Reactions on Reaction Paper

Reaction on Reaction Paper The first thing that came to my mind when I have heard about Reaction paper is â€Å"What exactly is it? † and before I get an understanding of that, I resisted that change. But later, when I have studied about it and understood its purpose, I have started thinking â€Å"Why people avoid change at the first look without an analysis? † The general human tendency is to live in a comfortable zone in which he has lived for quite some time. He draws a circle, thinks that circle is his whole world. Any small change to that particular circle causes lot of discomfort to him and the first thing he does is to resist the change. The reaction can be a positive one or negative one and it depends on four parameters Attitude, Pre-experience, Knowledge and Mindset of the person who is exposed to that particular situation. I am going to explore a little more about all these parameters in this reaction paper. Attitude of a person has roots in the environment he has been brought up. There can be two types of attitude: positive and negative. If he has seen all the negative reactions from the people surrounding him, he will react in a negative way to whatever he faces. The same is applicable even to positive attitude. It takes lot of effort and time to change the attitude of the person. For example, a positive attitude person, when hears about Reaction paper, thinks that â€Å"This is something different from what I have seen till now. It looks very interesting and let me try it out† and negative attitude person thinks â€Å"Why is this reaction paper? Why do we have to change the traditional system? Anyways it won’t bring much change in my thinking†. When we talk about attitude, remember that it comes without any thought process. It is just the impulse effect. Pre-experience is another parameter which highly influences the resistance to change. If the person has faced similar situation in the past and his positive attitude has not brought him any fruitful results, he will immediately react to the change. He won’t be doing an analysis what exactly happened in the past situation and how exactly the new situation is different from that. The moment he brings in the pros and cons of the both situations, he will be in a good position to analyse the situation. But for this, he should have faced the similar situations with different outcomes because of different attitudes. If he has seen the same outcome even with different approaches, then he is bound to react in a negative way to the situation. Mindset as a factor depends on mood of the person at that moment. If the person has been tired for the complete day, he won’t be in a position to accept the change. This is applicable to sad/fear/angry moods. When he is in any of the moods as mentioned above, negative matter is generated in the brain and that affects his mindset to the situation. In contrast, if the person is in a joyous mood, he readily accept the change at that moment even without analysis as joy/happiness produces positive matter in the brain. Complete knowledge of the situation is also another factor which affects the reaction/action. Depending on the amount of knowledge, person’s perception of the situation changes. If he has the complete knowledge of the situation, he will react in a positive way. One example can be policy communication in the Organization. When the employer communicates well about the change through workshops, fun events and drives the need for it, then it takes very less time for the employees to get adjusted to the change. In contrast to that, if you just talk about change without giving the knowledge about why it is required, why now etc, then employees are tend to react in a negative way to the change. In brief, if the person can control all the four factors mentioned above, he takes the change process in positive way. If I have to link it with one of the Teachings from the class, I will say that my question of â€Å"Why people avoid change at the first look without an analysis? † is the problem statement and the theory I searched for is people reactions to the change. I identified four variables to identify the cause for the reaction. Finally, I have developed my own theory of â€Å"Reasons for the reaction of the person to a situation and ways to control it†

