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Monday, September 30, 2019

Conflict management in a team

Definition of ConflictRelationships among social entities may become inconsistent when two or more of them desire a similar resource that is in short supply; when they have partially exclusive behavioral preferences regarding their joint action; or when they have different attitudes, values, beliefs, and skills. â€Å"Conflict is the perception of differences of interests among people† (Thompson, 2001). Another definition of conflict would beâ€Å"Conflict is a process of social interaction involving a struggle over claims to resources, power and status, beliefs, and other preferences and desires. The aims of the parties in conflict may extend from simply attempting to gain acceptance of a preference, or securing a resource advantage, to the extremes of injuring or eliminating opponents.† (Bisno, 1988)The theme of conflict has been with us and has influenced our thinking from time immemorial. It received different degrees of emphasis from social scientists during variou s periods of history. Conflict resolution is a tool that can be used in most situations and with most types of disputes. If everyone thought the same, looked the same, and acted the same, conflict would probably not exist. On one hand, the diversity and differences between team members can enhance the intellectual and cultural aspects of a project. But, on the other hand, these same differences can escalate issues if specific guidelines are not set to help avoid them.Levels of ConflictUnderstanding the different types of conflicts will make it easier to manage the conflict situations. Conflicts will occur with indifference to our best intentions. There is no one fits all solution the will specifically deal with every type of team conflict that can exist. The ability of the team members to effectively identify and apply the appropriate resolution is critical to the success of the teams' defined goals. Although conflicts will arise, it is possible to resolve conflicts and disagreement s by clarifying expectations, keeping open communication, and encouraging feedback among its members. The diversity of ideas, talents, and experience with a team is the focal difference between working independently and as part of a group.A team is a group of people who work together to achieve a common goal. Members of teams should focus on the successful fruition of the defined goal or goals, not only of the individual but, more importantly, the team as a whole. To have a successful team we need to consider certain factors. First, what is the character and personality of each member? Understanding the nuances of your partners is beneficial when working to complete individual and joint tasks. Members need to be responsible for the task and or tasks they are assigned.A breakdown in responsibility can be detrimental to the defined common goal or goals and team unity. The members need to clearly understand the common goals as defined by the team and the best organizational way to achi eve it. If each member is not working in at least a general sense of unison, the defined goal may never come to realization. Timetables play a vital role in achieving team-oriented goal. (Kheel, 2001) Members should be able to follow the timetable that has been set to complete their task or to the best of their ability within the allotted time.Team members need to work together to resolve any conflicts that may occur between them. It is critical to the team that individuals work openly together to help each other solve problems that are affecting the team or one of its members. Each member is different. They do not think the same and have differing opinions, which may cause clashes. Team members have to learn how to recognize these situations and correct them before they become problems that will be irresolvable by the group. Problems should be resolved in a way that is in the best interest of the group and does not alienate one member for another. The team needs enough comradery an d responsibility to accomplish its task and implement its ideas.Team work and group interrelations are not as simple as people think, but can me made easier if all the members strive to stop conflict before it becomes detrimental to the team. (Cloke, 2000) The productivity of a team may be affected in both positive and negative ways. It is up to the team members to determine which one it will be. Group activities and tasks will be more professional and well rounded in their entirety if the individuals in the group are able to consciously and fully commit to turning any conflict that arises into a source of constructive learning that will bring the group closer and make the task more enjoyable.Conflicts or disagreements can occur with our spouse, kids, family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. It may happen for almost any reason, but most often the reasons are related to politics, religion, personal beliefs or culture. Conflicts may occur due to personality differences, or one of th e members may not like other member. Conflicts can be the cause of a lot of disparity in a group, but if managed correctly it can be the cause of a tremendous amount of comradery and friendship. It is up to the members of the group to think before they act or speak to help make sure that any comments or thoughts will not be taken out of context. The same members also need to listen to their other group members with an open mind and try not to take what others say personally.Conflict among team members can be constructive or destructive depending upon how the team resolves the discord. The background, lifestyle and work ethic differ from team member to team member, but these unique qualities should not overpower the teams' defined goals. Having heated and insulting discussions will jeopardize the quality of the teams work and negatively impact the desired goal. Each member should take care to understand that personal opinions and feelings are by in large for the betterment of the tea m. Members should express their ideas freely so they can be openly discussed with the team.Once the team begins to discuss the main point or points of conflict, each member should provide input into a prudent way to achieve the desired outcome for the team. It is always important in these discussions to consider other members' opinions and concerns. Take one issue at a time; discuss it, brainstorm different solutions and attempt to resolve your conflict through positive communication. Conflicts, like team members, have many differences.Some members may choose to avoid controversial issues, while others may have their own personal agenda with the project. Numerous types of disagreements and conflicts can occur on the road to achieving the teams' defined goal. Members may personally believe that their opinions are inferior to other members or the team as a whole. These individual feelings will cause friction between members if not addressed in an open and positive manner. Conflict in inescapable but understanding your teammates can help promote a better working team.Causes of ConflictUsually we deal with people from different backgrounds, and age disparities, which may cause conflict because of differing lifestyles and life experiences. Older people believe that they have more experience and are wiser. Young people want to do things in their own way; many times they choose ways just to be stubborn. Young people are more open to take risks, sometimes unnecessarily.We don't see or think about things in the same way. Everyone believes that his or her point of view is correct. Some people refuse to understand or accept other people's opinion or points of view. There are some close-minded people who do not accept the changes that occur in life. It is difficult to deal with people that are like this. Disagreement does not have to be disrespectful or harmful to a team or an individual.Many times we can not understand why people do things, until we know something about their past life, background or their environment, both culturally and socially. Each team member has his or her own experiences to draw knowledge and insight from in their everyday lives. People need to learn from their experiences in life and work. Every event that takes place in our lives helps make us the people that we are. These events shape our beliefs, actions and feelings about almost everything we talk about or do.When in a team environment it is essential that we enter into an open forum discussion with an open mind. We need to be open to other people's feelings and beliefs, even if they differ from our own. Many people will share the same opinions about some ideas, and each will add some of their own experience, knowledge and beliefs into the discussion. Differing opinions can easily cause problems, but if the group or individuals are open and understanding to other people's thoughts and beliefs, major conflicts can be avoided. Even if the members never agree completely, there can be a happy medium. The world would be a very boring and sad place if everyone had the same thoughts and opinions about everything.The resolution of conflict is at the heart of a successful team. Regardless of the talent or desire of the team to succeed, the Achilles Heel of conflict must be overcome. Be an understanding and informative team member. This is to infer that you must try to understand about the other members of your team. If personal information is available about your team members, read about and correspond with them so members will have a better insight of each other.If the team can correspond openly about concerns or disagreements there will be less individual withdrawal. For an individual or team to be adept at conflict resolution they must first recognize that potential conflicts exist. Once this fact is revealed, it is necessary that the individual or team members acknowledge when a conflict presents itself and work together to determine what the cause of the conflict is and how best to resolve it. Team members should work together to discuss the aspects of the conflict.Each member should offer their own separate suggestions to possibly solve the conflict and return the team back towards the common goal. The team should discuss all suggested possible resolutions and choose one solution by majority rule. Once a way to resolve the conflict has been determined, the solution needs to be implemented, and if necessary rules should be made and followed by all members of the team so the team can be successful. (Engleberg, 2003)Every member should be a custodian of the team success. A team can be made up of two or more members attempting to achieve a common goal. Each individual team member has a responsibility to the success of the defined goal of the team. With this in mind, questions must be articulated to draw out information that will contribute to resolution of the conflict. The following approach, although not fool proof, will provide the individual and the team with the best option for creating team continuity, trust and a good working relationship. Asking questions in a non-confrontational manner will provide for a more responsive team member.Conflict is an inevitable and often an unavoidable aspect of working in a team. If dealt with effectively, however, conflict and disagreements can enhance the individual's appreciation of human diversity. The team should communicate openly and honestly in a non-threatening fashion and focus on the betterment of yourself and the team. If conflict arises be considerate and understanding with the focus on achieving the team's goal with the team and as a team. When working with team we as individuals have to remember that the needs of the group outweigh the needs of the individual. When we remember this and act with this point in mind, the team will have a great chance to succeed. If the team wins, you win.ReferencesThompson, L., Aranda, E., & Robbins, S, (2001).Tools for Tea ms: Building effective teams in the workplace Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.Engleberg, I., Wynn, D, and Schuttler, R (2003) Working in Groups: Communication principles and strategies (3rd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 147Cloke, K and Goldsmith, J. (2000). Resolving Conflict at Work: A Complete Guide for Everyone on the Job. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Kheel, A. (2001). The Keys to Conflict Resolution: Proven Methods for ResolvingDisputes Voluntarily. Four Walls Eight WindowsBisno, H. (1988). Managing conflict. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Maths

