibited because the human beings posses a larger prefrontal cortex than the animals. One of the solutions to ambiguity aversion is to convert it into a risk. The use of Bayesian Updating may be used. Bayesian Updating is a process is a statistical process of using new process to update probability estimates (Bern70). Reappraisal can be commonly applied to view ambiguity as a very big opportunity to get and attain knowledge. If ambiguity is used over several times and repeatedly then it can be quickly changed into a risk. In the community, there has been a big issue on the pollution and many raised campaigns on how to dispose of unwanted material (Wheatley and Frieze 30). Due to this issue of pollution an idea can be got form it and be used in the play to come up with more useful items from the waste material. Via this problem of pollution on the land whereby the land is getting acidified by the chemicals disposed by the community and the industries after why a grant idea can be invented on

E-learning as a Tool for Human Resource Management Essay

E-learning as a Tool for Human Resource Management - Essay Example But it really is the HR manager himself, who needs all these knowledge vis--vis his role of retaining all these bright employees and stemming the tide of employee dissatisfaction in the sphere of compensation, job motivation and morale. He must be constantly updated with all the latest techniques. He needs retraining himself in interpersonal and leadership skills and must bone up on actual case studies in order to learn from the failings or success of others and must improve his communication skills and find the possible causes for high turnover rates, if such is presently bedeviling the corporation itself. The heaviest load thrown in his shoulders, however, is the maximisation of employee performance. And this can be done by a sound and efficient organisation that keeps "all programs and initiatives aligned to a framework of increased performance" (Stockley 2005, p.1). Literature Review Many authors of HRM literature point out to e-learning as the panacea to all the above problems . Human resource management, itself is defined as "a set of interdependent personnel policies to maximise 4 objectives: organisational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality" (Clark 1993, p.3). E-learning, meanwhile, is defined as "learning facilitated and supported through the use of information and communications technology" (Lingham 2008, p.1). It is also "the "use of the internet or an organizational intranet to conduct training on-line". By intranet, he is referring to a... This essay stresses that HRM must deal with this aspect in conjunction with its traditional roles of recruitment, training, performance appraisal and salary administration. This paper declares that e-learning, meanwhile, is defined as â€Å"learning facilitated and supported through the use of information and communications technology†. It is also â€Å"the â€Å"use of the internet or an organizational intranet to conduct training on-line†. By intranet, he is referring to a â€Å"private organizational network behind firewall software that restricts access to authorised users, including employees participating in learning†. This is more germane to my proposal of the setting up of e-learning in banks and making it an effective tool for HRM. Today’s literature is replete with enthusiasm about this modern literacy that is permeating practically all facets of society. It is called a â€Å"technological revolution that is bringing democratic changes to our society† and describes how the US Education Department and independent research institutes and universities consider the urgency of the implementation to maximise the u se of e-learning in their organisations. E-learning since the last decades has already gained foothold in homes and thus virtually everybody is acquainted with it as people communicate with friends or loved ones through the internet or by e-mail. So it is not beyond comprehension that this could have myriads of uses and could be useful as tool for human resource management, specifically in banks.

Service operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Service operations - Essay Example In between 1900 to 1950 concept of industrial society came into the picture. Each and every organization was concentrating towards increasing their production. Manufacturing maximum number of goods in small price was the industrial trend. In 1950 the economy observed a metamorphic change where services industry emerged as the main sector for American people. It was famously known as post industrial era. During this period, 50%-80% of American people were engaged within the services industry. Currently the trend is almost same. The sector is highly dominated by health, education entertainment industry. With the changing era organizations also have changed their criterions related with workforces. Theoretical reasoning, creativity and judgment have become more important than mere execution of plans. Previously numbers of manual workers were two times higher than white-collar person but since the post industrial era the situation has changed while now the scenario has reversed. Services industry generates maximum numbers of employment than any other sectors. Operation is the most important and generally the largest functionality of any service providing organization. Even in a university or in a financial firm there is also importance of operation because employees which are carrying out different services are the parts of operation. In simple words, operation is the inseparable backbone of any service organization. A manager of a top service organization has to depend upon the works of his workforces and without their operations providing services are impossible. Modern world has changed a lot. Increasing productivity and efficiency of the workforce is the need of the hour for different organizations in the world. Modern day service industry in US is highly competitive. Every organization is competing hard to provide good quality services to their customers. In this