Hospitality Information Technology Strategy

1. Hotel utilise e- commerce very effectively for procurement purpose. They purchase essential products necessary for the daily running of the hotel via online websites. I would like consider Costa coffee Heathrow in my case study as I am working there presently and it is very much suitable for this case study. The website which Costa uses to purchase its essential products for daily running of the business are: * www. geometric-furniture. co. uk * www. kn-portal. com * www. caterwide. com * www. incorporatewear. com * www. coffeecreation. co. uk * www. bunzlcatering. o. uk Geometric furniture – Geometric Furniture is a design led manufacturer of high quality contract furniture. Established over 40 years ago, Geometric has become one of the UK’s leading contract furniture suppliers. It supplies to number of company like Odeon cinema, Costa Coffee, Oxo Tower, The Warehouse, Ronald Mc Donald house. The best thing about this company is that they deliver they service by the mselves, inform their client beforehand about its features. Delivered the product on time without fail and do understand the important of deadline and reliability.Kuehne + Nagel – has got a new contract to manage the distribution of food supply on behalf of Whitbread plc, which is the UK’s largest hotel and restaurant group. Costa has taken the decision to fully outsource its food logistics activities to Kuehne + Nagel because they agreed to undertake delivery of chilled and ambient products to over 700 Costa Coffee outlets seven days per week, and delivery of frozen, chilled and ambient products. The contract is for 5 years and in addition with that Kuehne + Nagel will operate a customer call centre on behalf of Whitbread and manage the ordering of products from designated suppliers.Caterwide – As one of the UK's largest and fastest growing coffee shop brands, Costa Coffee has been using Torex Inn Touch POS and Caterwide for the past ten years to drive strategi c initiatives around cash management, suggested ordering, stock control, labour management and reporting and business processes. One of the key advantages of the Torex solution is that it integrates with Costa Coffee's loyalty programme, the Costa Coffee Club, whereby customers can collect points when they buy food and drink which can be redeemed against future purchases.Incorporatewear – Incorporatewear, the UK’s premier corporate clothing provider, has been percolating a piece of new business over the past 12 months and is now delighted to pour out the details of its recently signed contract to supply Costa Coffee. Incorporatewear only work with the highest quality materials and the Costa range is no different with shirts and aprons being manufactured from premium poly/cotton fabrics and provides the uniforms for 16,000 Baristas and staff. There are two companies of Whitbread plc which are under the umbrella of incorporatewear that Costa coffee and premier inn.The be nefits of it are, advanced call centre telephone system, dedicated client contact number, instant query resolution, experienced team. Bunzl catering supply – is the upcoming leading distributor of non- food consumable to hospitality and catering sector in the UK, it got 10 branches all over the UK provide a responsive and a flexible local service. at each branch they got dedicated customer service team which has good understanding of local business need and provide outstanding customer care from points of order through delivery.We can place order through telephone, fax, email and online as well which include an image catalogue, fast orders, regular buys, and saved basket. when the order has been placed the following information is readily available to them: full customer details including delivery address previous purchase history authorised product list real time stock availability pack sizes and product descriptions Coffee creation (prima coffee service ltd) – has be en supplying high quality coffee product from more than 12 years with a passion for quality and attention to details.It’s very easy to place an order with coffee creation; it takes you through each step, finding the item you would like to buy, add the item to your shopping basket, proceeding to checkout, sigh in, enter your details, check and submit your order, provide payment information, get email as the confirmation, tracking down the order. Sometimes they send product for sampling if requested and the customer of coffee creation are cafe Nero, Costa coffee, coffee republic. 2. Critically evaluate your organisation’s website. Discuss its strong and weak points. How user friendly is it?Is it functionality adequate? Put yourself In place of someone who is unfamiliar with the organization. Does it enhance the reputation and encourage further contact? Webpage are the most inexpensive and the most effective way to promote any business especially in coffee shops people ar e looking for new shops in their neighbourhood and while travelling often start their search on internet. More than half of the marketing job is done if completely describing your cafe on webpage. The website of Costa coffee is quite eye appealing and attractive to customers.It matches the same colours and fonts on their web site as they do in their cafe. By using just the 2,3 colours, consistent fonts and easy navigation it stimulates the cafe itself. Some basic thing which a webpage must have it are, location, opening hours, photo gallery, about the business, menu, and press release. Out of all this Costa coffee explains its business, update press release, latest picture of the product, location of all the stores with opening and closing hours, address 5. What is social media? Identify three different types of social media how they can be of benefit for hotel industry.Social Media is the use of internet-based programs to make interaction with friends, family, classmates, customers and clients. It can be done for social purposes, business purposes or both. The appropriate way to define social media is to split it into two parts, social and media. Media is a tool of communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social tool of communication. This social tool of communication doesn’t just give the information but interact with you while giving that information.Interaction may be like asking you for to comment in any particular thing, or letting you vote on any article or asking you to rate any movie etc. Social media is a new form of interacting people that allows anyone to become a source of information through new technologies that doesn’t need any previous experience. It also allows the audience to be the author and author to be the audience. Anyone can experience the interaction for free as long as they have internet connection. The popular site of social media includes Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr and many others .These sites all allow users to post information that can then be commented on, followed or enjoyed by larger social groups and peers. Many Hotels are investing on its use to target market demographic groups or to break through to new potential customers. Now Days mostly all the hotel have Facebook pages and are adding facebookers as friends in an effort to attract new customers and build brand loyalty. There are restaurants that are tweeting out daily specials and/or coupons to give as a gift to their followers.Facebook- one of the most popular of social networking sites which allows users to sign up and add friends and social groups, post information, comment on that information, post photos and become fans of various items or company or group. Hotels create their facebook page to add their customer, to target new market, they post photos of the some special event occurred in hotel and tag their friends (customer), by tagging photo a friend of friends, who is known to the hotel ca n get to know about the hotel and his or her friend whereabouts.Through this hotel make new customer with the help of Facebook. Example – some Marriott hotels use their Facebook pages to communicate with guests about local and hotel events. (USA Today) Twitter: This is a free social networking and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Elmore 2010) Twitter also allows hotel employees to start conversations with guests; even a tweet as simple as â€Å"Hope you're enjoying your stay! † which give a personalized touch that some guests really appreciate that. Hyatt and Hilton hotels are using Twitter as a virtual concierge service to which guests can â€Å"tweetâ₠¬  queries and expect responses within the hour. (USA Today) Youtube : A very popular and free video-sharing  Web site  that allows registered users to upload and share their video clips online at the YouTube. om Web site. To view the videos you are not required to register but to upload the video you need to register with your email accounts. It allows billions of people to browse, watch and share originally-created videos. It creates a group of people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform. The Marriot Resort & Stellaris Casino in Puerto Rico uses YouTube to let guests record a 30-second video postcard to send to friends and family through the resort’s YouTube channel.A hotel can use the youtube to promote their own website by sharing and uploading videos of own hotel. 6. What is cloud Computing and explain how it can be used for the hospitality industry? The service provided on internet with the use of computing res ources (hardware and software) are called as cloud computing. All data that is being accessed are usually saved in servers, which are in accessible by any unauthorized user. This allows enterprise to maintain faster service and less maintenance from IT.Technology has advanced rapidly in the last couple of years that now it is possible for almost any device to quickly connect with a cloud service and access the information required. The â€Å"cloud computing† concept minimizes the upfront cost of infrastructure and allows the enterprise focus on project, which will differentiate the business itself rather than the infrastructure which will be avoided. Many author have made the attempt to describe it, Buyya et al. efined it as a â€Å"cloud is a parallel and distributed computing system consisting of a collection of inter-connected and virtualised computer that are dynamically provisioned and presented as one or more unified computing resources based on a service level agreeme nts established through negotiation between the service provider and consumer. † The key characteristic of cloud computing are: (1) illusion of non ending computing resources, (2) with the use cloud computers up- front commitment is eliminated, (3) ability to pay for use as needed, (4) self service interface and (5) resources that are virtualised.The concept of Cloud computing had benefited the hospitality industry in many ways, such as: A hotel can eliminate the large upfront costs from acquiring computational assets and the typical time delay in building out and developing computer software app. By eliminating upfront cost hotel can save its precious capital to take future business decisions. It allows user to access system through web browser from anywhere at any time, user can access through any device, like pc, laptops, mobile etc. with the use of internet.It improve the business performance and the service delivery, the maintenance cost of cloud computing is very low. So me other benefits which a hotel can get from cloud computing includes low upfront costs, minimal IT infrastructures and easy access across multiple properties. Cloud has a pay-as-you-go service requires minimal investment and offers better technology at a lower cost. 1. Social media 2. 0 Successful social media programs that have value meld top technology and sales best practices By Gina LaVecchia Ragone 2. Social Media & the Hospitality Industry by Forest Time, Demand Media . M. Miller, Cloud Computing: Web-based applications that change the way you work and collaborate online, Que, 2008. 4. R. Buyya, C. S. Yeo, and S Venugopal, Market-oriented cloud computing: Vision, hype, and reality for delivering IT services as computing utilities, in Proceedings of the 10th IEEE International Conference on High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC 2008, IEEE CS Press, Los Alamitos, CA, USA), Dalian, China, September 2527, 2008. 5. Khan, K. M. , & Malluhi, Q. (2010). Establishing tru st in cloud computing. IT Professional Magazine, 12(5), 20-27.