GCSE Mathematics Specimen Papers and Mark Schemes For first teaching from September 2010 For first examination in Summer 2011 For first award in Summer 2012 Subject Code: 2210 Foreword The awarding bodies have prepared new specifications to comply with revised GCSE criteria. The specimen examination papers accompanying new specifications are provided to give centres guidance on the structure and character of the planned examinations in advance of the first examination.It is intended that the specimen papers and mark schemes contained in this booklet will help teachers and students to understand, as fully as possible, the markers’ expectations of candidates’ responses to the types of questions set at GCSE level. These specimen papers and mark schemes should be used in conjunction with CCEA’s GCSE Mathematics specification. GCSE Mathematics Specimen Papers and Mark Schemes Contents Specimen Papers Unit T1 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Unit T2 Mathematics (Foundatio n Tier) Unit T3 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T4 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 1Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 2 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 1 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 2 1 3 23 43 63 83 93 107 121 Mark Schemes General Marking Instructions Unit T1 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Unit T2 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Unit T3 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T4 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 1 Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 2 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 1 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 2 133 135 137 143 149 157 163 167 171 175 Subject Code QAN 2210 500/7925/6A CCEA Publication  © 2010 You may download further copies of this publication from www. ccea. org. uk SPECIMEN PAPERS DIVIDER PAPER FRONT 1 SPECIMEN PAPERS DIVIDER PAPER BACK 2 Centre Number 71 Candidate Number General Certificate of Secondary Education 2011 Mathematics For Examine r’s use only Question Marks Number Unit T1 (With calculator) Foundation Tier [CODE] SPECIMEN EXAMINATION PAPER TIME 1 hour 30 minutes INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number in the spaces provided at the top of this page. Write your answers in the spaces provided in this question paper.Answer all twenty five questions. Any working should be clearly shown in the spaces provided since marks may be awarded for partially correct solutions. You may use a calculator for this paper. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES The total mark for this paper is 100. Figures in brackets printed down the right-hand side of pages indicate the marks awarded to each question or part question. Functional elements will be assessed in this paper. Quality of written communication will be assessed in questions 6 and 23. You should have a calculator, ruler, compasses and a protractor.The formula sheet is overleaf. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 T otal Marks 3 Foundation Tier Formulae Sheet Area of trapezium = 1 (a + b)h 2 Volume of prism = area of cross section ? length 4 Answer all questions 1 (a) Write 80% as a decimal Answer _____________ [1] Answer ___________ % [1] Answer_____________________ [1] Answer_____________ [1] Answer_____________ [1] (b) Write 0. 35 as a percentage (c) Write 48 million in figures (d) 5729 people attended a football match. Write the number 5729 to (i) the nearest 10 (ii) the nearest 100 2 (a)Find the next 2 terms in the sequence and explain the rule you used: 6, 11, 16, 21, _____, ______ Rule _________________________________________________ [3] (b) Find the next term in the sequence 0. 2, 0. 4, 0. 8, 1. 6, _______ [1] 5 3 The diagram shows a tiled patio in the shape of a rectangle 3 by 16, covered with 48 square tiles. Write down the length and width of 2 other possible rectangles which can be covered with 48 of these square tiles. Answer__________ by__________ __________ by__________ 4 [1] [1 ] Michael recorded the colours of cars in the school car park in a tally chart. ColourTally Frequency Red |||| 4 Blue || 2 Yellow ||| Black |||| || White |||| |||| Silver |||| Green |||| (a) Complete the frequency column. [1] (b) On the grid opposite, draw a frequency diagram to show this information. [3] 6 (c) What is the most popular colour of car in the car park? Answer_________________ (d) [1] Using the frequency table, write down the fraction of the total cars which are yellow. Answer_________________ 7 [1] 5 (a) (i) Shade the major segment in the circle below [1] (ii) (b) PQ is called a _________________ of the circle. (i) Shade the minor sector in the circle below. 1] [1] (ii) OS is called a _______________ of the circle. 8 [1] 6 The table below shows the percentage of pupils at a High School who obtained a grade C or better in GCSE Mathematics during the past five years. Year % of pupils (a) 2004 75 2005 78 2006 82 2007 84 2008 90 Which year showed the smallest improvement? Answer______________ (b) [1] Your quality of written communication will be assessed in this question The school wants to show this information using a statistical diagram. Which type of diagram would you use? Answer__________________________ [1] Give a reason for your answer. _______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 7 [2] Here is a list of numbers 25 27 32 35 8 21 9 (a) From the list write down those numbers which are (i) multiples of 5 Answer____________ (ii) [1] Answer____________ [1] factors of 54 9 (b) From the list of numbers (i) calculate the mean Answer_____________ Answer_____________ (ii) 8 [2] [2] find the median In a mid season sale a clothing shop has 20% off all its items. Clare bought a dress which originally cost ? 50 and a hat which originally cost ? 25 (a)How much did she save in the sale? Answer ? _____________ Answer ? _____________ (b) 9 [2] [1] Answer_____________ [2] What wa s her total bill? Simplify 5p ? 2r ? 3p + 5r 10 10 (a) Jo bought 6 roses at 67p each. What change did she get from a ? 5 note? Answer ? _____________ (b) Five kilograms of potatoes and two kilograms of onions cost ? 4. 10 in total. The potatoes cost 62p per kilogram. How much would it cost in total to buy one kilogram of potatoes and one kilogram of onions? Answer ? _____________ 11 [2] [4] The brick shown below is in the form of a cuboid, measuring 6. 4 metres by 3. metres by 2. 6 metres. Calculate the volume of the brick. Answer_____________ 11 [3] 12 Calculate (a) the square root of 1. 44 Answer_____________ Answer_____________ (e) 13 [2] Answer_____________ (d) [1] Answer_____________ (c) [1] Answer_____________ (b) [1] [2] the cube of 2. 8 2. 32 ? 1. 69 3 of 125 5 5. 62 ? 3. 4 The table below gives the maximum and minimum temperatures of six different cities in Europe in March. City Belfast Minimum 2 ° C Dublin ?1 ° C 9 ° C London 4 ° C 16 ° C Edinburgh 0 ° C 11 ° C Barcelona 10 ° C 19 ° C 8 ° C 20 ° C Paris (a) Maximum 10 ° C Which minimum temperature was the lowest?Answer____________________ ° C 12 [1] (b) In two of these cities the temperatures had increased from minimum to maximum by 12 ° C. Write down the names of these two cities. Answer____________________ and ____________________ [2] What is the difference in minimum temperature between Dublin and Paris? (c) Answer_____________ ° C 14 [1] Answer_______________ [1] Answer_____________ % [1] Answer_____________ % [1] Results of a Year 12 Physics test 9 8 7 6 5 4 2 0 2 7 4 6 Key 5 4 (a) 5 1 5 8 6 7 6 8 9 7 9 8 9 9 means 54% How many pupils sat the Physics test? (b) What is the modal percentage mark? c) What is the range of percentage marks? 13 15 The diagram shows the plan for a rectangular garden. Calculate (a) the area of the garden Answer____________m2 [2] Answer____________m2 [2] (b) the area of the plot for the trees A border needs to be dug around the perimeter of the garden. (c) Calculate the perimeter of the garden. Answer____________m 14 [2] 16 The diagram shows a pizza which has been divided into 8 equal parts. The shaded parts are eaten. (a) Write down, as a fraction in its lowest terms, the fraction that is eaten. Answer_____________ Answer___________ % (b) 17 [2] [1]What percentage is left uneaten? Which fractions from the list given below are not equivalent to 2 ? 3 8 10 16 4 12 , , ,, 12 15 28 6 16 Answer_____________ 15 [2] 18 In a survey 300 men were asked which sport they liked best. The pie-chart below shows the results. (a) Measure the angle which represents Basketball. Answer_____________? (b) [1] What fraction of men chose Rugby as their favourite sport? Answer_____________ (c) [1] Answer_____________ [2] How many men chose Hurling as their favourite sport? 16 19 (a) Expand 3(x + 1) Answer______________ [2] Answer_____________ [2] (b) Solve 2y + 3 = 19 0 In the diagram the point P (? 4, 4) has been plotted. (a) Plot the follow ing points on the diagram, labelling clearly Q (? 2, ? 3), R (5, ? 3) and S (3, 4) [3] (b) Join up the points in order and name the quadrilateral formed. Answer____________________ 17 [1] 21 (Diagram not drawn accurately) Calculate (a) x x = ___________? [1] y = ___________? [1] (b) y 22 Draw the net of the matchbox tray (no lid) shown in the diagram, which has base 5cm by 3cm and height 2cm, on the square grid provided. [3] 18 23 Your quality of written communication will be assessed in this question Fred has just won ? 00. 1 1 of it to his son, James. He has promised of it to his daughter, Kathy and 5 4 How much will he have left after he gives Kathy and James their shares? Show clearly each step of your working out. Answer ? _____________ 19 [4] 24 The positions of two towns A and B are shown on the grid. (a) A third town C is 3km east and 2km north of A. Using a scale of 1cm = 0. 5km, show the position of C. (b) [2] How far is C from A? Answer_____________km 20 [3] 25 The follow ing information shows how Sinead spends her time on a Saturday. Activity Cleaning Watching TV Number of hours 2 Using Shopping he Exercising Internet 5 4 3 2 Sleeping 8 Draw a pie chart to illustrate this data. [4] 21 ___________________________________________ THIS IS THE END OF THE QUESTION PAPER ___________________________________________ 22 Centre Number 71 Candidate Number General Certificate of Secondary Education 2011 Mathematics Unit T2 (With calculator) Foundation Tier [CODE] SPECIMEN EXAMINATION PAPER TIME 1 hour 30 minutes INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number in the spaces provided at the top of this page. Write your answers in the spaces provided in the question paper.Answer all twenty three questions. Any working should be clearly shown in the spaces provided since marks may be awarded for partially correct solutions. You may use a calculator for this paper. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES The total mark for this paper is 100. Figures in b rackets printed down the right-hand side of pages indicate the marks awarded to each question or part question. Functional Elements will be assessed in this paper. Quality of written communication will be assessed in questions 5 and 17. You should have a calculator, ruler, compasses and protractor. The formula sheet is overleaf.For Examiner’s use only Question Marks Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Total Marks 23 Foundation Tier Formulae Sheet Area of trapezium = 1 (a + b)h 2 Volume of prism = area of cross section ? length 24 Answer all questions 1 Five kilograms of potatoes and two kilograms of onions cost ? 4. 10 in total. The potatoes cost 62p per kilogram. How much would it cost in total to buy one kilogram of potatoes and one kilogram of onions? Answer ? _____________ 2 Answer_____________ (a) [4] [2] Answer_____________ [2] Simplify 5p ? 2r ? 3p + 5r (b) Expand ?2(2y ? 3) 25 3 Calculate a) the cube of 2. 8 Answer______________ Answer__ ____________ (b) (c) [1] [1] Answer______________ [2] 2. 32 + 1. 69 5. 62 ? 3. 4 26 4 Results of a Year 12 Physics test 9 8 7 6 5 4 2 0 2 7 4 6 Key 5 4 (a) 5 1 5 8 6 7 6 8 9 7 9 8 9 9 means 54% How many pupils sat the Physics test? Answer_____________ (b) [1] What is the modal percentage mark? Answer___________% Answer___________% (c) 5 [1] [1] What is the range of percentage marks? Quality of written communication will be assessed in this question Fred has just won ? 900 1 1 He has promised of it to his daughter Kathy, and of it to his son James. 4 How much will he have left after he gives Kathy and James their shares? Show clearly each step of your working out. Answer ? ______________ 27 [4] 6 The positions of two towns A and B are shown on the grid. (a) A third town C is on a bearing of 120? from B and at a distance of 2. 5 km from B. Using a scale of 1 cm = 0. 5km, show the position of C. [3] (b) How far is C from A? Answer _____________ km [2] 28 7 The following information sho ws how Sinead spends her time on a Saturday. Activity Cleaning Watching TV Shopping Number of hours 2 5 4 Using the Exercising Internet 3 2 Sleeping 8Draw a pie chart to illustrate this data. [4] 8 Solve (a) x = 15 4 Answer x = _____________ (b) [1] Answer y = _____________ [2] 6y ? 2 = 13 29 9 Write down the next two numbers in the sequence 11, 10, 8, 5, ____, _____ Answer________, _________ 10 [2] In the diagram the volume of the cuboid is 48cm3. It holds exactly 48 sugar cubes each 1cm by 1cm by 1cm. The length of the cuboid is 4cm and the breadth is 3cm. (a) What is the height of the cuboid? Answer_____________ (b) Write down the dimensions of another cuboid that the 48 cubes could fit into exactly. Answer______cm by______cm by______cm 1 (a) [3] Find the value of [1] 3. 8 ? 6. 2 giving your answer correct to 1 decimal place. 9. 1 ? 2. 7 Answer_____________ 30 [2] (b) A plasma TV has a marked price of ? 790 In a sale its price is reduced by 15% What is the sale price of the TV? A nswer ? _____________ (c) [3] Mary’s family drink 3 cartons of orange juice in 5 days. How many cartons would Mary need to buy to last a full week? Answer _____________cartons 12 [3] Write down an expression for the total cost of x bars of chocolate at 35p each and y bottles of water at 50p each. Answer_______________________ 31 [2] 13Draw the graph of y = 4x–3 on the grid below. [3] 14 (Diagram not drawn accurately) The quadrilateral shown has angles x, 79? , 3x, and 97? Work out the value of x Answer x = _________________o 32 [4] 15 (a) (Diagram not drawn accurately) In the triangle ABC shown above BC = 8. 5 cm and AX = 6. 4 cm. Calculate the area of the triangle ABC. Answer___________________cm2 [2] (b) (Diagram not drawn accurately) ABCDE is a regular pentagon, with O as its centre. Calculate the size of angle AOB. Answer Angle AOB = _____________? 33 [2] 16 Find the area of a circle with a diameter of 3 metres.Take ? = 3. 14 Answer___________________m2 17 (a) [2] The speeds, in miles per hour, of the cars passing the gates of a primary school during lunch hour are recorded in the table below. Speed (mph) No. of cars 0–5 2 6–10 5 11–15 34 16–20 61 21–25 29 26–30 4 Represent this information using a bar chart. [3] 34 (b) Which is the modal class interval? Answer________________ (c) [1] Your quality of written communication will be assessed in this question Katy wants to know how many times a month, on average, the people in her town go to the cinema. She asks 200 people in her school.Explain why Katy’s sample may not be representative of the people in her town. _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 35 [2] 18 (a) Write 72 as a product of prime factors Answer______________ (b) [2] Find the lowest common multiple (LCM) of 72 and 108 Answer______________ Answer______________ (c) 19 [2] [2] Find the highest comm on factor (HCF) of 72 and 108 Susan puts ? 1700 in her bank account at 4. 2% simple interest each year. Calculate the total amount in her bank account after 3 years. Answer ? ________________ 36 [3] 0 (a) Expand and simplify 4(2 – 3x) + 3(x + 4) Answer________________ Answer________________ [2] Answer x =________________ (b) [2] [3] Answer________________ [2] Expand x ( x 2 – 6) (c) Solve for x 7x + 18 = 2(x – 6) 21 (a) ? A regular polygon has an exterior angle of 18 Find the number of sides in the polygon. 37 (b) The diagram shows a play tent in the shape of a triangular prism. Calculate the volume of the tent. Answer_____________________cm3 38 [6] 22 A teacher recorded the number of hours 50 students used the internet over a 7 day period. The information is shown in the table below. Number of Hours 0? h

