Saturday, August 31, 2019

Single Sex Classrooms

Single sex classrooms create opportunities that do not really exist in a coed classroom for students. Teachers can create learning strategies in all girl classrooms, and in all boy classrooms, which do not work as well in coed classrooms. Many public schools are beginning to adopt the single sex classroom ideas and seeing dramatic improvement with grades and test scores. The strongest proof yet, that separating boys and girls works, is the drastic improvement in grades for both sexes. But to simply place girls in a classroom and boys in another classroom is not going to work.Teachers should have special training for practical gender-specific classroom strategies and learn the best practices for these gender-separate classrooms. In the book â€Å"Gender and Education† the authors Barbara Banks, Sara Delamont, and Catherine Marshall specifically state: â€Å"Teacher interactions with students are at the heart of the hidden curriculum and are important means by which informal le ssons about gender are transmitted in schools† (Banks571). Single sex classrooms simply create more opportunities and a better learning environment for our children that coed classrooms do not create.Girls in all girl classrooms and boys in all boy classrooms are more likely to study subjects that they would not necessarily choose if the class was coed. It also expands ideas of educational opportunities and core values for both boys and girls, and the classes generate custom created learning strategies and instructions to better learning. Girls in all girl classrooms and boys in all boy classrooms are more likely to study subjects that they wouldn’t necessarily choose if the class was coeducational, in my opinion. Single sex classrooms bring a broader horizon for our students more so than coeducational classrooms.Kenneth Jost the author of Single Sex Education quotes in his book â€Å"Sex segregation and discrimination persists in high school programs around the countr y, 30 years after Congress passed a law barring such discrimination in education† (Jost1). Single sex education advocates say the solution is quite easy just let boys be boys and girls be girls. Leonard Sax states in his book â€Å"Boys Adrift† that â€Å"the solution is to let boys and girls attend separate classes, so that you can take advantage of the ‘sex differences’ in learning styles†(Sax,174).You breakdown stereotypes by letting the sexes be separate. When you put boys and girls together, it just increases the gender roles. The boys do things that are thought of as typical for boys, and girls do things that are thought of as typical for girls. You do not see many girls wanting to take classes such as welding class, building workshop, weight room, architect design, and sports education. There definitely would not be many boys wanting to take classes such as drama, art, home economics, sewing class, and foreign languages.So if you eliminate the gender bias and the need to impress the opposite sex, you would possibly begin to see boys' willingness to engage in what would be considered â€Å"feminine activities,† such as choir or drama club. Girls’ willingness to engage in â€Å"manly activities†, such as welding and building workshops, and pro-dominantly male sports may increase also. Single sex classrooms expand ideas, educational opportunities, and core values for both sexes. Leonard Sax states in his book â€Å"Boys Adrift†, â€Å"A boy does not naturally become a gentleman-by whom I mean, a man who is courteous, kind, and unselfish.That behavior is not hardwired. It has to be taught† (Sax163). Most boy schools make a point of teaching boys to be gentlemen, to have self-discipline, and how to be a leader. This may be more important to learn than their actual school work. â€Å"Teenage boys without strong leadership can easily become barbarians† (Sax165). Sax was correct when he stated this, and this is exactly what is wrong with our male population today. This is why I feel so strongly about these single sex teaching atmospheres.In coed schools, boys tend to adopt a masculine attitude because girls are there. They feel they have to demonstrate their masculinity by gross macho over-reaction. Boys in single-sex schools become more sensitive men, and they are more polite. All girl schools focus entirely on girls, to improve their learning and self-esteem. It also motivates girls to try and reach goals, that they normally may find unattainable, because it is a â€Å"guy thing†. If there are no guys around, there is nothing to hold them back.Single sex education helps girls overcome the male sexism that still exist in public schools, and girls are at center stage at all girl schools with only girls in the audience. Educational opportunities such as less sex bias in teacher-student interactions. Reducing sex differences in curricula and more successful ro le models for girls. Girls at single sex schools are more likely to take nontraditional classes such as physics and advanced math because they have the opportunity to excel in them.This is mostly related to smaller classes and there being no gender bias. Also, it installs values such as, to work for and achieve excellent grades, create greater self-esteem, good character development, responsibility, and leadership. â€Å"Girls receive less teacher attention than boys, feel less comfortable speaking out in class, and face threats of sexual harassment in school†(Barbara1), as Santa Barbara states in her article. If that is true, why would you not want your child in single sex classrooms, so they could learn without fear or embarrassment?The single sex organizational arrangement spared students the interruptions and distractive aspects that are normally in coeducational classrooms. If these classes are offered, maybe girls would focus more on their studies and grades, instead of their looks and clothing. Not having to worry or be afraid of harassment from boys. Also by separating the classes, the overall population would decrease, giving students smaller learning environments. Other opportunities that come from these classes are lessons that students relate to and want to learn.No girl wants to read a science fiction book, and no boy wants to read a love story. This causes teachers to have a tough time finding lessons to teach the class that both genders can relate to. But with single gender classes the teachers’ lesson can be more suitable for each gender. This makes learning experience more interesting and fun. Giving students more educational opportunities. Single Sex classrooms generate custom created learning strategies and instructions to better student learning. Teachers have to customize what they do, to the needs and abilities of each individual student.In single-sex schools, teachers are free to choose materials that fit the interests of t heir students. In coed schools, the females are often held back or held down to the abilities and interests of the males. Teachers should have special training for practical gender-specific classroom strategies and learn the best practices for the gender-separate classroom. Boys perceive the coed school as an institution run largely by women, and run largely according to women's rules: (examples: â€Å" sit still†, â€Å"don't make too much noise†, â€Å"don't be disruptive†, etc. ).They see that the majority of the top students are girls, and the â€Å"teacher's pet† is either a female or a geek. So, many boys may devalue academic excellence. If you're a male at a coed school, being an â€Å"A† student does not raise your status with other guys. At many coed schools, being an â€Å"A† student may actually lower your status with other boys. Girls and boys that attend same sex schools tend to have higher test scores and high grades in general , rather than their counterparts that go to coeducational schools. Boys' and girls' brains develop differently.These differences are especially significant for learning in the early years. Then, as they get older, girls and boys distract each other from academics because of normal social and sexual development. The needs of each sex are completely opposite therefor the emphasis of a school for boys should not be required to be the same as a school for girls. These classes and schools also benefit kids with learning disabilities. It gives them more time with a teacher and less distractions. Also, teachers are able to create lesson plans that help focus their attention on what they need to be learning.Statistics show that girls excel in reading and writing while boys excel more so in science and math. With single gender classrooms boys could excel in English because teachers could give them topics to write about that interest them. Unlike the topic the teacher would have to pick to go with a coeducational class. Boys could write about gladiators or soldiers, and the teacher not discourage them. But encourage them to become more detailed, even if it is not sweet or nice, because there are no girls in the class to compare it to.The issue to often is boys think writing stories is for girls and geeks. Real boys play games and sports. That is the message which many coed schools today are unintentionally giving to males. Teachers in all-boys schools can send a different message. â€Å"Girls are more likely to be excessively critical in evaluating their own academic performance. Conversely, boys tend to have unrealistically high estimates of their own academic abilities and accomplishments† (Pomerantz396). So with that statement I think teachers who teach single gender classes should focus on promoting girls to believe in themselves.These teachers should help boys to really focus on their academics, rather than let them think unrealistically and challenge them t o do better. Psychologists have found fundamental differences in what motivates females, compared to males. â€Å"Researchers have consistently found that girls are more concerned than boys are with pleasing adults, such as parents and teachers. Most boys, on the other hand, will be less motivated to study, unless the material itself interest them† (Pomerantz, Altermatt, & Saxon, 2002, p. 397). Boys and girls experience different academic difficulties.Therefore, maybe the best thing to do is separate the genders and have teachers who are qualified in teaching single gender classrooms teach them. Single sex classes and schools strive to help improve students’ achievement. Single sex schools are no longer limited to providing an alternative educational route for girls. Today, boys also need this type of school environment, in order to learn effectively and be productive young men. Single sex classes and schools can help bring about greater race and social-class equality. This has become the final frontier in creating true equality of educational opportunity for all. Studies have shown when public schools have tried the single gender classrooms the results are: a decrease in disciplinary problems, higher scores on standardized test, and over all educational achievement. The benefits of single-sex schools are not only just academics. Single-sex education has been shown to expand the students' outlook on life. Allowing freedom to explore one’s own strengths and interests in life. With no fear of gender stereotypes holding them back.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Saving Someone’s Life As A Heroic Act