Reflective Paper Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organization in the business and industrial setting is like a very interesting organism worthy of effort and time for study. The behavior of people and the environments with which they are in constant interaction is a ceaseless source for curiosity and fascinating research. This is so especially during this particular century when technology sparks the many changes that take place. This generation is in the epoch of organizational reform and innovation. The time is marked with rapid changes in the demography of workforce, changing corporate culture, and changing institutions. In the light of the rapid shift in today’s organizations, the skills required of managers, beginners in the profession and even aspiring students in the discipline, rest on the foundation of knowledge on the whole gamut of organizational development. Corporate America is not without its complications. When the company â€Å"succeeds,† there is with it (the success) a corresponding notion of responsibilities and liabilities. Organizations thrive today because of the policies and guidelines they have managed to fixed firmly in their set-up and translated into their day to day affairs. Big businesses have the competitive edge over others – i.e., over small entrepreneurs, because they have arrived at their positions in the market place by securing certain parameters in the many facets that comprise their organizations. This is especially true on government laws and regulations (McKenna, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is imperative that organizations in industry and business compete with the changing times. To fail to do so may spell substantial loss in both the financial and human capitals; two major components necessary in an organization. Being competitive in today’s business jargon is not as simple as it sounds; it involves a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the whole gamut of organizational behavior and the complex changes that are dynamic in nature (Mangelsdorff, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper attempts to express in prà ©cis the various facets of the nature of organization with specific intentions to elaborate on the student researcher’s understanding, insights and learnings regarding how quality management and control systems relate with human motivation. It takes into consideration the importance of how all these concepts are of significance in one’s individual relationships as well as their relevance of the person’s (especially the student researcher’s) professional plans and actual work situations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizational change though oftentimes unpredictable and incomprehensible to many, still goes through a cycle; the nature of which makes it possible for concerned people to study with the hopes and intentions of ultimately, implementing revisions or remodeling. These serve to enhance and improve systems and discover excellent procedures of handling things or procedures and people (Mangelsdorff, 2007). Problem Statements   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be specific, the following questions are addressed in this paper: Define what is meant by â€Å"strategic planning.† Distinguish this from long-range planning and other forms of planning. Planning can lead to organizational change. What do the text writers feel are the issues that face the managerwho plans to bring about organizational change? How should a planner go about the process of identifying strengths, weaknesses, and distinctive competencies in an organization? What is the impact of the findings on planning? Discuss the relationship between mission statements, planned change, and unplanned change. Use Discussion – Define what is meant by â€Å"strategic planning.† Distinguish this from long-range planning and other forms of planning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bruffee, author of Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge (1993), explains the need for a more efficient, economical and equitable management of the people in the industry or organization has never been as pronounced as it is today. This need has never been brought about by factors which inevitably affect not only the established structures and ways of doing things within the personnel area but also by the more meaningful and substantial task of managing the organization’s most important asset – the human capital. Among these factors are: stiffer competition in business; rapid changes in technological, competitive and economic environments; the explosion of technical and managerial knowledge; spiraling wage and benefits cost and so many others. These factors have no doubt been responsible for the emergence of the personnel function as a vital area in the implementation of corporate strategy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demick and Miller (1993) places in context first what an organization is like and settles how it can affect behavior in general and when that is established, proceeded to explain leadership and management in this context. In organizational behavior which is basic to the management of human resource, it points to the inquiry and application of learning about how people, individuals, and groups perform, operate, and work in organizations. It accomplishes this by means of adopting a system approach. Explicitly, it infers people-organization affairs in terms of the entire person, group totality, complete organization, and total social structure. Its intention is to put up enhance relations by attaining human goals, organizational purposes, and social goals. In such a milieu, the goals to effect change are influenced by several significant factors which are crucial to the overall results. Hence, there are expected leadership behaviors that maintain momentum during the change process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Effective strategic planning is a process of analyzing an organization’s assets and its needs under changing conditions and developing the activities necessary to satisfy these needs. It is essentially a two-step process. The emphasis is on techniques or systems to be applied. The forecasting of needs allows determining of priorities and allocating of resources to where they can do the most good. Analysis of needs leads to program planning. The planning approach defines human resource needs in relation to the organization’s overall needs and defines a strategy to satisfy them. In this way, individual development, training programs, recruitment, compensation and other activities become integral part of a dynamic process. There are different types of planning aside from strategic type of plan. These include the alignment type, the goal-based type, the self-organizing type, and the scenario-based type (McNamara, 2006). The goal-based type of planning is involved with tailoring the process of improving and enhancing the system of operation of an organization with the focus on the organizations’ goals which may be further specialized according to each of that organization’s departments. The alignment type bases its planning strictly on the organization’s mission and tailors all activities according to that specific aspect of organizational flow. In particular, the scenario type of planning, however, makes use of the critical areas of the organization’s set-up which nay be experiencing problems and issues that may emanate from the external environment such as changing laws and problems outside the firm or establishment which may affect the life, continuity and effective productivity of the organization.   Lastly, self-organizing type of planning is centered on the organization’s core of values and that any or all of the various problems or issues encountered have to be evaluated according to the values of great importance to the members of the organization (McNamara, 2006). -Planning can lead to organizational change. What do the text writers feel are the issues that face the manager who plans to bring about organizational change?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizational behavior is actually a complex and dynamic mechanism. It includes the application and integration of theoretical perspectives from the social and behavioral sciences to shed light on how and why individuals behave in a variety of ways in organizations. Included in the study are the ways the individuals carry out their tasks, the structure, design and operation of human persons in simple and complex organizational set-ups (Mangelsdorff, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is accomplished utilizing the systems approach or systems model. The latter is meant as interpreting people and organizational relationships in reference to the whole individual, â€Å"whole group, whole organization, and whole social system† (Knoster et al., 2000). The objective is developing improved and enhanced relationships by attaining individual aims, organizational goals and social aspirations (Mangelsdorff, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Specifically, any student who pursues the study of the concepts involved in the matter will examine how individuals work in groups; acquire insights into human strengths and interpersonal relationships. Intertwined in the study is to delve into theories or principles of motivation of personnel, effective leadership with the goal of formulating a sound thinking and values of management and leadership. Moreover, organizational behavior investigates scientific data and utilizes a variety of research traditions to further understand how individuals work and function efficiently in diverse forms of structures (Shortell et al., 2000)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concepts that are pursued in organizational behavior include the following: the evolution and organizational and management theories; the rich historical background of management, organizational theories and the development of management thought, are adequately covered in this particular aspect (Robbins,1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizational behavior, when scrutinized closely, thus far covers a lot of topics. It embraces the understanding of structure, design of the organization itself. It also includes the study of the work design, policies and practices of the human resource, job design, and decision making as an organization. Furthermore, it also examines the organizational culture, its dynamics where change is aimed to be implemented (Revans, 1982) – How should a planner go about the process of identifying strengths, weaknesses, and distinctive competencies in an organization? What is the impact of the findings on planning?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Working relationships are a central portion of a person’s life.   