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Poetry Analysis Essay

Lorna Dee Cervantes’ poem, â€Å"Poema para los Californios Muertos† (â€Å"Poem for the Dead Californios†), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker’s dead ancestors. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the â€Å"Californios† through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language. Many times readers do not grasp a strong sense of the meaning or provocation of a poem simply through its title. However, the title â€Å"Poema para los Californios Muertos†, translated to â€Å"Poem from the dead Californios†, enables readers to immediately understand that this poem addresses the injustice experienced by California’s original inhabitants at the hands of the Americans who invaded it and claimed it as their own. This particular poem consists of four parts and two main areas of focus. One is the speaker’s interpretation of present-day California, which she expounds upon in the first and forth parts, and her present thought process occurring in the second and third parts, in which she addresses her ancestors and her own pain. Though each part holds its own significance and brings its own unique element to the poem, they are correlated heavily by the tone of aggression and rage portrayed by the reader. In the first part of the poem, in which the speaker is addressing the state of this modern California and the hatred she feels for the people who have created it, Cervantes uses several words such as â€Å"cuts†, â€Å"cesarean†, â€Å"fertile†, â€Å"bastard†, and â€Å"raped† to portray a feeling of a corrupted innocence. California represents this child that has been stolen from â€Å"los madres† (the mothers) and the â€Å"husbands de la tierra, tierra la madre† (husbands of mother earth). It is not the land’s fault that it has been lost, but it is nevertheless darkened by its new inhabitants and the memory of degradation and pain of her ancestors. The forth part brings forth a new type of diction with words such as â€Å"bitter antiques† and â€Å"remnants† to represent that this is all that remains of California’s original people, and in the final lines, â€Å"pungent odor of crushed eucalyptus† and â€Å"the pure scent of rage† paint for us an entirely different image than any of the other parts. Smell is an extremely powerful sense, and by using these phrases with ghastly connotations, Cervantes increases the level of guilt and sympathy felt by the reader. A strong irony in the forth part consists of coupling beautiful things such as a blue jay and crushed eucalyptus, which should connote for us happiness, with pungent odors and shrieking, which steal that false sense of happiness. Furthermore, this irony creates for readers their own personal sense of loss by imagining something so happy as a blue jay making a horrific shriek or of something so sweet as eucalyptus smelling rotten. Through this, Cervantes has distributed to her readers some of the pain felt by the Mexican people. The middle of the poem, consisting of parts two and three, make up the second focal point of the poem, in which the speaker addresses her ancestors, her own anguish concerning the loss of California as it once was, and reaches the climax of the poem in which she reveals herself as the â€Å"hija pobrecita† (Poor daughter) cursing the ghosts of the white people who stole California. The only hint of vulnerability we perceive from the speaker is found within the second and third parts. She is desperate for peace and longing to make known her ancestors memories. The most important aspect that differentiates this poem from many others is the dramatic use of dual language. Because many readers must use the translated notes to understand the Spanish portions of the poem, it requires them to deeply consider the speaker’s connotations. Many readers will not realize Cervantes’ intentional placement of the Spanish portions. Stanzas one, two, and three begin in English and end in Spanish. However, stanza four begins in English and ends in English with only one line in the middle consisting of Spanish. Though it is overlooked, this tactic offers a path upon which the subconscious may embark. To the speaker, California has been overrun and forever changed by the white people, represented by English. The single Spanish line is a representation of the speaker herself and exemplifies how truly lost she feels in this place. â€Å"Poema para los Californios Muertos† is a prime example of the importance of a dynamic use of language and the strength it brings to a poem when utilized to its full potential.