Saving someone’s life is always looked upon as a heroic. It is acceptable for society to ridicule us should we choose not to respond? Should society throw shame and guilt on us? If in the process of saving someone’s life we loose ours, we did a heroic act, but is that wise? Saving someone else life is a heroic act and deserve a lot of praise and respect. If one person tries to save the life of another person on the cost of his own life then this is a very noble act. Though in our society there are people of every thought and not everyone will appreciate this act, however, we should not see what people say about it. When one person is in very difficult situation that it can cost his life, then we should put our all efforts to save the life of a person. It is our moral responsibility as well as brotherhood. We must understand the situation while thinking that suppose if we would be in such a tough and difficult situation we would like someone to come and save us then it is of utmost importance that we should give our full support to such a person. The question that ‘whether we’ll loose our life in saving other person’s life? ’ remains controversial. As it is not necessary that we will loose ours but of course there are chances that we can loose our own life in an attempt to save other’s life. However, this is the main point of nobility to prefer others over our own self. This is the reason that it is said to be the heroic act. In saving other person’s life society may ridicule us because we took risk of our own life to save other person’s life. But we should always ignore what people say about this. We must not respond to the irritating remarks. Instead, society should always encourage these noble acts and must not blame or throw shame on others. The real essence of our life is to help out others in all possible circumstances. We must prefer and give value to others over our own-self. Hence, this is not the act of shame, but it is a dignified act and has a noble cause. It is not reasonable that society must ridicule us. In fact, ridiculing such a noble act is itself an act of disgrace. We must have enough courage to think of every individual as an important being. Such act also involves immediate thinking and taking decision to save other person from danger. If all society will turn to be more self-fish and refrain from saving others in time of danger then this is a dishonor. For example, if we see a car accident and if we see driver can be pulled out of the car before it goes on flames then we must immediately do it. Though it bears the risk that car will blow-off and anyone standing nearby will blow-off too, but refraining to help driver out will be a selfish act. The decision that whether we should risk our lives or whether we should let other person die is an important one. Nevertheless, the wisdom lies behind the fact that we must put our all efforts to save other person as we might seek when our own life will be in danger. Though it will involve taking risk of our own lives but still we should do our best to save others. This is the act of great generosity and nobility. A dying person always seeks help from others and wants others to save his life. This is our moral duty to save other person. The wisdom behind this act is that we must give preference to others over our own self and secondly we must help others in a way that we seek from others.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Summary of Industrial Convergence, Globalization

Through the use of descriptive and comparative analysis, the authors intend on demonstrating that the convergence of the industrialization gap was not accompanied by a convergence in the income levels gap between former First World and Third World countries. Thus, the North-South divide still exists. Through economic models, the persistence of the North-South income divide is explained. Simultaneously, the authors discuss the development project and globalization project and how the shifts occurred. Additionally, the reproduction of the North-South divide is discussed. The paper is concluded with a highlight on the factors destabilizing the new illusio and the long-term future of the Northern-dominated hierarchy of wealth. The paper is separated into four subsections. In the first subsection titled World Income Inequality, Development and â€Å"Globalization†, the authors examine the theoretical framework of the paper. Firstly, the authors discuss income inequality between countries and highlight that debates on world income inequality do not completely address the persistence or non-persistence of the North-South divide issue. Thus, the paper addresses this. The authors state that in theory, the North-South divide could decline in significance even if extreme inter-country income inequality persisted. They further state that this would be the case if inter-country inequality was accompanied by switches within the distribution of income between former Third World countries and former First World countries. Furthermore, the authors suggest that unequal income distribution is characterized by less long-term upward/downward mobility of countries from Third world to First World and vice-versa. This can reflect a hierarchy of wealth. Previous research showed that this upward/downward shift was achieved by few countries. Additionally, the authors mention that there is a consensus in relevant literature that global hierarchy of wealth is a legacy of industrial and territorial expansion of Western nations. Due to this legacy, it is anticipated that decolonization and industrialization of Third World countries would reduce the North-South divide. The authors moreover, explain that theories of national development believed that industrialization was essential for Third World countries to attain wealth standards of the First World countries. This became the objective of the Third World development efforts and the narrowing of the industrialization gap was the instrument through which this would be achieved (Arrighi,G,. Silver,J,B,. and Brewer,D,B,. 2003. p. 6). This subsequently led to synonymous use of industrialization and development. To conclude this subsection, the authors provide reasons to why the paper focuses on industrialization and the North-South divide. Firstly, the reasons for focusing on industrialization are because the authors wish to verify empirically the validity of the theory (or assumption) that industrialization is the most effective means of achieving the development efforts objective. Further reasons include that industrialization has costs and benefits, but these quantifiable costs are visible and invisible. On the other hand, the focus on the North-South divide is aimed at assessing the success or failure of the Third World development efforts. In the next subsection, the authors use empirical analysis to investigate the impact of the change in the global political-economic environment on Third World developmental efforts. This is completed by comparing changes in industrialization and income over two periods (1960-1980 and 1980-1998/9) in a particular country. The main findings were that for pre-1980, the industrialization gap was narrowed. This was due to de-industrialization in the First World countries and not because of industrialization of the Third World countries. Conversely, the income gap was not narrowed. For post-1980, the new environment was unfavourable to the success of the efforts as the industrialization gap was narrowed but the income gap increasingly diverged between First and Third World and among Third World countries. The authors conclude the subsection by stating that the discrepancy between convergence in industrialization and the lack of income convergence between First World countries and Third World countries in both periods is a result of no positive correlation between industrial and income performance (Arrighi,G,. et al,. 2003. p. 15). To explain the recurring failure of industrialization in achieving the development efforts objective, economic development models were utilized in the third subsection of the paper. Firstly, according to Joseph Schumpeter’s creative destruction theory, major profit-oriented innovations are the main impulses that generate and sustain competitive pressures in a capitalist system. This theory further elucidates that the occurrence of innovations under capitalism â€Å"increasingly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, increasingly destroying the only one, increasingly creating a new one† (Arrighi,G,. t al,. 2003. p. 16). This results in immediate gains by wealthy countries but also intensifies competition and causes losses or moderate gains for poorer countries. Secondly, Raymond Vernon’s â€Å"Product life cycle† and Akamatsu’s â€Å"Flying geese† theories portray the diffusion of industrial innovations as a spatially structured process starting in wealthy countries and progressing to poorer countries. Both authors of the models emphasize that the innovation process tends to begin in wealthier nations. Higher rewards (spectacular prize) are therefore generated or won by the wealthier countries and poorer countries generate fewer or no rewards at all. The reason for this is that when poorer countries adopt â€Å"new† innovations they are subjected to intense competition and no longer yield high returns. In light of this, the First World countries gained Oligarchic wealth through industrialization. Oligarchic wealth is wealth attained by a few as attempts to attain it raises costs and reduces benefits. The authors further explain that due to unequal opportunities for economic advancement, a problem of adding up was created. This problem affected countries that wished to attain Oligarchic wealth and countries that wished to maintain it. In addition, the intense competition that resulted from generalized industrialization efforts prevented First World countries from attaining their wealth and undermined the industrial foundations of oligarchic wealth of First World countries. In the 1970’s, this was actualized as intense worldwide competition adversely affected the First World countries. Third World countries benefited in terms of industrialization and economic advancement as natural resources had higher prices and had access to large supply of credit and investment. A â€Å"fear of falling† was created among First World countries due to their de-industrialization. The U. S. adopted neo-utilitarian and state minimalist doctrines as a response to the U. S. hegemony crisis. According to Bourdieu, the response of the U. S. an be characterized as a stepping up of investments within the disintegrating Keynesian framework of state action and capital accumulation. By 1980, the U. S. specialized in global financial intermediation and speculation. This new innovation by the U. S. was a more profitable innovation as this market niche was not overcrowded like the industrialization market niche. This contributed to the rattling of the reoccurrence of the North-South divide as the restructuring led to large capital outflows in Third World countries, as proven by Mexico’s default in 1982. This further led to the division in the fortunes of Third World countries because when the U. S. ’s demand for cheap industrial products grew, East Asian countries had an advantage over Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America because they were able to provide these manufactured goods. Finally, the development project experienced a crisis during this restructuring. Third World countries had not experienced any benefits from this development effort as promised. Third World countries reluctantly joined the new illusio or globalization project which was propagated by the Washington Consensus which called for open markets and intense competition. In the final subsection titled Limits and Contradictions of the Neoliberal Counter Revolution, the authors seek to explain how stable the new illusio is expected to be and if there are signs of future subversion of the Northern-dominated global hierarchy of wealth in present trends. The authors state that the new illusio is a global system characterized by unstable mix of large and persistent inequalities (Arrighi,G,. t al. 2003). Furthermore, sources likely to destabilize the global project are presented. This includes the restoration of the US hegemony and Western wealth and non-compliance of Third World countries in opening up their economies fully. Finally, the authors explain that the demand for a New International Economic Order will have impact on the re-emergence of East Asia as a dynamic region of global economy and emphasize that the present and future of the global hierarchy of wealth may be China’s expansion.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Network Security of LAN used in Small Office and Home Office Essay

Network Security of LAN used in Small Office and Home Office - Essay Example Another fact worthy to note is that less than two thirds (62 percent) of these small businesses use automatic patching. Those that do not use automatic patching has the risk of not getting a critical update and most likely leave their systems open for the next round of attacks that will undeniably come. Recommendations for enhancing these best practices are put forth. With each passing day, interconnectivity in today’s marketplace develops and numerous businesses are putting their trust on the Internet and other network technologies for the smooth functioning of their businesses. Even small businesses now have the capability to compete with effectiveness compared with larger companies as the internet offers the ability for them to expand the geographical scope of their market. In addition, the Internet is able to make 71 percent of small businesses to begin conducting different business tasks, such as servicing the customer and doing procurement, as a recent survey shows (American Express, 2002). However, this wonderful news does not come without a catch. Internet connection particularly a 24/7 broadband connection is also a security threat to small businesses which probably lack the resources and technical skill to deal with it. The deficiency of small business to hire a diverse IT staff as commonly found in bigger companies is a hindranc e. Managers of these small businesses are unsurprisingly unable to fully comprehend yet the information and business implications of the security threats and risks. The significant factor in the creation of a standard security program for a company is still its size, where smaller business most unlikely to have very complicated security for themselves (Kotulic & Clark, 2004). In a worldwide survey done by Ernst and Young, 34 percent of respondents found they are less than sufficient in telling whether or not their systems are being attacked. 32