Motivation and dedication to any endeavor (e.g. work) and the pleasure from it are collective concerns of the organization and the individual. There are definite factors that generate satisfaction, the so-called â€Å"motivator† factors according to Herzberg. These factors push the worker to the highest levels of accomplishment possible. They are an inherent part of the work itself and consist of the nature of the work, the person’s sense of achievement, level of responsibility, and individual development and improvement. These motivator needs can only be rewarded by stimulating, challenging, and absorbing work. Consequently, the goal of motivation should be to enhance individual growth and advancement, develop sense of accomplishment and liability, and provide recognition (Franken, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychology recognizes different perspectives of motivation. One of these viewpoints pertains to the idea of â€Å"motivational inducements,† otherwise known as incentives. Incentives are referenced from either the vantage point of internal, or that of external motivation. An inducement coming from within the individual is called intrinsic or internal motivation. It is, according to Morris and Maisto, about the â€Å". . . desire to perform a behavior that originates within the individual.† An inducement coming from outside the individual is called external or extrinsic motivation. It is the aspiration to do or achieve a goal in order to acquire a type of incentives or escape or steer clear of punishment (Morris and Maisto, 1999, p.316). People are often induced by the presence of external incentives to perform expected tasks or avoid incurring punishment. For motivation experts, however, a person developing the internal type of motivation will reap more lasting and beneficial effects compared with external motivation (Morris and Maisto, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For instance, in taking care of a medical surgical unit and handling newly hired nurses with a few years of experience only, myriads of problems are not remote possibilities. From issues of tardiness during call of duty, in irresponsibility in dispensing of medicines and relational clashes, to grave misconduct within the workplace such as sexual harassment between employees, these are all stark realities that are potential complex problems. Initiating the Herzberg idea can probably be useful. I will groom first the few expert nurses and those who will be directly supervising others that they practice and execute specific agenda for increasing motivation, one of which is Management by Objectives (MBO). It entails having faith in involving the employees in goal-setting and in decision-making. MBO works by integrating goal-setting into individual participation in decision-making in order to establish individual work goals to which the employee feels reasonably committed. At the motivational level, it is theorized that resistance to change is decreased if individuals participate in decisions regarding change and that individuals accept and are more committed to decisions in which they have participated in making. To further encourage and increase involvement, the hospital provides suggestion boxes and hold monthly contests where they give monetary rewards for the best three suggestions. These give the employee a sense of achievement and responsibility for its success. For this workplace in particular, the employees receive incentives in the form of Ladder promotion, general salary increase annually plus performance rating salary increases, CBA – employees can expect a minimum of 15% increase in salary annually within three years; and welfare benefits which include group insurances, medical insurance, accident benefits among others (Baron, 1983). A set-up like this goes to such great lengths at least to assure that it does something for sustaining employees’ morale and motivation. -Discuss the relationship between mission statements, planned change, and unplanned change. Use illustrations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The elements of organizational behavior lean upon management’s plan and philosophy, vision and objectives. Basing on this foundation springs the organizational culture where the formal and informal types of organization and the social environment are best understood (Knoster et al., 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every person in direct supervision of employees or workers knows the intricacies of leadership and management of people under his/her care. Whenever possible, it is to the best interest of the organization and employer in general that the workers perform their respective jobs efficiently and on a continuous or consistent manner. This is the aspiration of every owner of a company or those delegated to deliver their/his/her goals. However, this will only work so long as the individuals in their various places or positions know and understand what they want and where they want to go in the context of the overall goals of their organization. Intertwined in this idea is the fact that individuals are motivated to work not only for them but that the vision and mission, goals of the corporate world where they belong must be their own also. Ownership as a motivational factor is critical for the survival and sustainability of both the individual worker and the organization as a whole. Studies reveal that how an organization runs depends upon every human person within the workplace functioning as he/she should be in order that productivity is achieved. This is actually a cyclical picture; both the organization or employer level and the rank and file levels must understand the team and group dynamics that must work to achieve their own objectives. However this seemed to be easy to understand, the applications of which are complex involving multiple disciplines (Mangelsdorff, 2007). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The problem of employee motivation is critical in all kinds of organizations today and is responsible for the shoddy products we buy and the careless service we receive. It was thought that all that was necessary to produce high motivation in workers was to pay them more; this idea may no longer be valid for a large portion of the work force (Adams, 1965). Modern workers demand jobs that satisfy their inner needs for fulfillment, expression, and self-actualization. Traditional values involved loyalty to the company and a strong drive for money, status, promotion and security. The new breed of workers focuses on self-fulfillment and self-actualization and demands jobs that are challenging and that allow participation in decision-making (McClelland, 1976). They have little loyalty to the organization and less concern with money, status and security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychologists have proposed several theories of motivation. The need for achievement by McClelland posits the existence to be the best in whatever they undertake. Studies show that good executives are higher in Ach than poor ones. High in ability and take calculated risks and set moderate achievement goals. These individuals constantly need feedback on their progress (Halonen & Santrock, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These theories deal with content of motivation, with internal needs that arouse and guide behavior. Process theories of motivation focus on the psychological processes involved in making decisions and choices about work. This is illustrated in the goal-setting theory, which argues that employee motivation is defined by our intention to achieve a particular goal; and equity theory, which deals with our perceived ratio or outcome to input and how equitably that ratio compares with those co-workers (Halonen & Santrock, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The workplace today considers any of the perspectives mentioned in this paper. However, what are more reflective at many organizations are their strategies in enhancing the life of the average worker. The understanding of the needs or drives that motivate people is therefore critical in the choice of what â€Å"motivator variables† that the management may employ to encourage their people to do or sustain an excellent job or an efficient performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mentoring and its application is very much the vogue today in corporate America. It is a strategy employed by companies or institutions to enhance professionalism and the increased transfer of learning and building of skills from the more adept and/or experienced to the junior or neophyte employee. It is also a way of improved retention rate within a company. Reference: Baron, R. 1983. Behavior in Organizations: Understanding and Managing the Human Side of Work, Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Bruffee, Kenneth A. Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1993. Demick, J. and Miller, P., Development in the Workplace, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, New Jersey, 1993. Druckman, Daniel, Jerome E. Singer, and Harold Van Cott (Editors) (1997). Enhancing Organizational Performance. National Academy Press: Washington, D.C. (optional) Franken, R.E. 1994, Human Motivation (Belmont, CA, Wadsworth). Halonen, JS and JW Santrock, 1996. Psychology: Contexts of Behavior, Dubuque, IA: Brown    and Benchmark, p.810. Knoster, T., Villa, R., & Thousand, J. (2000). A  framework for thinking about systems change. In R. Villa & J. Thousand (Eds.), Restructuring for caring and effective education: Piecing the puzzle together (pp. 93-128). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Landy, F.J. 1985. Psychology of Work behavior. 3rd Ed. Dorsey Press. Mangelsdorff, David A.2001. â€Å"Organizational Behavior and Theory. Accessed August 19, 2008 McClelland, D. C., & Burnham, D. H. 1976. Power is the great motivator. Harvard Business Review, 54(2), 100-110. McKenna, Eugene, 2000. Business Psychology and Organizational Behavior: A Student’s Handbook. 3rd Ed. Psychology press: Taylor and Francis Group. McNamara, Carter. 2006. â€Å"Basic Overview of Various Strategic planning models.† Retrieved August 19, 2008. http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/models.htm Morris, Charles G., Maisto, Albert A., 1999. Understanding Psychology.4th ed., Prentice Hall: New Jersey, pp.315-316. Revans, R. W. 1982. The Origin and Growth of Action Learning. Hunt, England: Chatwell-Bratt, Bickley Robbins, Stephen P. 1997. Organizational Behavior: Concepts, Controversies, Applications, Eighth Edition, Prentice Hall. Shortell, Stephen M. and Arnold D. Kaluzny. 2000. Health Care Management: Organization Design and Behavior, Fourth Edition, Delmar Publishers Inc. Revans, R. W. 1982. The Origin and Growth of Action Learning. Hunt, England: Chatwell-Bratt, Bickley Robbins, Stephen P. 1997. Organizational Behavior: Concepts, Controversies, Applications, Eighth Edition, Prentice Hall.