Friday, September 27, 2019

CASE NOTE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CASE NOTE - Essay Example I learned that Leadership styles in different culture varies in midst of cultures because it is based on values that are different. Most people have leadership in other cultures have given a promise to people that have allowed them to be leaders. Guthrie points out attributes that should be in habit to ensure that an individual becomes a successful leader. Leadership is stemmed for experience or the desire to succeed beyond others. In sports, leadership is fuelled by motivation to be the best, make peers proud, and have the gratification to be the best. Leaderships is undeniably stemmed from an inner motivation to excel and lead a group of individuals to a collaborative success. One of the main conclusions I derived from this case study is the fact that good leadership comes from empowerment, in which Dashman clearly lacks. Motivating employees is one of the major concerns of any organizations who seeks to be a dominant force in that industry. Employee morale and motivation plays a crucial role in the success of the organization. Employees became impulsive as disrupted organizational culture plagued the morality of the employees. My solution would to be embed best practices and to embed a solution that would change the logistics of the organization. In any organization, operation process management is one of the most crucial elements for organizations as they progress to 21st century. Dashman never got any notices sent to executives, which created a huge issue. The organization should focus on demand planning, forecasting, and inventory management. It is clear that organizations conducts forecasts estimate customer demand for a particular product during a time span forecasts are compared to inventory levels to ensure that distribution centers have enough products to sell but not overcrowd its inventory. So how does the organization dominate this strategy? One of the most premier things it does is create a dashboard that accommodates the needs

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Organizational Change and Effective Leadership Essay

Organizational Change and Effective Leadership - Essay Example This essay identifies specific leadership characteristics and skills which contribute in effectively facilitating organizational change in the business arena. It will specifically focus on the start-up phase or the introduction of changes. Examples will also be utilized to illustrate significant points further. Changes happen to all organizations. However, many organisational changes fail to accomplish what they are meant to: they cost so much that their value is compromised; they take so long that opportunities are missed; or degenerate into chaos, leaving everyone discouraged and confused. What organisational change ultimately requires is that leaders develop not just new skills and knowledge but a whole new way of looking at things. Indeed, in today's organisations, without experiencing and successfully managing a difficult transition, no leader can be effective for very long. That suggests reinventing most models of leadership development. The best leadership development programs implicitly address the challenge of understanding change they are experiential, tailored, to the needs of the leader, and based on delivering real-world results. The business arena is currently undergoing a modification in terms leadership styles. Most notable is the high acceptance of transformational as opposed to transactional leadership.

The Class and television in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Class and television in the UK - Essay Example On the other hand, commercial television was to be regulated more firmly (especially in regard to advertising and content) and the game shows that had won ITV high ratings over the last few years were to have their prize monies slashed. The disparity between Pilkington's judgements of the two channels was quite clear. This disparity was firmly and inextricably interwoven with the class structure of Britain at the time of the report, and television's place in that structure. By 1962 the working class was becoming increasingly affluent, riding the post-war industrial boom and supported by the new welfare provision put in place by Clement Attlee's reforming government of 1945-51. Between 1951 and 1958 real wages rose by 20% (Curran, 204), this growth favouring principally the lower middle classes. This increased prosperity naturally converted into an increase in the number of television sets bought: in 1951 there were 586,000 licences, which grew by nearly twenty-fold to 11,659,000 (Sendall, 1982, 370). This increase was almost certainly driven by the availability of the new ITV. As well as greater prosperity for the working class, there was also increased social mobility, again due to the Attlee government and the grammar school system it had put in place in the late 1940s. An example of this new t rend was a member of the Pilkington Committee itself, Richard Hoggart, who has been characterised by Andrew Crisell as "a working class beneficiary of higher education and celebrated historian of popular culture." (109). I will argue that it was the personality type and, more importantly, class position, of people like Richard Hoggard, that gave the Pilkington Report its particular tenor. One of the main reasons the BBC outperformed ITV in the Pilkington report's findings was that the report was driven by so-called 'Reithian' values (after the first Director General of the BBC). Both channels were judged on their merits as public service broadcasting, as Sendall has said, "the assumption was consistently made that entertainment needed to be 'balanced' by a suitable proportion of improving material" (Sendall, 1983, 88). The viewers of television had to be improved in some way; that is, television took on a moral and social function. The report said so itself, the committee being quite adamant that, "television is and will be a main factor in influencing the values and moral standards of our society." (Crisell, 111). Judged in this way, ITV - which was subject to market pressures in a way that the licence-fee funded BBC wasn't - was almost certain to fall short of the committee's criteria. In the main, ITV produced entertainment, and all indications seemed to suggest t hat the mass majority of people (mainly from the working class) watching ITV preferred this type of output to that which might 'improve' them. However, Pilkington was less concerned with what the democratic public wanted, and more with what they should have, seeing broadcasting as a vehicle for an elite class to educate and better those moraly (which usually also means economically) beneath them, rather than a product, which is chosen by the democratic individual

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

No topic - Essay Example As long as they get paid the right amount, they are willing to risk their lives. Their activities are based on a two-person game with a Nash Equilibrium. In the event of a shoot-out none of the gang members is to set foot on the enemy’s territory. The gang’s cash flow limits state that no matter how unpleasant the economy may be the gang leader always gets paid. I think the video relates to the corporate world where the weak get oppressed. The carbon tax strategy is the tax imposed on greenhouse gas emissions generated from burning fossil fuels (Holt 39). The Cap and Trade regulatory system reduces some emissions and pollution and provides companies with profit incentives to reduce their pollution on faster levels faster than their partners. I think cap and trade would have the most political support in my home town. This is because it is the most effective strategy to reduce emissions (Watts 22). It offers more investor confidence compared to a tax since it confirms clear long-term reduction requirements. It also allows the private sector to assess the allowance prices required to get the job

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Biography Of Francisco Goya Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biography Of Francisco Goya - Research Paper Example In 1763, Goya was awarded a prize in the Academy of San Fernado in Madrid. He did not win, but he met an artist by the name Francisco Bayeu. Bayeu influenced Goya’s formation, and participated in Fresco painting in the Church of Virgin Villa in Zaragoza (Connell 23). His career in painting, drawing, and engravings reflected much historically made upheavals and much influenced much the 19th to 20th century painters. The family moved to a place known as Saragossa, and here his father worked as a gilder. During his childhood stage, a person influenced him by the name Luzan who was just a local painter. In 1770, he went to Italy for his studies on art. He later returned to Saragossa in the year 1771 where he painted frescoes for the local Cathedral. The work, which he did at the Cathedral, was a decorative rococo tradition, which established much of Goya’s artistic reputation. In the year 1773, Francisco Goya married a woman by the name Josefa Bayeu, a sister of Saragossa a rtist by the name Francisco Bayeu. The couple had many children, but only one son by the name Xavier who managed to survive in to adult hood (Carr-Gomm 9). Francisco was a talented Spanish painter, printmaker and termed as one of the old masters in the painting industry. Francisco De Goya started his career at the age of about fourteen years of age, and his talent and ability quickly recognized. He tried his first luck by submitting some entries to a place referred as the Royal Academy of fine arts in the year 1773 and rejected in 1774. He then decided to leave his native country, left to Rome in the year 1771 and his talent recognized and managed to win a second place in the painting competition, and secured himself an employment opportunity in designing tapestries at the Royal Tapestries Factory. Here, he managed to complete 42 patterns, used in covering the walls of the newly built palaces around Madrid making him an immediate royal audience. In 1780 to 1782, he befriended the Pr ince of Spain where they spend two summers together with his family (Connell 27). He used this chance to show the prince his paintings and portraits hence expanding his own circle of royal patrons. An occasion was set to prove his own ability being give a salaried position to work as a court painter in 1786 and 1787 respectively; officially made the first court painter where he had a chance to paint for the noble family. He managed to be getting the chance to paint for the King’s family and the Spanish nobility at large. From the year, 1775 to 1792 Goya made several designs for the Royal Tapestry in Madrid. Francisco de Goya painted sixty-three cartoons for two palaces respectively. The illness affected his whole career as a painter hence withdrawn introspectively. He started painting some paints that were of low quality in his house at Quintal del Sordo. His earlier themes seen as merry festival changed abruptly to those of cartoons and depictions of war and corpses showing clearly that those moods mixed up (Carr-Gomm 11). His legacy inspired several operas, a piano suite, and a number of featured films. His masterpieces in the field of painting include â€Å"The Naked Maja† and the â€Å"Clothed Maja†. He also painted other charming portraits like â€Å"Senora Sabasa Garcia†. Francisco Goya portrayed the beginning of the 19th century realism. In the year, 1799 Goya published the â€Å"Caprichos† which was a combination of etchings satirizing human behavior and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Marketing Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Planning - Essay Example 256). In an effective way to overcome, this particular barrier, the top management should be actively involved in the process of marketing planning. Continuous update of the planning process also needs to be provided to them at regular intervals. Lack of line Support Hostility and non co operation on the part of the functional as well as divisional managers and personnel of the organization regarding the implementation of the newly designed marketing planning process is another factor that has to be taken into account in this case. It can be said that in order to overcome this particular barrier, the managers of the respective functions and division has to be increasingly convinced about how the effectiveness of the new process of marketing planning will lead to the process of better value proposition for the customers and thereby will promote significant growth of the company. Failure of in depth analysis The failure to conduct an in-depth analysis of the capability of the resources available to the company is another reason that can lead to the process of failure of marketing planning. To overcome this particular barrier, an internal audit has to be carried out by the company which will increasingly focus on the process of highlighting the resource capability and its probable effective utilization by the company. Lack of Synchronization The lack of proper co-ordination and synchronization between the departments of marketing and production of the company can also emerge as a barrier to effective marketing planning. In an attempt to overcome this particular barrier, it can be said that the application of an information system throughout the organization will be highly relevant. The application of the information system throughout the company will lead to the process of eradication of this particular barrier by significantly promoting a common platform which will promote synchronization of the marketing and production department. Regard Marketing Consultant. 4b . Strategic Planning process is a very important activity for any business organization (Simerson, 2011, p.1). It is a key factor in the business in regards to strategic management, which enables the company to provide directions, guidelines and boundaries to the functional and operational processes of an organization (Steiner, 1997, p.4). It can be increasingly said that the entire process of strategic planning is intended to focus on the forward progress of the business through the process of market development, product development as well as achieving significant share of the market and growth in revenue. The presence of a large number of macro factors that can bring a significant range of impact in the firm’s area of business environment leads to the process of providing a significant level of importance to the strategic planning process of the firm. It can be said that the strategic planning process undertaken by various business organizations helps them to prepare for t he impending uncertainties lingering in the business environment and thereby prepare backup plans and options, which will empower them to avoid complete disruption of the firms’ business processes. On the other side, it can be said that the marketing planning process enables the marketing teams of organization to focus on the processes of generation, communication, distribution and capture of values from the target audience, while