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Review of a journal article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Review of a journal - Article Example The researchers determined occupational exposure’s frequency as well as the characteristics associated with this exposure. The electronic health record (EHR) was reviewed to determine the frequency of potential missed exposures. The EHR data revealed the cases of laboratory-confirmed pertussis that were not included in the records of OH or IPC. The researchers found 1193 confirmed cases of HCW’s exposure to pertussis linked with a total of 219 index cases in the course of the period of study. 38.8 per cent of these cases were infants up to 6 months of age whereas 7 cases were of HCWs. 77.5 per cent of the exposures had taken place in an ambulatory site or the emergency department whereas 27.0 per cent of the exposures had taken place after the IPC precautions had been initiated in documents. The researchers’ EHR review led to the discovery of 450 cases of pertussis confirmed in the laboratory of which 49.8 per cent had taken place without any IPC or OH investigat ion. Most of the cases that had not been investigated belonged to the ambulatory sites. The conclusions that can be drawn from this research are that occupational exposure to pertussis is something that takes place in the pediatric health care settings quite frequently in spite of the appropriate guidelines provided by IPC. Consistent and effective implementation of the practices suggested by IPC imparts a need for interventions and timely reporting of the cases of pertussis index so that exposure of the HCWs to pertussis and the infection’s transmission to patients can be prevented. This cross-sectional study was based on a retrospective review of the records of IPCD and OHD in which the data was retrieved from a large quaternary pediatric care network. A strength of the research is that the researchers identified all investigated cases of exposure of the HCWs to

Leadership and Change in Construction Industry Coursework

Leadership and Change in Construction Industry - Coursework Example Some of these challenges are sector-specific. In the housebuilding sector, there is a shortage of housing, and this is unlikely to ease in the short term, unless planning regulations are relaxed and a substantial affordable-housing programme makes an impact: high house prices exclude many prospective first-time buyers from the housing market. The infrastructure subsectors have experienced a decline in work, much of which is due to delayed programmes in, for example, transport. The industrial construction sector has experienced a growth in warehouse construction work, but the factory sector is likely to remain subdued as the UK loses manufacturing jobs to cheaper manufacturing centres overseas. Commercial construction work benefits from major Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programmes in education and health, although some of these have been delayed. Output from office construction is particularly important in the commercial sector, while work in the retail subsector faces increasing planning restrictions. In the building materials subsector, there are challenges relating to rising energy costs and environmental issues, such as sustainable material sources, disposal of waste and recycling. New materials are being investigated to accommodate improved environmental features; for example, reducing heat loss and simplifying construction methods (UK Construction Industry Market Review, 2006). These major developments in the UK's construction industry highlight importance of the human resource issues to be faced by the managers within this sector of economy. Attracting skilled labour and career oriented employees (especially considering the growing share of part-time and causal job in the sector), retaining such employees in order to build bench strength required for succession planning, providing advanced training are only the most evident tasks to be fulfilled by the companies within the construction industry in the long-term perspective. Therefore, strong and effective leadership is a critical aspect of human resources related activities required to manage the recent challenges. Leadership in the modern highly dynamic and turbulent marketplace is not restricted to simply getting the employees to do what the leader wants and requires them to do. The key task of a modern leader in the construction industry is to bring out the very best of the employees' potential and help them focus their energies to reach a common set of goals. Therefore, some authors believe

Monday, August 26, 2019

Discuss the view that globalisation has generated conditions (in poor Essay

Discuss the view that globalisation has generated conditions (in poor countries) that are conducive to instability, conflict and the emergence of extremist m - Essay Example Globalisation has become an all pervading, all monopolising phenomenon. â€Å"Globalisation can be defined as a set of economic, social, technological, political and cultural structures and processes arising from the changing character of the production, consumption and trade of goods and assets that comprise the base of the international political economy,† â€Å"Globalization is by no means a new phenomenon: idea systems such as Islam or Marxism have had transnational appeal for centuries, and commodities and personnel have long been mobile (for example, there was greater demographic mobility in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries than today),† Kinnwall (2002, p.21). If that is the case, instead of making people and nations comfortable, why has the larger version of globalisation been generating a backlash today, in almost all the societies, other than most of the West? Definitely large forces are up and against it in the most negative way possible. It has been disliked even for its positive qualities. There is no denying that a kind of highly materialistic society is emerging out of globalisation, at the cost of ethics, values, and civilisations, while other issues like poverty, environment, international issues, labour and mainly Human Rights are being either sidelined or ignored. Blind forces of globalisation have continuously threatened the freedom of people in far-flung regions. Globalisation has been blamed as the Western tool of imposing their culture and ways of living. It has also ushered in an alien Western Democracy that has become unpopular in a hurry. People are more concerned with their independence, freedom, religion, customs and most of all, national economies. One main idea that is a hindrance is that economic and political systems that are in conflict with the western systems should either be modified or should

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Business strategy in transport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business strategy in transport - Essay Example In this context, it can be observed that the economic recession alike many other industries had affected airline industry as well. It can also be observed that apart from a number of benefits prevalent in the EU for starting a new airline service provider, there are certain difficulties that requires to be considered such as uncertain economic scenario, credit crunch, fluctuating fuel price and unpredictable environmental and climatic conditions. Due to these uncertainties, a few full-service airlines in the EU had suffered losses. Despite these certain hindrances the growth prospects which have been observed in the EU region has opened up opportunities for low cost service providers such as Ryan Air and EasyJet. In the EU there is a tremendous prospect of improvement in travel and tourism sector which will provide added growth prospect for a new airline service provider. Low cost operators can make the most of the existing and prospective scenario to leverage benefit out of it (Case Study, n.d.). Therefore, it can be observed that in the existing scenario in the EU, the low-cost operators are being able to earn profits for the shareholders. In this context, the research paper intends to critically examine the prospects of an entrepreneur who endeavours to set up a low cost scheduled airline within the EU. The route that has been selected is between London and Amsterdam. It is identified to be one of the most popular routes on a worldwide basis (Patrikarakos, 2009). The research paper will subsequently attempt to analyse the existing business environment to identify potential barriers to the intended business venture. Critical Analysis of the Business Prospect The intended business venture of the optimistic entrepreneur is towards starting a new low-cost scheduled airline service. From the provided case study, it can be observed that in the present economic context (post-recessionary period), there is a substantial growth prospect for establishing business in t he new venture. It can also be identified that in the present context, in the EU region, there are certain obstacles and losses faced by full service carrier due to few prevailing conditions. Therefore, the most promising growth prospect that can be identified is for the low-cost service carriers. The intended business venture can be started in not only the EU but also throughout the world i.e. Amsterdam to London route, which can be one of the most growth prospect oriented routes According to the intention of the entrepreneur, the new scheduled service will provide low-cost airline service in this particular route only at the inception. It can also be stated that the demand for service is at the optimum level in this route. Thus, a new service has tremendous opportunity to acquire benefits out of the growth prospect which can be from business travellers as well as leisure travellers who are likely to use the services provided by the new low-cost scheduled airline service (Patrikara kos, 2009). The two airports that can be selected for the scheduled airline service are Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which is the prime international airport of the Netherlands, and Heathrow Airport of London, which is one of the busiest airports in not only the UK but also in the world (ACI World, 2011). In this context, it can be identified that the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is situated mere 14 km outside the city of Amsterdam. The

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Case Study - Essay Example An instant EHR access also permits many doctors to be referencing the chart concurrently. Similar EHR systems provide physicians delivering enhanced quality of medical care adopting the â€Å"Intergy HER† as all measures and instructions that are recorded are capable to be checked and confirmed to be proper for the deliberated intention thus lessening the scope of mistakes. The physicians, through the implementation of same HER system are trying to reduce the healthcare costs of the patients. It has been researched that the physicians adapting Intergy EHR are much more proficient at providing medical support as repetition is possible to be minimized. The quick reference to the HER system is important in the case of diagnostic procedures like blood reports, x-rays, ultrasounds etc. that are usually re-conducted since the preceding outcomes are not available to simply â€Å"retrieved, reviewed or compared.† The EHR permits a physician to have access to all investigative results, images etc. at any point of time, as a result eliminating the scope of duplication. The EHR system also sends electronically the information recorded to the hospitals billing system enabling precise data to be recorded in the clinic’s billing system consequently dropping the instances of claim rejections by the insurance company due to missing data. The EHR solution provides physicians with the capability to record clinical information related to a patient efficiently with less errors and lapse at the point of care. Patients are capable to have access with their whole medical history obtainable to physicians and clinicians at anytime devoid of the requirement to physically locate and recover documented medical records. There is a struggle involved in maintaining the nonverbal communication, specifically eye contact and lulls in conversation while documenting the appointment in an EHR. EHR is known to be distracting. There