Global Perspectives In Business B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Global Perspectives In Business B - Essay Example In general, this phenomenon is characterized by increased relationships of people, economic activities and culture across the globe. This is what is referred to as globalization. Globalization has shaped various aspects of business real and it is perceived to be important to the extent that it cannot be overlooked. Every business has to align to global business strategies. There are various aspects of many nationality cultural behaviors that are different from other cultures and which could be easily misinterpreted. In communicating, groups have the tendency of giving considerations to the context, as well as situations, as a way of accounting for events. Secondly, when communicating, especially with the seniors, one is required to maintain eye contact and this is different from other regions where this could be misinterpreted for rudeness. Thirdly, traditions and taboos are not highly valued as in other areas. Fourthly, the society is what may be described as also low power, based on Hostfedes (1984) classification, where emphasis is laid on consultative relations and this may be misinterpreted by low power societies, which have preference for autocratic approaches (Sutcliffe, 2001). Chinese death ritual traces the traditions of the historical dynasties. These rituals are still observed until today. Rituals are considered as a way of giving respect to the deceased and the elderly. People who die without having married are not often accorded the respect. It is also because they lack the children to organize a decent ceremony for them. Such people are often abandoned at the funeral homes and are never taken home for Chinese death rituals. The same case is applicable for children, who are accorded a silent burial. The corpse is often washed before it is placed in a casket. The dead is dressed black, blue or brown as a way of exalting