Sunday, September 22, 2019

P.E.P. for rugby Essay Example for Free

P.E.P. for rugby Essay Multi-stage Fitness Test  The multi-stage fitness test, also known as the 20 meter shuttle run test, beep or bleep test among others, is nowadays a very common test of aerobic fitness.  Diagram:  Description: This test involves continuous running between two lines 20m apart in time to recorded beeps. For this reason the test if also often called the beep or bleep test. The time between recorded beeps decrease each minute (level). Scoring: The athletes score is the level and number of shuttles reached before they were unable to keep up with the tape recording.   Press up test  Diagram:  Description: Can be the total number of push-ups completed or the number completed in a set time period. The starting position is with the hands and feet touching the floor, the body and legs are in a straight line, the arms extended and at a right angles to the body. Scoring: The number of correctly completed push-ups is recorded.  Sit and reach  Diagram:  Description:This test involves sitting on the floor with legs out straight ahead. Feet (shoes off) are placed flat against the box. Both knees are held flat against the floor by the tester. The athlete leans forward slowly as far as possible and holds the greatest stretch for two seconds. Make sure there is no jerky movements, and that the fingertips remain level and the legs flat. Scoring:The score is recorded as the distance before (negative) or beyond (positive) the toes. Repeat twice and record the best score. The table below gives you a guide for expected scores (in cm) for adults  Description:The ruler is held by the assistant between the outstretched index finger and thumb of the athletes dominant hand, so that the top of the athletes thumb is level with the zero cm line on the ruler. The assistant instructs the athlete to catch the ruler as soon as possible after it has been released. Scoring:The assistant is to record distance between the bottom of the ruler and the top of the athletes thumb where the ruler has been caught.  Balance Beam  Diagram:  Description:the person stands on one leg on a beach for as long as possible.  Scoring:time length of time person can stay in balance position.  Fitness Requirements for Rugby  The game of basketball requires many different aspects of fitness which I will outline below.  Aerobic Endurance-a good level of cardio-vascular fitness is needed because of the continuous nature of the game. Speed -needed to move into position quickly both in attack and defence  Strength -leg power is probably more important than upper body strength although this is required for long distance passing and in my position lifting the man in the line- out. Explosive leg power is needed for rucking, maul and scrum situations. Muscular endurance is also needed because of the repetitive nature of the game.  Flexibility needed for all aspects of the game to reduce the risk of injury and to allow movement around the park in a variety of situations.  As well as the health related aspects of fitness, several skill-related components are important. Agility, balance, co-ordination reaction time are needed for all aspects of the game. As the game has so many different requirements I have decided to use circuit training to develop my current levels of fitness as this develops most of the aspects I need. It also will allow me to be specific and adapt the exercises and work intensities easily as the programme develops.  As well as doing the circuits I will also attend four rugby practices, two in school and two at the club, and also play matches when arranged. Because of this I will arrange the time of the circuits to ensure I have either ample recovery after a match or rest before a match.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Metamorphosis A Novella By Franz Kafka English Literature Essay

Metamorphosis A Novella By Franz Kafka English Literature Essay Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka and deals with the travelling salesman Gregor Samsa, who is the familys sole earner, waking up one morning finding himself transformed into a bug. In the following Kafka describes how Gregors position within the family as well as the family itself change. The story is divided into three parts. Each of them ends with Gregor attempting to break out off his room but being refused and hurt by his family. The first part begins with Gregor awaking and finding himself transformed into a bug. Curiously he is rather worried about being late for work than about being not human anymore. Even on the first page evidence for Todorovs theme of The Self can be found. This Theme deals with his interest in the self and the world around this self in relation to the fantastic and the supernatural. The reader does not know if Gregor really transformed into a bug. This ambiguity, according to Todorov, is the reason for the reader hesitating between different possible explanations of events, the realistic and the supernatural. When the reader decides whether an event was real or imaginary, the story is either uncanny or marvelous.  [1]  Metamorphosis therefore is rather a marvelous narrative considering that the reader is not explicitly told why Gregor has transformed into a bug. To Todorov every word in the novella is a description of the fantastic universe and that there is no reality or truth outside this language used.  [2]  When Kafka writes that It was no dream  [3]  and that his family cannot understand him anymore because his voice altered,  [4]  this is evidence enough for Todorov to accept that Gregor really transformed into a bug. Furthermore he argues that Metamorphoses constitute a transgression of the separation between matter and mind  [5]  and that transition from mind to matter [] become possible.  [6]  Gregor is very unhappy with his life working very hard to gain acceptance and having no time for having a relationship. Feeling like a bug eventually transformed him into a bug. Todorov also wrote about the theme of The Other dealing with the relation of man and his desire and repressed desires. This is a very interesting theme which can be found in Metamorphosis as well. Right on the first page we learn about Gregor having a picture of a lady in a fur hat and stole [] bolding in the direction of the onlooker a heavy fur muff into which she had thrust the whole of her forearm.  [7]  Freud argues that fur is used as a fetich on account of its association with the hairness of the mons veneris.  [8]  Gregor has to work very hard to earn enough money for the whole family. Therefore he has no time to have a relationship. According to Freud, sexual desire is an impulse that is made analougous to the impulse of taking nourishment, and to hunger.  [9]  Gregor repressed this desire for a long time and it has to be satisfied. When Gregor does not come to work the chief clerk comes to his house to see him. Gregor manages to open the door but his family and the chief clerk are frightened. His father tries to force him to go back and eventually kicks and he is thrown back into his room. The second part shows explicitly Gregors relationship to his family and how this changes. His sister is looking after him twice a day and cleans his room regularly.  [10]  Gregor loves his sister and even planned to send her to expensive school.  [11]  He is always pleased about when she enters the room and feels sad about not being able to thank her for what she does for him.  [12]  He knows that she sickens at him but still does not hesitate to feed him.  [13]  She even brings him a range of food to choose from when she recognizes that he has not drunk the milk.  [14]  In this scene Grete enters the room, how Gregor describes, almost completely dressed  [15]  to him this must be a detail, important enough to mention. Due to his sexual repressed desire he even seems to see his sister as possible sexual object. Freud argues that an excessive need for affection a boy may [cling] for the infantile attraction for [] sisters which has been repressed in puberty.  [16]   At the end of part two it is the sister who argues that Gregors furniture should be removed which hits him very hard knowing them to be the only things that made him not feel like he was not human anymore. Nevertheless he is certain that his sister only wants to create space in his room to give him the chance to crawl.  [17]  Still he wants to save the picture of the lady as very last relation to his personhood and so he crawled hurriedly up to it and pressed himself against the glass, which stuck to him and impartet a pleasant coolness to his hot belly.  [18]  This underlines that his sexual desire is strong and that this is the most important thing to him. According to Todorov, there is no longer any frontier between the object [] and the observer.  [19]  It makes no difference to Gregor that this is no real woman but only a picture. When his sister enters the room her eyes encountered those of Gregor, up on the wall.  [20]  Here again, Gregor relates his sexual desire to his sister in a very obvious way. Gregor desperately protects this picture and, by that, frightens his family again. His father shies apples at him until one of them pierced his back and Gregor collapses with pain. In the third part Kafka describes how Gregor is now able to listen to his family through the open door to the living room. All family members have a job now but they still have money problems which force them to let room to tenants. When his sister plays the violin one night, Gregor, drawn by the music, decides to crawl closer to her.  [21]  He recognizes that, apart from him, no one really appreciates her play.  [22]  He crawls even closer meet her gaze.  [23]  Todorov argues that sexual desire gains an exceptional mastery over hero.  [24]  Although Gregor knows that there are people around who are not supposed to see him, he cannot resist getting closer to her. In the following Gregor describes explicitly how he desires his sister, he sensed a way to the unknown sustenance he longed for. He was determined to go right up to his sister, to pluck at her skirt and so let her know she was to come into his room.  [25]  He wants her to sit next to him and to be with him until he dies.  [26]  Furthermore he wants to kiss her on the throat.  [27]  He obviously desires his own sister and has sexual phantasies of her. According to Todorov, the literature of the fantastic illustrates several transformations of desire.  [28]  Most of them belonged to a social form of the uncanny.  [29]  So does incest. Gregors sexual desire takes over and he cannot think of anything else but to be close to his sister. When the tenants spot him when he crawls closer to Grete they immediately move out. Now Grete is really angry, locks him into his room and claims that they have to get rid of Gregor  [30]  who dies the next day. His family is rather relieved than in mourning about his death. They plan to move into a cheaper flat and to marry Grete. Now I am going to compare Kafkas novella to Brother and Sister, a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm. The story deals with the lives of two siblings, running away from home because they are mistreated by an old witch who is their stepmother. The action can be divided into three parts, as well. In the first part the children depart from home. Meanwhile their stepmother has cast[ed] her spells over all the streams in the forest.  [31]  Eventually brother gets thirsty and wants to drink from a stream but sister can hold him off doing so because she can hear it murmuring: Who drinks of me will be a tiger!.  [32]  Although the brother is very thirsty he does not drink. When they come to the next stream, brother is eager to drink but sister can hold him off again, hearing it murmuring: Who drinks me will be a wolf!.  [33]  At the next stream she can hear that brother is going to be a roe, if he drinks the water but she cannot stop him who is already drinking and immediately falls on the grass transformed into a little Roebuck.  [34]   The transformation in this fairytale is, unlike Gregors transformation, introduced by two streams until brother eventually cannot resist any longer. Gregors transformation, in contrast, is not introduced at all. The whole novella starts with this transformation that, due to that point, lacks of surprise in comparison to the fairytale. Furthermore the fairytale is definitely a marvelous one. The reader accepts the fantastic, the fact that the witch can curse all streams, which makes her, as Todorov calls it, a supernatural being,  [35]  having power over human destiny,  [36]  and the fact that brother transforms into a deer, as part of the world. Hence both of Todorovs supernatural elements can be found in this story. Brother and sister are very sad about the situation but sister promises: Never mind, dear little fawn, I will never forsake you, and she [takes] off her golden garter and tie[s] it round the Roes neck.  [37]  Then she fastens a rope to the collar. This shows the symbolic connection between the two siblings. She promises never to leave him and even connects himself to him. They have a very close relationship which is expressed even in the first sentence, Brother took sister by the hand.  [38]  This indicates that brother desires his sister in a way Gregor desires Grete. He wants so be near her and he needs her to look after him and to be with him. Gregor and brother both depend on their sisters. They now live in a small house in the forest and if brother had but kept his natural form, really it would have been a most delightful kind of life.  [39]  This explicitly tells the reader that they would have lived together like couples do. Here the second part begins. The king has a hunt through the wood. When the deer hears about that it wants to join and after begging his sister she lets him go. The hunt lasts three days and the hunters are eager to shoot the beautiful deer which can always run away though it gets hurt once. On the last day the king follows the deer to the house and finds sister. He asks her who has grown to a lovely maiden  [40]  to marry her. She answers: Oh yes! [] But you must let my Roe come, too. I could not possibly forsake it.  [41]  Sister even takes brother into her marriage with the king and keeps her promise. Here the last part begins. The stepmother watches all this with envy and when sister gives birth to a baby, the witch traps her by leading her into the bathroom and locking the door. She and her hideous daughter make a blazing hot fire under the bath, so that the lovely young Queen might be suffocated.  [42]  Then she lays her daughter in the queens bed and makes her look alike her. The king never notices. Every night the real queens ghost comes to see after her baby and the deer. When she decides to come only for three more nights, the nurse, who watches her every night, tells the king. In the last night of her visit the king cries out that she has to be his wife. She answers: Yes, I am your dear wife! and in the same moment she was restored to life, and was as fresh and well and rosy as ever.  [43]  The witch and her daughter are put to death and the spell was taken off the little Roe, and he was restored to his natural shape.  [44]   These are two transformations. The queen in restored to life by the kings love and the brother is retransformed into a human being by the witchs death. The fairytales last sentence is again evidence for the assumption that brother desires his sister, and so brother and sister lived happily ever after.  [45]  Sister obviously does not share her live with her husband, the king whose love restored her, but with her brother. This seems to be the only way for them to be happy. To sum it all up, Metamorphosis and Brother and Sister doubtlessly deal with transformations and are fantastic narratives in Todorovs sense. Especially the fairytale applies to that having the witch as a fantastic character who controls human destiny. Dealing with the theme of sexual desire, Metamorphosis conforms to that more explicitly although there are several textual evidences in Brother and Sister that indicate an incestuous relationship between the siblings, too. (2207 words)