Friday, August 23, 2019

Art History Writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art History Writing - Assignment Example These paintings were oil based and mostly portrait. The influence of religion on the approach used by the artist of the era in the presentation of their ideas is evident from the type of pictures and paintings produced. Both the sculptures and painting of the era comprised of beautiful figures moving gracefully in multi-figure compositions conveying humanity and the perfection of God. Despite the growing influence of the Italian renaissance humanism, it was not able to influence artists outside Italy (Kleiner 589). Therefore, artists in Europe were not influenced by the humanism approach employed in the art from Italy. Northern painters travelled to Rome and are known as Romanists because they were influenced by the works of Michelangelo and exhibited the stylistic tendencies of mannerism. The northern renaissance in northern Europe was not influenced by the Italian renaissance but was closely linked with the protestant reformation. The series of internal and external conflicts between the Roman Catholic Church and the protestant groups had a lasting effect on the type of art developed in northern Europe. In contrast to the 1500 to 1600 art, the 1700 t0 1800 art was comprised of the concept of enlightenment. The frivolous paintings of Fragonard and the politically charged moralizing images of David influenced art (Kleiner 583). The leadership of the king of France who ruled by divine light and the development of the enlightenment thinkers indicates a change from the 1600 art. The art of the era was defined by Neo-classicism, which included the support of the revolution. It exhibited movement from the roman art that proceeded the era, which contributed significantly to the characteristics of the art depicted by Mona Lisa painting, and other paintings related to Christianity. In fact, the roman art was based on religion and the perfection of God and the role of spirituality in changing the behaviors of people with the focus being on the nature of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham Essay Example for Free

Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham Essay In the novel Of Human Bondage, the main character, Philip Carey, has a myriad of people whom are very influential in his life. William Somerset Maugham portrays Philip as having three women in his life that are of great importance to Philips character. These three women are Mildred Rogers, Norah Nesbit, and Sally Athelny. Mildred is a negative influence on Philip whereas the other two women serve as positive influences in Philips life. Of the three, Philip loves Mildred the most, though Mildred loves him not. Mildred is a negative influence on Philip. Though he loves her, she doesnt love him back. She is grateful toward Philip and rewards him with various degrees of affection. This forebodes the fact that she becomes a prostitute later on in the novel. While with Philip, Mildred distracts him from studying and causes him to spend all his money to take her out to eat and see musicals. This causes Philip to fail his two very important medical examinations. Mildred is a snobby, stupid, callous, shallow, vain, and selfish woman. Aware of Philips feelings for her, she takes advantage of him. She accepts his gifts and seeks his protection, but thwarts his affection. Philip forgives her for her deceitfulness and helps her when she is in trouble. In return for Philips love, kindness and generosity, she gives him pain, abuse, and misery. She proves her heartless nature when she runs away with Emil Miller, has an affair with Griffiths, and destroys Philips home. She also abandons her infant to the care of a stranger in order to enjoy life. This demonstrates her selfish nature. Mildred seems to be Philips foil. Theyre so different from one another that Mildred doesnt even understand Philip. Philips generosity, kindness, and love cannot be understood by such a selfish, vicious, hateful woman. Its a wonder how Philip is bonded to this human anti-epitome. Philip chose Mildred because she is the type of woman that was a challenge for him. He had just begun medical school and was feeling bored when suddenly he came upon this ill-mannered slut of a waitress in a tea shop. From that moment on, he couldnt get enough of her. He always tried to get back at her but never quite could. It was as if he was doomed to spend the rest of his life bonded to her. It was too much to bear for him. Her indifferent attitude toward him drove him mad over the brink of obsession. He tortured himself to try and  get a woman that he could never have and she would never love him back. He was even willing to marry her to get back at her for all the evil she inflicted upon him. Philip finally breaks through the bonds of love and sees Mildred for who she really is a conniving, callous prostitute. Norah Nesbit is another influential woman in Philips life. Though Philip doesnt love Norah, she is a positive influence in his life nevertheless. Norah pampers Philip using her motherly instincts and encourages him to do what he can for himself: go on vacation to take a break, and study hard for school to pass his exams. She is successful in convincing Philip to focus on his studies rather than herself. Therefore when hes with her, he passes all three exams without any trouble and has earned his vacation that he is reluctant to go on, but is persuaded by thoughtful Norah to do so. Unlike Mildred, Norah appreciates Philip and doesnt allow him to waste his money. Philip intentionally chose Norahs ilk because Norah is nurturing, kind-hearted, and loving. Philip chooses her in his time of need, after he is hurt by the harshness and pain that Mildred has inflicted upon him. She ameliorates him back to life after the thought and sight of Mildred has tormented him for many dreary months. Sally, the third and final influential woman in his life, helps Philip establish his identity in the world. The eldest child of Mr. Athelny, she is sensible, maternal, pretty, charming, and responsible. She is the pride of her family and wins the heart of everyone with her pleasant manners and warmth, including Philip. Sally falls for Philips simplicity and unassuming manner, but does not force herself on him. She patiently waits for him to recognize her appeal. While Philip vacations with the Athelnys in Kent, he begins to notice Sally and he realizes that he is attracted to her. He begins to see her regularly and decides to spend the rest of his life with her. She accepts his proposal of marriage. Sally is a contrast to Mildred. Sallys presence calms Philip, while Mildreds presence troubles him. His passion for Mildred had disrupted his life and career, but Sallys love gives him hope for a bright future. Philip learns to love Sally, though not like Mildred, and she loves him back. Therefore Sally is the best woman for Philip since they both love one another. Sally is there when Philip needs  her. Shes not pushy or demanding, so Philip chooses her because he needs someone of her ilk to depend upon after Mildred ruins his life yet again by making him homeless and penniless.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Cultural History Essay Example for Free