Why it is so difficult to evaluate the influence of women on Viking Essay

Why it is so difficult to evaluate the influence of women on Viking society - Essay Example The saga writers of the 13th century belonged to an oral tradition, which embraced written culture like the Holy Bible. It is characteristic of Scandinavian or Norse societies, that they had never had any hierarchical form of governing. But Viking societies now had a king, who served as a ruler, and men were the dominant group in the society and the family. All these social aspects were then highlighted in epics and romance. As a result, saga writing became a political act in gender relations under this situation. The ideological view of the binary opposition formed a kind of "stereoscopic" view on women as depicted in the sagas, paying special attention to gender roles and the contexts of these performances. First, when one looks at women's representation in one of the oldest forms of Icelandic literature, the 'Gylfaginning' saga, most of the gods are represented as warriors, and are thus heroic images. This depicts the social role of males as being the 'external' heroes and proves their dominance both in the society and in their own family. Goddesses such as Frigg and Freyji usually represented marriage, motherhood, fertility, love, household management and domestic art2. Frigg and Freyji are the highest goddesses from the sir and Vanir races. In addition to their divine images, they are always seen as role models for the moral code for Viking women. Oral literature or written sagas were the major entertainment for Vikings, so the sagas worked as 'social education', developing the stereotype and the binary ideology in the Viking society. With this change and suppression of the past, there still were "strong women" in oral sagas in the Viking age. But nevertheless women we re constrained from playing the role of remembering and preserving the connection with the past, and evoking it in a way that minimizes its potential disruption of, or threat to, the present symbolic order3. Additionally, because of changes in political, social and religious culture, Viking women have lost their power in the public sphere. That's why women in sagas have always been the subordinate group under the authority of the male in the family. As in the Laxdoela Saga, the father was the one who decided about Gudrd's first marriage to Thorvald, a man she did not love4. This fact shows that women were under male's authority and seldom appeared in public. They were powerful in their limited private surrounding, taking care of their household and family, but still faced the binary opposition that influenced their society and the role and power of Viking women. Ultimately, it has blurred or flattened the influence of female Vikings on Viking society. To understand the social and historical function of sagas in Old Norse society, it is necessary to see, how women were represented in early legislation, together with their life's depictions in archaeological documents. In the medieval Scandinavian culture and from my study of the sagas, Viking women were always signified and related to the household and to nurturing their family and children. We can see this from one of the oldest sagas in Northman Literature, the Saga

The Ferret after It Is Prosecuted Under Section 5 as to How It Can Rel Essay

The Ferret after It Is Prosecuted Under Section 5 as to How It Can Rely Upon European Union Law and the European Convention on Human Rights - Essay Example On the first level, it must be noted that one area where judicial discretion is especially large is the area of free speech. While the right to free speech is a crystallized principle that has been placed almost since the beginning of time, enjoying a cherished position in the bill of rights of virtually all civilized legal systems, the interpretation of what constitutes free and protected speech still has yet to be perfectly refined. This provision has been invoked many times over in the course of history, whether within the European Union or outside, successfully and unsuccessfully; and Courts have had many opportunities to set standards and devise guidelines to determine if the speech in question should be protected or not. It becomes more difficult when the right to free speech competes with another right, in this case, the right of religious minority groups to tolerance and acceptance. In "easy" cases, all that should be done is look through jurisprudence until one finds the applicable case with similar facts. In "hard" cases with novel facts, the role of the judge becomes infinitely more difficult. The boundaries are ever-shifting; and internally, the judge will be trying not only to apply the law but to subject the text or speech in question to her own subjective inquiry in order to determine the intent of the message-bearer and what the material was trying to say. (De la Cruz, 2002) Social and political values inevitably come to the fore. To quote legal writer Thomas Streeter, "It is in the character of language, in other words, that a judge will never be able to look at the text of the Bill of Rights and legal precedents to decide whether or not flag burning is protected by the First Amendment; he will always in one way or another be forced to make a choice about whether or not he thinks it should be protected, and will always be faced with the possibility that a reasonable person could plausibly disagree." (Streeter, 1995) What distinguishes the area on free speech from other "legally-indeterminate" areas is that it is inextricably intertwined with and largely dependent on language which, as many eminent linguists have said, is arbitrary in the sense that meanings cannot be derived from anything logically-inherent in the words. These meanings are merely "assigned meanings" born of the collective experiences of people in a community and this system of interpretation is never static. As stated by Streeter, "Aside from language in general and perhaps some very deep-level aspects of syntax, there is very little that is universal, neutral, or mechanical about human languages." (IBID.) In this situation, it is clear that the European Convention on Human Rights secures both the right of the media to free speech, as well as the right of marginalized groups. But since the task is to find a basis to defend the newspaper in the existing Human Rights Convention, then it may be argued that the right to free speech is indeed a cherished ideal and is considered a sacrosanct freedom. If one compares the violation to the newspaper and the violation to the Muslims, without meaning to denigrate their suffering which we know is starkly real, the right against censorship and prior restraint appears to be more serious, than the right to "not be mocked."Â   Â   Â  

Actions Speaks Louder Words Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Actions Speaks Louder Words - Assignment Example To attest that I have changed physically, some of my friends five years was not able to recognize me now. 5. These sports include chess, swimming etc. Of the two kind of sports, I enjoy playing individual sports more than team sports because I can play it anytime compared to team sports where I have to wait for other people before I can play. 6. For me, the best age to marry is around age 30 to 35. It is because during that time, I have already gained enough experience in life and have enjoyed my single life. By that time also, I have already enough savings to afford a family of my own. 7. A good teacher has to be an authority in the subject that he or she teaches. He or she should also be understanding about the different learning style of students. To be an authority in a subject meant that he or she is knowledgeable about the subject and has the credentials to back it up. A good teacher should also be able to know the best way to teach a student. For example, there are students who learn best through experience while there are others who learn better with the use of visual aids. 8. I do not agree that haste makes waste. Doing things quickly does not necessarily mean that one is bound to make a mistake. For example, finishing a term paper quickly does not mean that I am bound to make mistakes or doing it wrong. It is just I happen to know the topic by heart. 9. The most difficult aspects of learning a new language is learning its proper pronunciation.

Questions&answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions&answers - Assignment Example The African Americans in the film are not differentiated from Asian characters as Sonya Valentine (Lexa Doig), Eduardo Kagame (Tony Amendola) and Mathew Kellog (Stephen Lobo) are also part of the villains. The protagonists consist of a Caucasian cast. Nonetheless, in most dramas characters are often differentiated in behavior based on race and social class (Characterization and Narrative 7). The female characters in the crime drama play to the stereotype of most character descriptions in crime drama (Canadian Crime Drama 3). Despite the difference in ethnic characters, all of them conform to the conventions of gender age and sexuality used in creating TV characters (Canadian Crime Drama 4). Rachel Nicholas plays the role of Kiera Cameron who is the lead star of the drama. While Kiera Cameron is a smart and physically capable woman, her character identity consists of vulnerability and sexuality, which is constantly highlighted by the attention she receives from three males in the drama. Jasmine is a psychopathic character in the drama; yet, even her sexuality is enhanced. Her strength and craziness are almost comparable to those of Clara Croft although she is the worst of the villains. Similarly, the Caucasian protagonist, the African-American, and the Asian antagonist male characters are all awarded a certain level of sexuality. There are no indigenous characters on daytime dramas. Apart from characters of Afro-Caribbean and Asian characters, most of the other characters are Caucasians or people of mixed races. Nonetheless, characters with different accents have continuously joined daytime TV and gained the support of individuals. British and Australian accents have become common on TV drama. For instance, most popular epic dramas like Games of Thrones, Merlin, and Salem have various dialects. Additionally, most indigenous characters are unavailable on TV dramas because each group makes its own TV dramas. For