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Whipping=evaluation=1200 W Essay -- essays research papers

Upon reading Robert Hayden's 1970 poem, 'The Whipping'; (1075), one may find themselves feeling very disturbed. The title is not subtle in hiding the fact that the plot of the poem is of a mother beating her son. The tone of the poem is very violent, and filled with a lot of anger. The boy's character immediately demands sympathy from the reader and just as instantaneously, the mother is hated by the reader. From his first stanza, to his sixth, Hayden utilizes an arsenal of words, symbols, and images to create a scene that is intense and emotional to the reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hayden introduces his poem with the first stanza, which begins with 'The old woman across the way/ is whipping the boy again'; (1-2). These lines create a setting, where the characters are introduced and the action that the title stated is in progress. One thing that the reader does sense is that this whipping is not unusual. It is happening again and whoever the narrator is, he is not surprised or alarmed that this is happening. The last two lines of the stanza describe the mother very well. She is 'shouting to the neighborhood/ her goodness and his wrongs'; (3-4). Its as if she feels that by yelling her son's faults and her goodness, she is trying to justify her own wrongfulness of beating her son. She chose to shout, so that everyone would hear, almost as if she was confessing her sins. She seems to be making a show, a production out of this beating. She is trying to humiliate her son even more by beating him outside, instead of inside the house. A simple, four - lined introduction creates a perfect image of the event that is unfolding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In stanza two, the setting and the mother's physical appearance is revealed in further detail. The setting is in front of the house in a garden of some sort, full of lush plants, greenery, and bright flowers. In contrast, the boy is being viciously thrown and beaten into this delicate foliage. 'Wildly he crashes through elephant ears, / pleads in dusty zinnias'; (5-6). Another symbolic image Hayden portrays is of the zinnias. Zinnias are typically supposed to be a plant with variously colored beautiful flowers; these zinnias are dusty, implying that they are dull, lifeless, and unattended. This is symbolic of the boy. If properly taken care of, a boy can grow into a vivid, colorful, young man, but if mist... ...tanza shows the reader the fat old woman leaning against a tree physically tired. Hayden also states that the woman is purged, meaning she has cleansed herself from all guilt, sins, and impurities. This usage of purged guides the reader into the next two lines. ' avenged in part for lifelong hidings / she has had to bear'; (23-24). The woman feels redemption after beating her child because she was abused in her life also. This final stanza answers the question of why is the mother so abusive to her child?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In no way does the 'Whipping'; justify child abuse just because the parent had been abused in the past. However, it does reinforce the fact that abuse is past on from generation to generation and happens everywhere. Hayden uses the perfect point of view in this scenario. The omniscience from the third person allows the reader to feel the personal connection of the narrator and of the family he views across the street. The excellent selection and usage of 'purged'; lead the reader right into his conclusion of the poem. In using many of the weapons in writing Hayden strategically conquers the reader's thoughts and emotions in the poem 'The Whipping';.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Russian Avant Garde and the Bolshevik Revolution Essay -- Art Russ

The Russian Avant Garde and the Bolshevik Revolution The Russian Avant Garde began in Russia in about 1915 It was the year that Malevich revealed his Suprematist compositions that reduced painting to total abstraction. and rid the pictures of any reference whatsoever to the visual world. He is credited with being the first artist to do this; that is, forsake the visual world for a world of pure feeling and sensation. This was the first movement originated by Russians and the birth of several other Avant Garde movements. Probably the most popular piece at his 1915 exhibition was â€Å"BLACK SQUARE† (real name â€Å"suprematist composition†. It’s basically a black square on a slightly larger white square that forms a border around it. It was hung in the exhibition in the way an icon would be hung in a peasant’s home; ie top corner of the room. Malevich saw Suprematism as representing a yearning for space, an impulse to break free from the globe of the earth. It a spirit, a spirituality that went beyond anythin g before it. Among Malevich’s students and contemporaries were such names as El Lissitzsky, Alexsandr Rodchenko and Vladimir Tatlin who were, of course, to lead the Constructivist movement which started in the same year as Malevich’s exhibition. Tatlin had returned from studying art in Paris in 1913 where he had seen a series of relief constructions by Picasso. Tatlin became very interested in form and message rather than representation and so he himself made a series of constructions. They were in the same vein as Picasso, but they were framed within a space and jutted out of the picture plane into the space of the observer. They created a lot of interest and he coined the term Constructivism. Tatlin and Malevich, who had been ... ...er had a base. A few caved in and became correct thinkers. A few escaped to other countries in Europe. Some stayed in Europe and some ended up in America. They have developed and grown. Along with Gabo and Rothko and Kandinsky and numerous others, they are still having a profound influence on art. There were many parallels between the Russian Avant Garde and the two revolutions in 1915. The big difference between them in 2001, is that the art survives and grows stronger; while the other is seen for what it is, a pathetic pseudo despotism run, for a lot of years by a sociopathic mortophile. BIBLIOGRAPHY Russian Constructivism. Christina Lodder. Yale University Press. 1983. Art Spoke. Robert Atkins. Abbeville Press. 1993. Art and Revolution. John Berger. Pantheon Books. 1969. The Struggle for Utopia. Victor Margolin. University of Chicago Press. 1997.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Technology and Diabetes :: Diabetics Medical Health Essays

Technology and Diabetes Imagine not being able to have a snack or candy whenever you want to in a day. Many people have to watch what they eat, especially diabetics because of lack of insulin in their bodies. They have to watch their sugar intake daily and also keep up with insulin shots. Diabetes is a life long disease which isn’t easy to have without new technological advancements. The rapid growth of technology has made health care more successful, specifically in the advancements for the cure and treatments of diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus is a disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body’s tissues absorb glucose which is sugar, so it can be used as a source of energy. Glucose levels build up in the blood and urine which causes excessive urination, thirst, hunger, and problems with fat and protein metabolism in a diabetic person. Diabetes is very common in the United States; it is the seventh leading cause of all deaths. Women have been diagnosed with diabetes more than men. There are two forms of diabetes, Type one and Type two diabetes. Type one diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin or produces it in very small quantities. This usually occurs in younger people under twenty years of age, mostly around puberty. Type two diabetes is when the body’s balance between insulin production and the ability of cells to use insulin doesn’t work properly. This is more common than type one; about 90-95% people in th e United States have it. There are no cures for diabetes now but there are many researchers investigating factors through new technologies to cure them. Meanwhile, technological advancements are being made to keep glucose at a good level for diabetes. When someone has diabetes it takes a lot of education to learn to live with it and to control blood sugar levels each and every day. An advancement that was tested in a survey in Jan. of 2002 is the telehomecare technology. This device allows diabetic patients to communicate with the nurses at home through a computer and video equipment that transmits voice, objective data, and video over ordinary telephone lines. This device was made to help health status, quality of life for the patients, and convenient costs along with satisfaction.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Reynolds and Reynolds Essay