Cultural History Essay Since long time ago, Bra has defined fashion and beauty among women. The history of Bra is linked to social history of the status of women which entails both the evolution of fashion and the changing views of the body of a woman. Since time immemorial, women have used various garments and devices to cover, elevate and restrain the breasts. Over a period of time the emphasis of bras has changed from the functionality point to fashionable point. This fact means that in current period bras are part of fashion of a woman. Origin of the Bra The origin of bra is believed to be in 2500BC worn by the Minoan women who resided in the island of Crete in the ancient Greece. These women used to wear garments that looked like Bra whose aim was to lift up their breast and boost them. Since then, there has been tremendous change in the shape of the breast with different social meanings. Evolution of Bras The evolution of bra starts with the Corsetry which was worn by the Cretan Women. The Cretan woman stood with bare breasts and the waist and hip corset shown above the decorative part of her underwear. The aim of the corset among the Cretan women was as a symbol of beauty and was aimed at showing off the breast. It is believed that bare breast had a cultural and religious significance. Around 450bc, the Greek started wearing a bodice tied above the breasts leaving the breasts naked. This Small band of material was referred to as Apodesme and was introduced after the corsets were prohibited. Apodesme played a functional role as they prevented the breast moving while walking. The bra like structures accompanied with fashionable clothes of that time. In many of the 18th century paintings show ladies wearing free falling, pleated loose dress backs. It was probably developed from the over gown that was worn in the 17th century. Under the pannier dress was perfectly crafted laced stays that were made of many pieces of whale bones. These stays were backstitched by hand and were very beautiful and decorative. The stays supported and raised the breast to a sharp point in the front as well as defining a trim shape. The stays always matched the dress as the bones in these stays were placed laterally across both the back and front shoulder blades to ensure that the front remained straight and an upright back. Although women had clothes that provided support to the breast such as crinolines and bustles in Victorian age, corsets started to reappear in 18th century and this was evident with Edwardian Era. During Edwardian era, Edwardian Corsets started making a big impact in women fashion. Fashion favored mature women as it exploited the curves of a highly corseted shape. The young and the old women laced themselves so tightly that they distorted their figures to get am s shape associated with that period. Health corsets were greatly favored in 1890s and 1900 and were designed with an aim of assisting the women in breathing. Aches Sarraute of Paris designed health corset with an aim of aiding health instead of endangering it. She introduced the straight fronted busk that left thorax free. It was also designed to support and raise the abdomen instead of forcing it downwards. She rightly aimed at reducing pressure on vital female organs dispensed with constricting curves at the waist which was a common feature among all corsets. Corsets after 1907 were straight as women’s obsession on small waist had reduced. The corsets of 1907 achieved a long slim figure. These corsets had had elastic gussets inserts which were supposed to increase the level of comfort. The new longer styles of 1912, corsets increased in length reaching the knees making it difficult for women sitting down. These corsets were designed for beauty purposes as fashion played a major role in their development. During this period, there was a shift of attention from metallic corsets and the concept of bra started to appear. (Workman, 1996) The word Bra was developed and first reported in America copy of Vogue in 1907. The original French name of brassier meant a soldiers arm. The First World War contributed to evolution of bras where women abandoned corsets and started wearing bras. During this period, the term brassier started to appear in high profile women magazines and eventually appeared in Oxford English dictionary in 1912. (Elizabeth, 1976) In 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob, a New York socialite, made a backless brassier from two silk handkerchiefs and some ribbon after discovering that the corsets were too restrictive when a woman was dancing in night clubs. Mary sold her patent to Warner Brother’s corset company for 1500 us dollars. After the year 1918, bras were made of lace bands with straps. The best bras at that time were the Symington side lacer which was a reinforced bodice. The side lacing was aimed at flattening the bust when it was tightened. It was at this time that the term bra changed from brassier. (Elizabeth, 1976) In 1930s the bra became more sophisticated and the home sewn version of bras started to diminish during this period. In 1928, entrepreneur William and Ida Rosenthal developed bra by introducing the cup sizes and bras for all the stages of a woman. Warmers developed the alphabet bra which was made in a set of sizes that were corresponding to alphabetical letters. This is as a result of women gaining interest in the size of their breast and other women breast. The women interest in these types of bra was as a result of aggressive marketing and the changing role of women in the society. During this period, bras became a major industry and there was great improvement in fiber technology, patterns, colors and varieties of the bras. There was increase in innovation such as sized cup, adjustable strap, increased elasticity and padded breast for small sized breast. The marketing of bras during this period targeted the younger women as beauty was an important aspect in them. The desired feature in 1930s was a pointy bust and this further increased demand for a forming garment and bras fitted well for this function. In 1940s, Clothing was determined by the Second World War. During this period, advertisements of clothes were based on patriotism. The highly structured conical pointed bullet bras were used as protection clothes whereby in the military fraternity, the female soldiers were advised to wear them for anatomical support, good taste and for morale. During this period, bra enhanced the concept of the sweater girl. Sweater girls often wore bullets bras which contributed to the development of later brassieres. The war had an impact on the flow of materials as there was shortage of material which resulted into women producing their own bras from parachute silk and old wedding dresses. Commercially manufactured bras were made from minimum amount of material and hence bore the utility mark. This led to the emergence of utility bras. In 1950s, the bras were typical long line stitch and fashion was a major contributing factor towards the development of bras. The long line conical bra gave support silhouette for girls who wanted to be like film stars sweater girls like Jane Russell. The bras got better as use of nylon materials made them more attractive, lighter and easier to wash. Pretty 1960s was a period that was characterized by increased interest of quality and fashion of bras. There was increased demand for maternity and mastectomy bras and increase in the use of washing machines led to increase in preference for durable bras. There was increased marketing promotion such as wearing bras 24 hours a day. This period was marked with cultural changes which represented a great threat to bra market. These counter culture to bra production included civil right movement and feminism which greatly opposed women wearing bras. During this period, there was development in the form of bras which were seamless, flattering and sexy and were more appealing to teenage girls. The invention was referred to as wonderbra invention. These Bras tugged the breast together and pulled them forward and hence they were a means of attraction. They were marketed as a form of luxury. The material used became durable, light weight and elastic. In late 1960s, bra and other feminine emblems became targets of feminist activism. The feminists viewed bras as objects which reduced women as sex objects. Some women started questioning the role of bra and this led to protest against 1968 miss American beauty pageant. For example, Germaine Greer stated that bras were absurd invention aimed at reducing the status of women. In 1968, they were a protest against Miss America beauty pageant by 400 women coming from New York Radical women in Atlantic City convention hall. The demonstration took place after Democratic national convention and the protestors placed bras, high heeled shoes, hairsprays and other beauty apparatus seen as symbols of oppression of women in a freedom trash can placed on the ground. This was a clear sign of protest against bra although no real burning of the bras took place. There was also another protest in 1970 which received wide coverage and was perceived as sexual liberation. This protest although seen by people as breaking of the law was somehow fruitful as many women stopped . This led to some stores such as Berkeley Roos closing Bra department due to poor sales. The protest led to development of ‘no bra’ by Rudi Gernreich in 1964. This bra was light, transparent stretch netting and had a simple shape. The fine layer of foam in the bras made the cups to stand up on the end (Pederson, 2004) The ‘burning of bra’ by feminist led to innovations in fashion industry in order top win back the lost customers. Gossard launched its wonderbra crusade in 1968 which led to introduction of original wonderbra. At first 36C was the top size of this innovatory under wired bra that was a necessity for V neck dresses of late sixties caftans which had ling necks were changed by the cleavage from a wonderbra. In case where one was in need of larger bra, a bra replacement fastener was used as an extender. Inserts of extra lagging or foam rubber could be inserted into small pockets in the wonderbra to increase the fullness where there was no bust. In 1990s, silicon implant scare caused the women to turn to bras as the best option of improving their breast size. The wonderbra became best seller in 1990s. In 1916s there was the presence of bra slips which were common for short skimpy dresses. The return of cleavage was recorded in 1990s . In a blonde ambition tour; Madonna was sported wearing sported ice unguent coned circular sewed cup on her Gaultier corset. Gautier first made designs of breast that were based on the conical breasts of 1980s but received full approval after Madonna used it in a number of her functions and hence sexy lace Bras came back into business. In 1990s there was the introduction of very plain tactel underwear slips which gave a good line beneath dresses making it possible to wear unlined dresses successful without static build up. Bra industry was further promoted during this period by the quest for women who had shed their breast in 1960s to have more figure control especially when wearing the straight sheath dress that were back in fashion. During this period, there was pursuit for cleavage by utilizing water, air and silicone pads and improvement in this development enhanced the sales of fashion companies in 21st century as they put more emphasis on breast management and improvement. The change in fashion trends resulted in different types emerging to suit different fashion needs of women. Cleavage enhancers are types of bras which have a plunging neckline which is important for maximum cleavage. The pads add an additional lift and the bra fully characterize bust hence ideal for low necklines. There are other fashionable bras referred to as Convertible/strapless which go up to five ways on a strapless bra often having molded padded cups that offer support and shape to the breast. They have seam free cups that are not visible under clothes. Bras do not only serve as fashion apparatus but they also play a big role in sports. Sport bras are perfectly constructed to provide a maximum support, compresses the breast and hence minimizing bouncing by the breasts. The material fabric is important in drawing moisture away from the body hence keeping the body comfortable. Silicone bra is a type of bra comes in different sizes from cup size A, B C; D. It does not have any strap. It is flexible and sticks tightly in conformity with the woman’s bust as it has self adhesive coating. It is made from high quality silicon gel. It is easy to wash, it has no strap and occurs in a range of colors and so the user has a wide choice of the colors she desires. This bra can be reused many times after laundering. Push ups and inflatable brassieres is a type of bra introduced in mid 1990s and added major sex appeal to the USA market. It was pioneered in 1960s by Fredricks of Hollywood . The look was classic pieces of soft cup inflated into a cone-shaped point. During this period, Singer and Dancer Madonna played a big role in making this bra to be famous. This bra has undergone much innovation such as volume adjustment systems, pairing of the sleek looking bra with air extricable padding. The bra has a molded cup and wireless lifts. It has a weightless padding which gives the cleavage a slight projection. It has barely three Bralettes. It is found in soft cup, Camisole like sheers as well as lacy under wire creations which exhibit double cleavage of their full cup counterparts. (Steele, 2001) Sex openness among the current time women In 1950s to 1980s feminists played great role in trying to liberate women from oppression by men. They tried as much as they could in transforming the working and business environment to suit women and this resulted in many of them getting jobs and becoming more liberal especially in their sexual lives. In the past, feminists opposed beauty apparatus which they considered as being tools which reduced women as sex objects. This did not get support from all the women as beauty was still valued b women and so they continued using beauty apparatus and fashion determined what they wore. Currently the society has changed greatly and as a result of empowerment, women have become more liberal and hence more open to sixths is depicted by the clothing they put on which more is revealing than in the past years. Also increase in innovation by fashion industries has played a major role as these companies strive hard to market products which are said to make women look sexy. Improved technology especially in the entertainment sector has contributed a lot to women becoming more sexual open as they mostly emulate the lifestyles of the entertainment stars. (Kunzle, 2004) Conclusion Innovation has played a major role in shaping the fashion in different time span. Bra comes out clearly as a major fashion tool and from its evolution, it can be concluded that it has played a central role in women fashion and enhancing beauty among the women. Women have considered fashion as an important aspect in their life and this is evident in the different variety of beauty apparatus they have been having since time immemorial. In the contemporary times, women open sexuality show that women are liberalized and hence free to select any type of lifestyle and clothing to put on. Reference List: Elizabeth, E. , (1976). â€Å"Underwear: A History. † New York, NY: Theatre Arts Books Kunzle, D. , (2004). â€Å"Fashion and Fetishism:† Thrupp, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited Stephanie, P. , (2004) â€Å"Bra: a thousand years of style,† Newton Abbot: David Charles Valerie, S. , (2001). â€Å"The Corset: A Cultural History. † New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Workman, N. , (1996). â€Å"From Victorian to Victoria’s Secret: The Foundations of Modern Erotic Wear. † Journal of Popular Culture. 30. 2, 61-73

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Importance of Creeds in Christianity