The Benefits of Virtual Meetings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Benefits of Virtual Meetings - Essay Example By comparing the merits with the demerits, business people can determine the viability of using a virtual meeting platform. Travel - Virtual meetings negate the need to travel, saving days out of the work week that would have otherwise been sent traveling abroad to present reports. The removal of travel costs also makes the method less expensive. Improvement in B2B businesses - The use of virtual meetings makes it easy for businesses to set up a cordial working relationship, as the virtual meetings encourage constant interaction. As a result, the relationships between businesses improve, and trade blossoms (Wilson, Valencia & Smith-Bindman, 2014). Cost and learning curve – Not all people or businesses can afford to set up an effective Virtual Meeting system. Even when they afford, getting the best out of the virtual meeting program will take a lot of time to familiarize (Wilson, Valencia & Smith-Bindman, 2014). AS such, it can get on the nerves of those who have short tempers, or even embarrass them. Participation Values - The use of Virtual Meetings does not assist the people who have problems with participation. In fact, the performance of such people lowers when they use a Virtual Meeting medium. As such, it may not assist in bringing the best results. As such, it becomes evident that Virtual Meetings have their advantages and disadvantages. However, an assessment of the demerits reveals that they can be easily dealt with if the system is created in an organization, through training. As such, I would recommend businesses to consider them medium as an effective communication

Identifying Barriers to Diversity in Law Enforcement Essay Example for Free

Identifying Barriers to Diversity in Law Enforcement Essay Our country, America is a melting pot of many different races, ethnic groups, and cultures, which occurred because of immigration. That is why our communities are known as multicultural communities. Our communities may consist of African Americans, Whites, Latinos, Chinese, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Indians. These multicultural communities experience prejudice actions from law enforcement. Prejudice means a judgment or opinion formed before facts are known, usually involving negative or unfavorable thoughts about groups of people (Shusta and Levine, 2010). Law enforcement tends to discriminate against individuals because of their race, culture, or ethnic background. Law enforcement is now trying to figure out methods that they can use to improve their relationship with multicultural communities. Shusta and Levine (2010) offered some methods that can improve law enforcement in multicultural communities: (1) †¢ Make positive contact with community group members from diverse backgrounds, don’t let them see you only when something negative has happened, and allow the public to see you as much as possible in a nonenforcement role, (2) Take responsibility for patiently educating citizens and the public about the role of the officer and about standard operating procedures in law enforcement and remember that citizens often do not understand â€Å"police culture,† (3) Don’t be afraid to be a change agent in your organization when it comes to improving cross-cultural and interracial relations within your department and between police and community, it may not be a popular thing to do, but it is the right thing to do, (4) Donâ₠¬â„¢t appear uncomfortable with or avoid discussing racial and ethnic issues with other officers and citizens, and (5) Make a conscious effort in your mind, en route to every situation, to treat all people objectively and fairly. In my community they are only Blacks and Puerto Ricans races, but they are a diverse cultures, such as the locals called Cruzan’s, Kittians, St. Lucians, Dominicans, Haitians, Antiguans, Nevisians, and many other Caribbean islands. In my community law enforcement is prejudice against the stereotypes of the individuals, such as members in gangs. For example if law enforcement is called to the community for a theft, they would suspect a gang member of committing the before they suspect a regular guy walking down  the street. If they take time out to socialize with these so called gang members they would see a different side of them. Also getting to know the different cultures would allow having better communication skills with the citizens, and maybe the citizens would feel safer in open up to them and help them in the community. In a scenario in which a method would work would be: A patrol unit is patrolling the community a see a group of young boys sitting under a tree cooli ng out, they decide to stop and have a talk to the young boys, about what they’re doing and how is their life, and officers even tell them about their days when they was the same age as them, the boys know see that these officers are no different than them, and their just doing their duty. That shows that the boys and law enforcement is communicating and gaining trust within each other.