Reynolds & Reynolds Case Study The Reynolds and Reynolds case about team selling had very many positives and few negatives, and was a very well rounded and planned way for the American Ford Dealership to improve its customer service sector. First, I wanted to point out the effectiveness of team selling that the Reynolds team did well. They had three people comprise the team, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Wiltgen, and Mr. O’Neill. Sherman would pitch the plan to the dealership and discuss the reports with them, Wiltgen was the implementation guy, meaning that he would set everything into place if and when they agreed on what plans to use, and O’Neill was the manager overseeing everything and was there for backup if needed. The three positions and roles they played stayed the same throughout the plan and they followed through with how they wanted to present. Another thing I feel was very effective was how Sherman brought to the attention of the dealership the â€Å"lost opportunities† they had and how more much profit they could have made the previous year. O’Neill confirmed these numbers, thus making a good team decision and presentation of the facts. Also, another effective point they made was bringing up the way the dealership’s competitors were doing business and what systems they were using. The one and only disadvantage I found during this team selling presentation was that Sherman took on multiple roles as the team leader and the business consultant, and the other two were basically just there on an as-needed basis. The Reynolds team also showed great execution to the client access, client education, and fulfillment perspectives. To satisfy client access, they split the client base into three categories: Actives (customers who have been in for service in the previous 6 months), Inactives, and New Customers. Splitting customers into these categories made it easy for the dealership to see who is coming in for service, who should be notified they are due for service, and those new customers they still want to target. They executed client education/ persuasion by creating the â€Å"Preferred Customer Card† program. They also did this by implementing over 100 different types of coupons that can be easily customized to each individual customer by type of car, zip code, etc. and with the service reminder program where customers would be mailed letters, coupons, and notified via phone call that they are due for service or there was a deal going on for them. Fulfillment was achieved by the dealership choosing to implement the Direct Drive program and the service reminder program ideas that the Reynolds team had presented to them, and setting up future plans between the marketing firm and the car dealership.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Counter Terrorism Policies and Organizations in Iran

On the bright sunny morning of September 11, Al Qaeda terrorists organized one of the most destructive attacks the world has ever seen. They hijacked four commercial planes using them as weapons for annihilation. Two planes full of passengers were flown directly into the twin towers of the World Trade Center immediately killing thousands of people. The third plane targeted the Pentagon and the hijackers of the fourth plane aimed to hit Washington DC but the passengers fought back crashing the plane in Pennsylvania.The terrorists carefully and patiently devised this plan of attack which was never foreseen by the American government. Instantly, then President George Bush vowed that fighting terrorism would be his administration’s top priority. This 9/11incident is one of the many attacks that molded the image of terrorism all over the world. This fateful incident led the leaders of the world to make a commitment to fight terrorism (Gjelten). The war on terrorism is a seemingly e ndless fight.Some people say that this is a political war; others say that this is merely a clash of ideologies most specifically Islamic ideologies against the world but the raison d'etre behind every act of terror does not matter because the very act itself produces the same result- terrorism continues to steal thousands of innocent lives and strike terror in the hearts of people all throughout the world. In order to respond to these attacks, countries from all ends of the world met and created laws in order to prevent the admission of terrorists.The worsening crisis in terrorism paved the way to the enactment of the adoption of Anti-terrorism policies by the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Countries on June 13, 2002. The policy describes the different forms of terrorist attack as well as the corresponding penalties keeping in mind the most sacred and fundamental human rights. The anti-terrorism campaign also includes several courses of action for the battle again st international organized crimes. Through the cooperation of EU Countries, the member states adopted a uniform policy on visas thereby lessening illegal immigration.On December 6, 2001, the United States and the EUROPOL agreed to share strategic and technical information concerning several policies about the manner of prevention and investigation of combating serious international crimes (â€Å"Reinforcement of EU Policy against Terrorism†). The United States have several laws against terrorist even before the 9/11 attack. The US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provided that an alien who had been engaged in terrorist activity or those under suspicion of being a terrorist cannot enter the United States territory.Terrorist activity has been defined as any violent attack against persons, assassinations including hijacking planes and using chemical or nuclear weapons and any similar activity. Shortly after the 9/11 attack, the USA Patriot Act provided a wider definition of terrorist activity which now includes any person who have taken advantage of any position whether public or private to endorse aid or abet any terrorist activity or organization (Schoenholtz & Hojaiban).In a joint effort to capture members of the Kurdisan Workers’ party, Turkey and Iraq finalized negotiations regarding counter- terrorism agreement allowing Turkey to engage in hot pursuit of PKK terrorists at its base in northern Iraq (Anti-Terror Group, 2007). Iran is one of the countries that contributed greatly in terrorism. They have a special relationship with the Islamic Jihad due to the fact that they get paid for building nuclear weapons for them. They also played a great role in the war between Israel and Pakistan.They provide training and weapons for the war soldiers. Yonah Alexander, an expert in counter-terrorism said that in order to start negotiations with Iran, the past events and policies of the country in connection with terrorism must first be taken into con sideration. In 1980, the United States Embassy in Beirut was bombed by the Islamic Jihad resulting in the death and injuries of several people. About twenty eight years ago, the United States failed to rescue the hostages taken in the Embassy in Iran.An important point to consider way back then was that it was difficult to plan anti-terrorism measures because the times did not call for it unlike today. Just recently, Iran’s nuclear-making operations were suspended because of the inquiries made by several countries who had been alarmed by such activity. The investigation of IAEA led to the discovery of eighteen years of hidden nuclear activities. Even though Iran answered several questions, many remained unconvinced.On October 2003, after the Iraq invasion, Iran joined the International Atomic Energy Agency and signed a protocol stating that they support and promote its safeguard procedures (Cochran). In 2007, the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made a statement sa ying that Iran is willing to consider talks with the United States on Iraq even after the United States Ambassador in Baghdad; Ryan Crocker made a complaint about the participation of Iran in terrorist activity by extending supports by supplying weapons and training to terrorists.Several attempts towards negotiations have been made by Iran but were rejected by the United States. Indeed, it is seemingly hard to forge anti-terrorist strategy with Iran considering that it gives support to terrorist activity but no matter what the situation is, Iran is also a country that realized how much they wanted change and hw much they desire a different way of life for its people so there is a possibility that peace and negotiation talks might happen (Winer, 2007). Policy makers all throughout the world have different ideas and strategies but they all lead to one goal, which is to win the fight against terrorism.It is greatly devastating to see millions of innocent lives being lost and it is prec isely because of this reason that in this type of battle, nobody ever wins. The value of human life is nothing compared to a political belief or an ideology. The most effective way of fighting terrorism is to stop them before they get a chance to execute their plan. However, no matter how good the intentions are in enacting these laws, the extreme policies of several countries should also undergo some changes. The definition of terrorist and suspected terrorist should be reevaluated so as not to prejudice innocent people who are also seeking refuge.Indeed, the counter- terrorism negotiations with Iran has been on a rough road but through patience and constant communication, many people strongly believe that it will soon be achieved. An important thing to consider in opening renegotiations is that Iran should declare every detail and surrender all its accounts concerning their development of nuclear programs. They should also make a stand that they would severe all their efforts in s upporting terrorism. It is important to keep in mind that the main reason why everybody is uniting against terrorism is to protect the people and not to push them directly in harm’s way.Works Cited Anti-Terror Group. 2007. †Turkey, Iraq to sigh counter-terrorism deal, hot pursuit on agenda†. PKKterror. com. 22 April 2009 http://www. pkkterror. com/content/view/711/27/> Gjelten, T. 2009. â€Å"September 11 Attacks. † Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 22 April 2009. â€Å"Reinforcement of EU Policy against Terrorism†. 2005. Hellenic Republic, Embassy of Greece. 22 April 2009 Schoenholtz, Andrew and Jeniffer Hojaiban. 2008. â€Å" International Migration and Anti-Terrorism Laws and Policies; Balancing Security and Refugee Protection†. Institute for the Study of International Migration Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. 22 April 2009.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Summary on “Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods”

I will be writing a summary of the journal article â€Å"Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods† written by David J. Harding (2009), who argues that, â€Å"cross-cohort socialization by older neighborhood peers is one source of socialization for adolescent boys† (Page 445). He uses primary data collection from 60 adolescent boys in three Boston neighborhoods to â€Å"understand the causes and consequences of these interactions and relationships† (Harding, 2009, Pg. 445).In the journal article â€Å"Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods† by David J. Harding, Harding (2009) suggests that disadvantaged neighborhoods influence how adolescents make romantic and educational decisions. Adolescents are also more likely socialized with the more accessible older people in the neighborhood who don’t have a job, and work on the streets. The young peo ple feel that socializing with older men in their community that work in the â€Å"underground† economy helps with navigation through the dangerous streets and the older men influence their decision.The social isolation theory â€Å"argues that lack of participation in the mainstream labor market isolates residents of inner-city communities from middle-class social groups, organizations, and institutions† (Wilson, 1996, pg. 446). That theory, according to Harding (2009), suggests that kids in communities that are have high unemployment, don’t experience a life that is organized around their families work place, so some don’t feel like they need to join the work force in the future for a source of income.They see their community make a living on the streets. One hole in the social isolation theory is that it does not address that in inner-city neighbors, people do, in fact, share some of the same ideals as other social classes such as the desire to get mar ried and the importance of education (Harding, 2009). In ghetto-cultured neighborhoods, even decent families are competing with their child’s peers when it comes to influencing their decisions on sex, crime and school.Adolescents look up to young men who are higher ups in the neighborhood due to their success in the streets (Harding 2009). Violence in inner-city neighborhoods is also a way to move up in the social totem pole of the community showing your masculinity and earn respect. Harding suggests his own theory; he had a methodology for primary data collection. He interviewed 60 adolescent boys between the ages of 13 to 18 in three ghetto locations in Boston.In his investigations, he found that violence in disadvantaged neighborhoods is rarely random or accidental; it is directly related to interpersonal relationships and on going conflicts (2009). Another observation was, â€Å"the younger adolescent boys of Roxbury Crossing and Franklin struggle to cope with the ever-p resent threat of violence, relationships with older peers are one strategy for securing at least a measure of protection†¦By contrast, adolescent boys in Lower Mills face a much lower threat of victimization.Their social lives are not structured by strong neighborhood identities that restrict social networks or the use of geographic space, so strategies for reducing the threat of victimization are less necessary† (Harding, 2009, Pg. 452). In Harding’s investigations, he takes note that there is big distinction between neighborhoods. He gives the example of a kid named Marcus that has a neighbor who owed him $4, but since he didn’t want to fight his neighbor, he threatened his neighbor’s friend that lived in another neighborhood to get his money back.There is a large amount of respect between people in the same neighborhood and big rivalries between different neighborhoods (2009). Parents in Lower Mills don’t have to worry about their children g etting jumped or fighting. They go to the park and have a good time. On the other hand, parents of children in Roxbury and Franklin are constantly worrying about whether their children are getting involved with dangers on the streets. Neighborhood identity has a lot to do with violence (Harding, 2009).Violence is a defining characteristic of impoverish neighborhoods and it structures kids lives and socialization (Harding, 2009). According to Harding, â€Å"With respect to social organization theory, this article shows how the failure of a community to control violence can have spillover effects in other domains through the impact of violence on the age-structure of peer networks† (2009, pg. 462). References Harding, David. (2009). Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods. American Sociological Review. 74, (3), 445-464.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