Importance of Creeds in Christianity Why exactly was it important for early Christianity to get clear on its creeds, and what it claimed was necessary to be a believer? Creeds are statements that define the Christian belief most of which were formulated during the early times of Christianity before the church was split into the Orthodox and the Roman church. The creeds were crucial elements of the Christian faith, and it was important for all to have clarity, because through achieving clarity of the creed, one was able to understand the faith at a much deeper level. The creed was an actual declaration of what the faith stood for. If one did not understand the creed well then, they would not be fully aware of what they believe in. Clarity was also essential to solve any conflicts that could arise in a church, as these statements outline or define the faith and what it stands for. They served as the mirror that the proponents would use to solve any confusions or misunderstanding. In other words, the creed served as a problem-solving manual, through which one could refer for clarification (Van Voorst, 2015). Qualities of a believer according to early Christians In the early time of Christianity, dated from the time of Jesus, proponents of this religion set a good example defined by the qualifications that they believed as for what a true believer had to possess. They were obedient to the laws of the land even though in their hearts they belonged to the kingdom of heaven. They also had to obey what the earthly authority outlined for them to follow, for they well knew that any authority originates from God. Daily Christian practices were mandatory for anyone who qualified to be called a believer. Some of these practices included; going to church so as to fellowship with other believers, giving alms to the poor and the people in need, participating in prayers and observance of Christian feasts among many other requirements. What are the issues about what was considered non-negotiable and (arguably) what was not? The outline of how to live life for the early Christians was clearly illustrated in the creeds that were guided by principles from the Bible. It is from these principles that they were able to come up with doctrines that could not be negotiated and those that could. Non-negotiable aspects were the primary truths on which the faith was built. For example, the concept of the Trinity was one non-negotiable issue. Even though one could not understand how the Trinity was a representation of one God, they could not dispute with that or try to come up with a counter theory on the existence of God in the three aspects. Jesus Christ as the only source of forgiveness for the human sins was not negotiable. The Christianity itself was based on the existence of Jesus and so the only way of forgiveness. Negotiable aspects are those that people could appeal to the elders for regulation. The issue of tithing could be regulated when people felt that there was a good reason to do so. It had nothing to do with the original foundations of the faith. With reference to the Nicene Creed, should the filioque controversy be an adequate reason for the split between Orthodox Christianity and Western, pre-Reformation Catholic Christianity? The filioque controversy arose from the addition of the clause and the son to the original creed to form- I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father à ¢Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¨and the Son (Molloy,2012). This addition caused an implication of suggesting that the Holy Spirit is given to human beings through God the father and the son. As a result of the disagreements on the Pope allowing the addition of that clause, there was division in the church to form the Eastern and the Western Christianity in the year 1054.   This was not reason enough for the division of the church regardless of the explanations that people may have given. The fact remains that both the Orthodox and the Western Christianity believe in the power of the Son of God. They both attest to the fact that he has power and that means that if he is the way of salvation, then he can also give the Spirit for he is supreme. References Molloy, M. (2012). Experiencing the Worlds Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change (6th ed.) McGraw-Hill Education. Van Voorst, R. E. (2015). Anthology of world scriptures, 9th edition. Cengage Learning

Corporate Newsletter-Social Influences; Group Judgements and Decisions :: essays research papers fc

In recent months, the management team of this organization has been working tirelessly to diminish biases among group members and to establish a proposal focusing on the elimination of in-store employee theft. This criminal activity associated with inventory shrinkage and major revenue loss has proved to be a detriment to our company, but thankfully, is now in the process of being reversed. The success of our proposal resulted from the dynamics of an open discussion format in our group setting and the determination of each member to make the necessary modifications and improvements for this company. In the following article, I will review and discuss the systematic procedure of decision-making utilized by each member and the obstacles encountered so that others involved in management can replicate the knowledge and experiences acquired throughout this process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The panel successfully achieved a consensus decision by unofficially appointing a permissive leader and by relying on the positive effects of conformity. The leader encouraged each subordinate to take part in decision-making, giving him or her a considerable degree of autonomy in completing routine work activities. Once key components were decided upon, group members proceeded to conform to those judgments in order to begin the experimental phase of action. Individuals were given a deadline to present their contributions for the project, which allowed the opportunity of complete participation, as well as emphasizing the importance of discipline among management.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The required process for group decision-making noticeably and significantly differs from the format of individual decision-making. Many individuals can be relatively ineffective or incorrect when attempting to form a decision. They may become victims of common traps such as overconfidence, self-fulfilling prophecies, and behavioral traps. They are also vulnerable to satisficing, attribution theory, and other biases experienced regularly. However, when participating with peers, many become more effective and efficient. There are greater percentages of correct answers, and most members enjoy the positive atmosphere and camaraderie experienced within the group setting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although group interaction allows for a more dynamic outcome, there are still many biases associated with this system of decision-making. While avoiding many of these unnecessary biases, such as groupthink and group polarization, our management team unfortunately fell victim to others. To deter the effects of biased judgments, many members privately discussed techniques, and then presented that information, thus utilizing the benefits of subgroups. Also, each member avoided over zealousness of personal opinions, thereby eliminating group polarization and the choice shift phenomenon.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Mending Wall Essay -- essays research papers

What is so important about mending a wall? Robert frost a down to earth, phenomenon has used his supernatural skills to write a poem which may seem to be a simple, ordinary poem, yet what lays hidden behind the veils may be unraveled. That is the spiritual world that you and me may learn to understand the philosophical basis of human nature that provokes the human revolution. Believe it or not this poem was ingeniously devised by Robert Frost to articulately open up a world of ideas that acumen imagination and its complexities. That is what I will be elaborating on in terms of textual evidence. Like many of Frost’s poems, ‘mending wall’ involves a journey. We are introduced to two farmers in an annual meeting at the wall that separates their properties. They walk the length of the wall, repairing damage that has been done during the year. This process allows Frost to probe the whole question of communication or, more precisely, the way we put up walls and create barriers between ourselves. As happens in this poem, Frost moves in his thinking from a basic, natural setting to an abstract consideration of human behavior. The very first word of the poem establishes the sense of that which colours its entire atmosphere. This opening line establishes a mystery; there is ‘something’ that doesn’t want the wall to be there. Whatever it is, it is a powerful force: it creates a ‘frozen grounds swell’ that attacks the wall from the base, forcing the boulders on the top to tumble off. Wintertime is when the destroyer does its work. The effect is not a small one, but a gap contrived is as wide as two people are. The question is ‘what has caused them?’ In this stanza, he breaks from his consideration of this mysterious wall-hater for the moment to discount hunters as culprits. He knows that hunters damage walls. He has repaired the damage they have done. They cause a lot of damage to let the dogs get at rabbits that hide amongst the rocks of the wall. The hunting image becomes, however, but a dramatic aside to the main concern of the poem. A more earthly consideration of an expression of that force which is responsible for the unexplained gaps which seasonally and mysteriously appear in the wall and await discovery in the spring with all the patience of the cosmos. We return to the air of mystery. These gaps that appear just seem to have happened, with no one seei... ... not go behind this saying to test whether it has any validity. Frost has tried to guide him behind it with his questioning, but to no assistance. The neighbour in fact takes pleasure in repeating this piece of derived ‘wisdom’. The poem leaves us with a somewhat comic character who like an untested saying, derived from his father, who probably derived it from his, and so on back into the ‘old-stone’ age. His neighbour ends the poem, in something of an anticlimax and wins the ‘argument’; the wall is fixed and they will meet again next year. A strong feature of Frost’s poetry is his use of symbols. He starts a story and gathers an additional meaning and significance as the poem develops. The wall represented barriers, divisions, irrational and unnatural dividers that keep people apart, nature symbolises a unifying force, the stone-age man represent unthinking man and that civilisation has passed him by while spring symbolises a new birth in nature. Changes of seasons are important on Frosts’ poem where the neighbour rejects the chance for a new start. So as you can see this poem is just a poem about mending a wall, but it has significant meaning which relate to human behaviour.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The People and Landscape of the Welsh Hillcountry :: R.S. Thomas Poems Poetry Essays

The People and Landscape of the Welsh Hillcountry R.S. Thomas writes about the people and landscape of the Welsh â€Å"hillcountry.† By referring closely to at least two of his poems, show how he makes the Welsh countryside and its inhabitants vivid to the reader. RS Thomas was born in Cardiff in 1913. He was a Parish Priest in Wales for more than 20 years. During this time he taught himself the Welsh language in order to understand the remote hill farmers that are under his care. He writes almost exclusively about the people and landscape of the Welsh hill country. The poems that he writes are lacking in mental emotion but they never lack tender or compassion for the massively hardworking farmers he knows so well. The landscape that Thomas describes so well reflects the grimness of the men’s lives. The people’s lives are never sweetened nor romanticized and the poet has no illusions on its harshness. Yet he has a deep understanding for the hill country and its workers. This shows that R.S Thomas can relate to the Welsh hill country very well. The first poem that I am writing about is called â€Å"The Hill Farmer Speaks†. This poem talks about the life of a farmer who has been greatly affected by his work. The first verse of this poem talks about a man who has no love and no friends. This we learn is because of the land as it says, â€Å"I am the farmer stripped of love and thought and grace by the lands hardness.† This shows the hard work that the man has done over the years has taken from him his love, thought and grace it is also a metaphor making this vivid for the reader. But he wants us to know that he is still a human by saying, â€Å"Listen, listen, I am a man like you.† Alliteration is used here (listen, listen), to cause the affect that the man really is talking to you. The same affect is caused when he says, â€Å"But what I am saying.† It shows you that the mans surroundings are very empty and hostile by it saying, â€Å"Desolate areas rough with dew.† This is also a metaphor showing its vividness to the reader. The second verse of this poem tells us of the wind going over the hill pastures, hill pastures being a feature of any hill farm. After this he says, â€Å"Year after year,† making this process seem constant. In the next three lines there seems to be a link between the ewes and the farmer, where it says, â€Å"The ewes starve, milkless, for want of the new

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Everyone wants a child that does well in school. Teaching your child to have the right mind-set for success is crucial to helping your child succeed. The two mind-sets (according to Carol Dweck who wrote an article on â€Å"The Secret To Raising Smart Kids†) can change the way your child learns. These two mind-sets can be applied to any student which would be carried out to the child’s athletics and working career.To have a fixed mind-set, Carol says that students who believe that they only have a certain amount of intelligence and that’s it. They want to look smart without being smart. Dweck insists that, â€Å"They had a negative view of effort, believing that having to work hard at something was a sign of low ability. They thought that a person with talent or intelligence did not need to work hard to do well.†This thought can prevent bosses from getting along with workers. Scientists have discovered that managers tend not to take advice from their emplo yees with a growth mind-set because they already feel as if they are smarter than the employees and know better than them, causing the workplace to decline. Athletes who think they know better become unteachable later on. They, â€Å"value talent more than hard work† causing them to not get any further than what they are praised for.The kids with a growth mind-set are taught that intelligence can be developed through education and hard work. These students are, â€Å"†¦destined for greater academic success and were quite likely to outperform their counterparts,† even with no greater skills. They use challenges as opportunities. This can register to workers as well. When dealt with a problem, workers that, â€Å"believe people can change and grow, however, are more confident that confronting concerns in their relationships will lead to resolutions.†The workers see that there is a problem and work to take care of it in the idea that they will grow and get mor e knowledge while resolving the problem. After doing so, they have stronger relationships and more confidence to conquer the next difficulties that lay ahead. Athletes with a growth mind-set take this into consideration. Athletes who want to learn and  perfect the technique will have more confidence in playing a tournament; â€Å"Believing that the more you labored at something, the better you would become at it.† Working and being athletic are very similar in the state of resolving the problem.As Dweck said, â€Å"Our society worships talent†. What people don't understand is that talent can be a very negative thing when people are praised and encouraged too much for motivation. In doing that, they get little work done. Praising your children for their hard work creates a growth mind-set and goes a farther distance than praising them for their smartness which in contrast does the opposite by teaching them the fixed mind-set. Which shows in their progress in athletics , grades in school, and success in work.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Battleship Potemkin

To many, Battleship Potemkin remains as powerful today as it was when it saw its initial release in 1915. A great deal of the power the film projects derives from its ability to draw on the emotional content of viewers who hold a dissatisfied feeling towards the government, a perennial feeling that never â€Å"goes out of style. † But does the film’s political statement undermine the credibility of the film as a work and sway it into the realm of propaganda?In a word, no as this is a highly skilled cinematic presentation that does not fall into the common trapping of propaganda cinema. To say the Battleship Potemkin contains a political point of view is an accurate statement; but, to say that the film is a work of propaganda may not entirely be correct. The reason for this is that propaganda generally involves a dishonest attempt to present a point of view that plays to the viewer’s emotions.Yes, Battleship Potemkin does present its anti-tsarist point of view so as to stimulate the viewer’s emotions to align with anti-tsarist sentiment however; life under the tsar was hardly one that was popular with the â€Å"common person. † In fact, the entire Russian revolution would have been impossible if the population held the ruling class in high esteem. So, the film does not so much change a point of view as much as it reflects what had been a common point of view.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

Competition is becoming more and more fierce while the market is becoming globalization. With higher consumer sovereignty, customers are no longer satisfied with qualify products and good services. The society concerned more about the business ethic and environmental issues. Companies are expected to act virtuously nowadays. The ideas of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Citizenship are spreading faster than ever before and become one of the hottest business models in the recent decades. â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)† is defined as â€Å"the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development, working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their quality of life† at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in 2000. The main idea of CSR is that corporations should be responsible to the stakeholders which include the customers, shareholders, suppliers, employees or any other party that may be influenced by the corporate actions. Different organizations may have formed different social responsible programs which can be categorized in four major components: the environment, the community, the work place and the market place. Different companies will emphasize on different aspects to create the social responsible programs. â€Å"Particular CSR initiatives may do good, or harm, or make no difference one way or the other, but it is important to resist the success of the CSR idea. â€Å" (Briggs & Verma, 2006) Mounting evidences show the benefits brought by the CSR Programs. For example, corporations made huge donation to disasters nationwide and to the bottom billions. However, not every CSR Program can be built up successfully. Nestlà © had suffered from a boycott last over 30 years which is the result from its failed CSR Program. Known as the baby killer, Nestlà © is blamed to kill thousands of Babies in the less developed region. They promoted and distributed free instant formula milk powder to replace breastfeeding and led to severe health problems or even death to the babies (Sethi, 1979). The two opposite results of CSR programs bring up queries for CSR programs. Is there a business case for CSR? How can corporations be benefitted from CSR? Theses questions will be discussed in this essay and so as the answers. B. Is there a business case for CSR? â€Å"Corporations are expected to be good citizens† asserted by Briggs and Verma (2006). Customers are demanding more from the corporations. Responsible corporates are required to meet the â€Å"Triple Bottom Lines† which are the economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and social sustainability. Join Elington illustrate the interrelationship of the triple bottom line in 1997, â€Å"Society depends on the economy – and the economy depends on the global ecosystem, whose health represents the ultimate bottom line† (Elkington, 1997). CSR programs can also help the company to achieve sustainable growth which is the ultimate goal for every CSR program. Sustainable development is development to satisfy the needs of present generation without sacrificing the ability of future generations to development (WCED, 1987). Study indicates that sustainable growth and business success cannot be achieved solely by maximising short-term profits, but instead th rough market-oriented and social responsible programs (Neal, 2006). The CSR programs may engage with the following four aspects: the environment, the community, the workplace and the market place (World Business Council, 2000). As the foundation of every human being in the earth, responsible to environment is an essential part of CSR programs. Learnt from the Industrial Revolution when people sacrifice environment for business growth, private organizations today have worked to improve the environment. For example, Toyota has developed the hybrid card models which can use both fuel and electricity as power source. It can help to reduce the air pollution and reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This innovation is also being considered as long-term oriented and sustainable for future development so both the customers and investors are satisfied with it. The second aspect of corporate social responsibility is the community. Corporations have to be responsibility to the local community as they are the essential for the business success. Social responsible firms should hire local labour force in the work place. Corporations often make donation after huge disasters such as earthquake or hurricane. For example, companies had donated over US$547 millions after the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (Briggs & Verma, 2006). Although some criticize that the corporations are making disasters into opportunities for public relationship, the donation can certainly help the community to rebuilt their home afterward, The third aspect of corporate social responsibility is the workplace. Companies are responsible to ensure the safety and ethnic in the workplace. The employees are generating the profit so the companies should be responsible to them by creating harmless and harmony working environment. For example, Nike, and other American and European sports wear production companies, promise to monitor the working conditions in its supplier factories in less developed countries (Vogel, 2005, 1). Corporations should also be responsible to the market place. Not just manufacturing quality product but also meeting the needs of various customers. For example, although smart phones are becoming popular in recent years, some people with visual disability may not able to use those products without assistant from other people. By introducing the Voiceover application, customers with visual disability can use the smart phone or other devices created by Apple easily. Besides the positive point of view, there have always been criticisms of CSR ever since it was invented. In 1970, the Nobel Price winner, Friedman wrote â€Å"The Social Responsibility of Business is to increase its Profits† and the three main arguments he stated in his article have become the foundation for the criticisms against CSR. In his first argument, Friedman claimed that only human beings have a moral responsibility for their actions (Friedman, 1970). As a collected entity, companies do not have the responsibility of the decision made by the management. However, corporations act like human in many ways. For examples, in legal terms, corporations are consisted as an artificial person whose behavior is decided by the corporate internal decision structure and the organizational culture. Many corporations are acting progressively to create a public perception of good citizenship to gain positive image and competitive advantages from the society (Brigs and Verma, 2006). In the following article, Friedman pointed out that the government, instead of the private business section, should be responsible to solve the social issues and problems (Friedman, 1970). Later scholars support his argument that with huge amount of tax collected by the government, the responsibility of social support should be transferred to the government and the public sectors. However, in some cases, government may not be able to take the responsibility due to insufficient funds or malfunction of government agent. Geoge Kell, executive head of the United Nations’s Global Compact Office, indicated that â€Å"So long as government fail to do their part and so long as business goes global, CSR helps fill an important void† (Brigs and Verma, 2006). The last argument of Friedman is that the managers should be responsible for the interest of shareholders (Friedman, 1970). Charring out CSR programs may increase the cost and weaken the company’s performance. In which way, the interests of the shareholders are harmed (Henderson, 2001). This argument is proven wrong by the countless successful business cases of CSR programs. C. How can corporations be benefited from the CSR programs? 1. CSR can help the corporates to increase the profits. Corporations can be benefited from the CSR programs in many aspects. Since the most important goal for the company is maximise its profit, scholars and managers are working to figure out how CSR programs will influence the company’s profitability. Companies generally increase their profitability by two means: Cut cost and Differentiation (Porter, 1985). An effective CSR Programs can help the corporations to achieve both points. Cost reduction can be achieved by CSR Programs directly or indirectly. The direct way is to reduce the cost by using the raw material or energy in a more efficient way. For example, by reducing the packaging, companies can cut the unit cost of product and protect the environment by producing less waste at the same time (Welford, 2000). The other way is to reducing the indirect cost such as the employee training cost, the management cost. For example, the employee caring programs can lower the employee turnover rate and reducing the hiring and training cost for new employees. By this mean, the employees are more satisfied to the companies and will be less likely to resign and have better performance in the workplace. Google has been paid attention to this issue. The company created the â€Å"best† working environment in the world and create the most satisfied. The CSR program successes in increasing ability to attract and retain employees and reducing operating cost. Another way to increase profitability is differentiation. By using differentiation strategy, the products can be outstanding among the competitors (Welford, 2000). Corporates have been using CSR programs as differentiation points long ago and achieve positive result. Take the Body Shop as an example. They differentiate their products from the other skin care products by using all natural ingredients and making statements such as â€Å"no animal test† and â€Å"support community fair trade†. By building such social and environmental responsibility image, the Body Shop successfully build up its brand image and reputation and create the customer loyalty. 2. CSR can enhance brand competitiveness. Today’s companies can no longer afford to ignore CSR. More and more corporates build up their own CSR programs to enhance their brand competitiveness by enhancing the image and reputation of the corporates. Firstly, customers nowadays focus more on the image and reputation of the brands. They demand more than quality product and nice services. According to the research conducted by the PR firm Hill & Knowlton, 79% of Americans take corporate citizenship into account when makings purchase decision (Briggs and Verma, 2006). Corporate Social Responsibility Programs can help the corporate to gain the public trust and support which will enhance the brand competitiveness. Customer sovereignty has further supported the ideas that with high degree of freedom and information, customers can make their choices among different brands. The brand with better image or reputation will be more likely to win in the industry. Secondly, Corporate Citizenship is demanded by the government. Especially for some sensitive business that companies need to maintain nice relationship with the government. For example, Casino Industry in Las Vegas and Macao are expected to make large donation to the â€Å"responsible gambling program† or the charity funds. By making public donation, the firms may be able to build up better image to reduce the resist in the society and the government. Managers continually encounter demands from multiple stakeholder groups to devote resources to corporate social responsibility (McWilliams & Siegel, 2001). Investors consider more about the social responsibility of the invested firms nowadays. Companies cannot managing their impact on society and the environment if engaging in CSR (Brigs & Verma, 2006) D. Conclusion Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming the trend of social public relationship strategies in the recent decades. In this essay, questions of CSR programs have been discussed in many aspects. With thousands of successful cases of corporate citizenship, companies all working hard to catch up with the trend and develop their own CSR programs. Although there are criticisms about the intention and the necessity of corporate social responsibility programs, the effective of CSR programs is ascertained. Later study shows that successful CSR program can benefit the society and the company at the same time. The corporations can enjoy higher profits and better brand competitiveness by setting up CSR programs. Therefore, companies should work with the community to achieve the â€Å"win-win† situation. Bibliography: Briggs, W. & Verma, A. 2006. ‘Sharing the wealth’. Communication world. January – February 2006. pp. 25-28 Freeman, R.E. 1984 ‘Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach’. Marshfield, MA: Pitman Publishing Inc. Friedman, M. 1970 ‘The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits’. The New York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970 Henderson, D. 2001. ‘The Case Against â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Policy Vol.17 no.2. pp. 28-32. Winter 2001 Neal, A. C. 2007. ‘Corporate Social Responsibility: Governance Gain or Laissez-Faire Figleaf?’. HeinOnline. 2007-2008. pp. 460-474 Robison, M. 2002. ‘RSA Wold Leaders Lecture – Beyond Good Intentions: Corporate Citizenship for a New Century’. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. London, 7 May 2002. Sethi, S. P. 1979. ‘A Conceptual Framework for Environmental Analysis of Social Issues and Evaluation of Busin ess Response Patterns’. The Acdemy of Management Review, Vol.4, No. 1, pp. 63-74 Vogle, D. ‘The Market for Virtue: the Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility’. 2005. Harrisonburg, Virginia WCED. 1987. ‘Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development’. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Welford, R. 2000 ‘Corporate environmental management 3: Towards sustainable development’, London: Earthscan.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Want and Ambition