A Critique on the Article: Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones Essay

According to the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics (â€Å"BRICE†) business leaders of the 21st century face a number of difficult and complex challenges that greatly affect their businesses as well as the various stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is nothing new considering the fallout of the recent global financial crisis as well as the events preceding which can be summarized by unethical business practices perpetuated by giant corporations like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and many more (Kiviat, 2008). However, these three companies only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unethical business practices. There are many firms with secrets that are kept hidden but not for long. In this regard BRICE suggested that the problems related to business ethics can be remedied by going to the root of the matter which is the process of making decisions. BRICE asserted that there are â€Å"ethical danger zones† that a leader must learn to avoid when making crucial decisions. Furthermore, BRICE added that this can be achieved by focusing on three areas: quality, breadth, and honesty. This paper will analyze how these principles can be applied in the real world. Quality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to BRICE the quality of the decision making process is determined by the collection and consideration of all meaningful facts regarding a decision’s consequences (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is a good idea but the question is how will the leader know that nothing was left out? According to the said resource this can be done by identifying danger zones such as ethnocentrism, stereotypes, inability to perceive the correct cause of a problem, sin of omission, and the inability to focus on people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were doing just fine up until they added the concept of sin of omission and the inability to focus on people. It is easy to understand why they pinpointed ethnocentrism, stereotypes and wrong perception of causes as pitfalls in achieving quality in decision making. This is due to the fact that ethnocentrism automatically creates a biased worldview. The leader automatically has this false sense of security, that his or her system of beliefs and values are the best and he or she need not adapt to a rapidly changing world. The same thing can be said about using stereotypes especially in a global economy where the headquarters of a particular firm can be found in the United States but its factories are located in China.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ability to know for certain the root cause of a problem is also a useful skill in decision making but when the authors added the need to focus on people and to watch out for the sin of omission the discussion suddenly went off course. There should have been more discussion in clarifying the three aforementioned principles to help explain in detail how to improve the quality of the decision making process because the authors stated clearly in the very beginning that quality can only be achieved by considering and collecting pertinent information. But the added sub-topic immediately went to the details of how to solve a particular problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors should have clarified the reason why leaders make assumptions. In other words they should have added more explanation and illustrations why leaders are unable to collect and consider necessary information to help them in making accurate judgments and creating solutions to their problems. It was too early to go into specifics, and more importantly, the authors were only able to scratch the surface when they attempted to go in-depth when it comes to the discussion of perception of causes. If they are not willing to develop the discussion even further they should have stayed with generalizations and not start off with a quest that they could not complete. Breadth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the authors, another way to improve the decision making process is to consider the potential effects of a particular decision on all stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). They even contended that leaders must utilize their imagination to determine possible moral implications of their decisions that could impact other stakeholders; these are stakeholders that may lie outside their sphere of responsibility. This is a good point. Clearly the leaders of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco did not consider the impact of their unethical behavior (Thomas, 2006). However, the authors did not clarify the boundaries for this principle to work effectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there are no limitations then corporate leaders will be hard presses to please everyone. In a global economy it is impossible to know the exact implication of a corporate decision. This should make CEOs extra cautious when it comes to making crucial decisions but an objective assessment of the market will lead to the conclusion that it is impossible to consider the opinion of everyone. More importantly nothing has been said when it comes to priorities. It is nice to hear that a company is doing its best to be produce environmentally friendly products so that it can lessen its impact on the environment and therefore create positive impact for future generations, however, their number one priority should be the investors and the stockholders of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No one is foolish enough to make an investment without making a reasonable profit in return. Although the authors clarified that a leader must have a realistic worldview, nothing was said regarding the firm’s bottom line. These statements are even harder to accept if it turns out that the authors never had any experience when it comes to making decisions in the corporate level or at least as an entrepreneur. They may have no idea what it feels like to put everything on the line only to find out that the business venture is losing money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to have leaders that think beyond dollars and cents and perform in such a way that they are not only thinking about the wishes and commands of investors and shareholders. On the other hand it must be made clear that a firm has to have revenues and increase its value or else it will cease to exist. Examining every decision made in light of moral and ethical principles is the best way to do business; nevertheless the primary commitment of the company is not with outsiders but the shareholders and the employees. The CEO must keep in mind that the moment the company is no longer making profit then employees will no longer have jobs and those who come to depend upon their products and services will be greatly inconvenienced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were correct in saying that it is unwise to assume that the public may never find out. But there is really no need to devote much space regarding this topic. It is an important topic by the way; nevertheless, it does not seem to fit the target audience of BRICE. The message makes sense but it is not what top corporate leaders are interested in reading. In the foreword the authors stated that BRICE has come into partnership with Business Roundtable – an association of chief executive officers of leading corporations with a combined workforce of more than ten million people and $4 trillion in revenues (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). These are the type of leaders that will read this document and they will never assume that the general public will never find out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors may have been trying to say that even if the fall of greedy corporate executives such as the former CEOs of Enron and Tyco are well known there are still leaders who are not afraid to walk the same path and so they assumed that these leaders are not conscious of the fact that their actions will never be made public. There could be a better way to discuss this issue and it is to find out why CEOs are sometimes forced to ignore the low-probability events and other waning signs. It is because they are under tremendous pressure to perform, to make money for the firm. Corporate leaders managing multinational companies with a global presence will never assume that the general public will never find out. The authors should have explained why some CEOs are willing to walk near the edge when they know that they are courting disaster. The authors should have delved deeper into the psychology behind bending the rules for the sake of profit. There is an explanation why CEOs find it hard to resist the temptation to use a scheme that will guarantee a sudden increase in profit even if they knew that somehow they had to break a few rules. If the authors focused on this angle instead of giving generalizations then the article could have been an interesting read for CEOs leading multi-million dollar companies. The authors should have focused more on the tension that exists when leaders are pulled into different directions – the company’s bottom line is pulling the company that way while business ethics is pulling the other way. The authors should have elaborated more on what Mulcahy the CEO of Xerox said regarding the proper way to manage this tension and it can be truncated into this one statement: The company will pay for performance but the company will hire, promote, and fire based on values; employees will have to deliver the top line and the bottom line and do it in the most ethical manner (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). The authors should have expounded more on this. Honesty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last portion of the article dealt with the concept of honesty, integrity, and overconfidence. It is easy to see that the last word does not belong to the previous statement. Honesty, integrity and moral compass are like complimentary objects and deserve to be grouped together. The question remains why overconfidence was a sub-topic that was used to elucidate the meaning of honesty. The authors linked honesty and overconfidence by stating that a leader must be honest about his or her overconfidence. With great effort this premise will work but there is a less strenuous way to get the point across. There is a much better way to communicate without forcing the reader to perform some extreme mental calisthenics. Quite frankly there is really nothing wrong with the said statement but it just does not sound right and it is confusing for those whose who may not have time to go through the document more than one time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those who are expected to read this document are CEOs, and although they appreciate statistics and factual reporting they also like simplicity in the presentation of ideas. By using tough to digest words like ethical danger zones and not provide a clear explanation of what it is all about can frustrate many of them and they will never finish reading the whole article. The article can be seen as an assemblage of disjointed parts. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors started out strong by stating that there are ethical danger zones that corporate leaders should avoid especially during these difficult and challenging times. However, they were unable to give new information that would be of great help to leaders of multinational corporations. Instead they settled with generalizations and used oft-repeated statements that are already well-known in the international business community. It can be argued that members of the Business Roundtable came into partnership with BRICE to learn more about business ethics. They surely did not expect an article or a manifesto telling them something that they know already. These leaders are aware of the dangers that exist when an organization ignores business ethics. What they need to understand is how to balance the need for profit and the need to perform at the highest levels without compromising the organization’s core values. References Kiviat, B. (2008). â€Å"Reassessing Risk.† Retrieved 03 August 2010 from   http://www.time.com/ time/magazine/article/0,9171,1856998,00.html Messick, D., M. Bazerman, & L. Stewart. (2006). Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones. Business Rountable Institute for Corporate Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.corporate-ethics.org/pdf/danger_zones.pdf Thomas, C. (2006). â€Å"The Enron Effect.† Accessed 03 August 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198917,00.html