1. What spring in to your mind when you hear the word â€Å"ambition†? Whenever I hear the word ambition as if there’s someone beside me and telling to take actions! I have so many ambitions in life that I need to fulfill. These ambitions will help me to strive harder and reach the goal to be a successful one. 2. Are you ambitious? Yes, I am ambitious. Definitely I am, we all need to accept the facts that people meant to be ambitious to take harder or strive to get what we goal in life. Related article: My Aim Is To Become A CollectorPeople who are â€Å"ambitious† are viewed sometimes as either selfish or unrealistic. But still no matter how we look on it, there are no such bad things in having ambition. All we need to do is admit it to ourselves and give ourselves permission to pursue it. 4. Who is the most ambitious person you know? I am ambitious person; I have many ambitions in life that I need to fulfill. I knew inside me that I have many things I want to have or achieve. In family, career and even in fame there are a lot of these ambitions in my life. 5.What were your ambitions when you were a child? When I was small, I was dreaming to become a journalist. Whenever I hear someone reporting on television I will face in front of the mirror and will hold anything and pretend that it’s a microphone and start repeating the message that the reporter stated on the news. Later on I decided that I would like to build a big shop where kids would be able t o find everything they needed so as their dreams would come true. My parents were always smiling at me, charmed by my high ambitions in life.While growing, I started to form more  definite picture of my future  and was almost sure that I want to be a diplomat. 7. What ambition do you have that you think you'll realize and won't realize? 8. Why do you have ambitions? I have my ambition because, having ambition in hard times like things are not going well, will lead me to get myself out of them and find happiness and success. If we have no ambition in our life, we have no drive for anything. Nothing will seem important. 9.What’s the different between ambition and a dream? To dream is without effort as if your only dreaming for an impossible thing to happen while ambition you have to take step by step to reach each of your ambition and take risks to fulfill all of these. 10. What ambition have you held the longest? The ambition I held the longest in real life is to graduate in a diplomat with a degree holder. Wherein I can find a good job to help my parents and provide them own house and live with a happy and contented life. 11.What happens after you have fulfilled all your ambitions? The best is when the source of ambition becomes my desire to reach my big goal or to fulfill my life in purpose. The only thing that will happen after fulfilling my ambition is contentment. 12. What do you think it feels like to fulfill a lifetime ambition? I think it feels like I am the happiest person and will having a peaceful mind. Of course everyone is asking and striving to reach a lifetime ambition. And if that happens to me and in God’s will, I’ll thank him.

Strategic Marketing Management of Nintendo Assignment

Strategic Marketing Management of Nintendo - Assignment Example Furthermore, members of this club have access to limited edition products that are not available to non members. Finally, the company sells video games that are segmented by games for Nintendo Wii, Wii U, DS and 3DS. Although majority of the games are sold through retailers, some are available for download on the company’s e-shop website. Current market/s including customer behavior issues, demand and trends The company uses differentiated positioning for its offerings. While the company has historically targeted the segment of gamers, it has recently shifted its attention to incorporate non-gamers. This segment comprises of families, women as well as individuals who are ‘not’ hard-core gamers. In other words, Nintendo now targets individuals who want quick-fix gaming solutions in addition to serious gamers (MaRS, 2012). This has been matched by a shift in the company’s value proposition which has evolved from the delivery of intensely realistic gaming expe riences to providing fun-filled family entertainment. The company soon realized the changing customer demographics and saw a large potential in the market for women and pensioners. As of 2010, Wii was presented by 90% of primary console female players (ESRB, 2010). Overall, women account for 40% of video game players (ESRB, 2010). This has opened up new markets for Nintendo, thereby reducing reliance on the market for hard-core gamers which has become highly competitive. While price and performance plays a key role in determining customer response to the company’s products, emotional attachment to the product is just as important in order to capture customer value. Furthermore, the company’s use... The researcher of this essay focuses on the analysis of the current business products and product lines that the Nintendo uses to gain benefits today. Nintendo seems to have used the latter with majority of its products carrying the â€Å"Nintendo† label. The product lines include the Nintendo Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS as well as services such as Club Nintendo and Video Games. The Nintendo Wii comprises is a hardware – game box that is motion controlled and allows users to play games on it. The researcher presents tdifferent products of the company and states that the company also sells video games, that are segmented by games for Nintendo Wii, Wii U, DS and 3DS. Although majority of the games are sold through retailers, some are available for download on the company’s e-shop website. Current markets including customer behavior issues, demand and trends are later discussed in the essay. The researcher also describes how the Nintendo company uses differentiated pos itioning for its offerings, where price and performance plays a key role in determining customer response. Nintendo outsources its production, that is, it makes limited term contracts with various companies that manufacture its products in their factories. This is because the company had initiated a blue ocean strategy whereby it attempted at broadening its customer base. The researcher then concluds that Nintendo can capitalize on its core competency of being the pioneer in the video gaming industry - a competency which is both valuable and rare.