Anxiolytic Properties of L- Theanine in Albino Rats

Anxiolytic Properties of L- Theanine in Albino Rats Lakshmi Girija, Kiruthika, Arvind, Zaved Ahmed khan ABSTRACT Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling of nervousness, uneasiness accompanied by stress for anticipated events. Stressful conditions can increase anxiety many folds showing physically noticeable symptoms and drastically affecting cognitive ability. Several anxiolytic drugs are in the market whose continuous consumption may lead to problems in the long run. It is reported that L-Theanine, anamino acid analogue that was discovered as a constituent ingreen tea, has anxiolytic abilities. As L-theanine is an analogue of glutamate and glutamine, it is absorbed in the small intestine after oral digestion. It can cross theblood–brain barrier, and thereby directly register pharmacological effects. As it is able to cross theblood–brain barrier, psychoactiveproperties are reported for theanine. Many studies have revealed about its potential ability to reduce mental and physical stress. It can give better cognition and improve mood and cognitive performance. Diazepam is acommercially ava ilable benzodiazepine drug, used to treat a wide range of conditions,   including anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, seizures etc. In this paper, the anxiolytic properties of L- theanine was studies in the albino rats taking diazepam as a positive drug for anxiety. Poly lactide nano particle encapsulate theanine was also tested to see if it could cross the blood brain barrier more rapidly to reduce anxiety. Theanine proved to be an efficient anxiolytic drug equivalent to diazepam as it improved the performances of anxiety induced rats to match with that of the rats that were non anxious. Keywords:Theanine, anxiety, Diazepam,stress. Introduction Nowadays anxiety or stress have became one of the common important problem faced by the world today. Owing to busy schedule and workloads people are not able to stay calm and so the demand for anti-anxiety drugs are gaining importance. Most commonly used drugs include alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam and oxazepam. But all these drugs are not safe in the long run and hence there is a need for a good alternative. L-theanine, an aminoacid analogue of proteogenicaminoacids, L- glutamate and L- glutamine has found to have certain anti- stress effect properties. It was discovered as a constituent of green tea. Since it has multiple roles in the central and autonomous nervous system, it is receiving more attention. It was found that administration of L- theanine increases the alpha brain activity, depicting that L-theanine could render an alert and relaxed state [1,2].It was also found that stress can be reduced by inhibiting cortical neuron excitation [3].Stress can raise the blood pressure thereby activating the nervous system for producing large amounts of vasoconstricting hormones that will elevate blood pressure [4,5], L-theanine was able to reduce the blood pressure Various studies in animals revealed that L-theanine had an effect on serotonin and dopamine concentrations in the brain, anxiolytic effect [6,7]. Kimura (2007) reported that intake of L- theanine have reduced heart rate and salivary immunoglobulin production. In hypertensive rats L-theanine have found role in reducing blood pressure [8,9].. Hence, it can be hypothesized that L-theanine attenuates the stress responses in the autonomic nervous system induced by both physically and psychologically stressful tasks. Diazepam is one of the common benzodiazepine drug used for reducing anxiety. It reacts with the chemicals in the brain that causes anxiety. It also used for alcohol withdrawal symptoms. With other medications, diazepam is used to treat seizures. It helps to control symptoms of anxiety, so the people feel less agitated and less tense. It have sedative and an anticonvulsant properties. It can help relieve to muscle spasm. Diazepam should be used for the shortest period of time possible as it will cause tolerance, dependence and also sometimes withdrawal symptoms in some people. In this paper, the effect of theanine was tested in the albino mice taking diazepam as a positive drug for anxiety and then testing of theanine encapsulated with nanoparticle was done to check whether the drug crossed the blood brain barrier. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All animals used for this experiment were approved by the ethical committee for animals of VIT University. Animals subjects All rats used in the experiment were female albino Wistar from VIT animal house. The animals were in the age group of 6-8 months. The separated groups were kept in separate cages with 3 rats in each cage and were fed with food pellets and purified water from VIT animal house facility. All rats were healthy and free of any physical deformity or possible symptoms of any infection. The mean weights of the rats were 270  ±10 grams. Grouping of the rats for the experiment: The rats were divided into 5 groups with 3 rats per group for the experimental design. The details of the groups are as follows. Groups (Three rats/group) Induction of anxiety: Restrain stress model was used to induce anxiety into rats. All rats except the negative control group were induced with anxiety continuously for 5 days. The rats were locked and immobilised in the restrain stress chamber inside a silent dark room for 1 h each day for 5 consecutive days to induce anxiety. No animals were injured or handled harshly in the process. Each group of rats were subjected to the process at the same time each day and were then caged together in their respective group cages. Administration of drug: The drug was administered orally through eleven G syringe. Drug of 10 mg/ Kg of body weight was dissolved in 10 mL of distilled water and were fed orally to the rats. Tests performed: Open field test and elevated plus maze test was performed for each rat in every group for 3 consecutive days and the performance readings were recorded for each rat and represented separately in the group performance table to be compared with other groups to determine the relative anxiety levels of different groups in the experimental model. Open field test: The rats were introduced one at a time into the centre of the open field setup that consisted of 16 squares and a total accessible area of 1.6 sq m. The ambiance was maintained silent and was well lit with lights for ensuring visibility. Each rat was allowed to spend 10 mins inside the setup and the total number of square movements, fecal boli and rearings were recorded for the entire period of time spent inside the setup. Elevated plus maze test: The rats were introduced one at a time into the centre of the elevated plus maze setup elevated to 50 cm above ground that had an open arm of length 60 cm and a closed arm of length 60 cm with the total accessible area of 2.4 sq m. The ambiance was maintained silent and was well lit with lights for ensuring visibility. Each rat was allowed to spend 5 mins inside the setup and the total number of open arm entries, closed arm entries, total time spent in open arm and total time spent in closed arm were recorded for the entire period of time spent inside the setup. Results: The observations of the open field test and elevated plus maze test for all the groups of experimental rats are as follows. Group details Open field test: Parameters tested in open field test were No. of squares crossed No. of fecal boli No. of rearings Table 1 to 5 show the raw data of observation for the 5 groups for the open field test. Table1: Group I observation for OFT Table 2: Group II observations for OFT Table 3 : Group III observations for OFT Table 4: Group IV observations for OFT Table 5: Group V observations for OFT Determining the level of anxiety: Number of squares crossed: The mean value of squares crossed by the rats in each group is depicted in fig 1. As expected rats with no induced anxiety were able to show high movement by crossing a mean of 62.4 squares in 10 mins and rats induced with anxiety but not administered with any anxiolytic drug showed the least movement by crossing a mean of only 14.6 squares in 10 mins. The group administered with theanine as the anxiolytic drug out preformed as compared to the group administered with diazepam by crossing a mean of 48.4 squares in 10 mins showing reduced level of anxiety. The nano particle formulation does not show significant improvement in the performance as compared to theanine administered alone. Number of fecal boli: Fig 2. Shows the anxiety level of the different groups having fecal boli as the parameter for measuring anxiety. Maximum number of fecal boli was observed in group II where the rats were induced with anxiety but was not administered with any drug. Non anxiety induced rats in group I had the least number of fecal boli recording of 2. Theanine seems to be effective than diazepam in this test. Fecal boli is reduced by a mean of 0.11 as compared to the rats administered with diazepam. Nano formulation administered rats show increased fecal boli behaviour as compared to rats administered with diazepam or theanine. Number of rearings: Mean number of rearing behaviour for the 5 groups are shown in fig 3. Group I rats that were expected to show the least number of rearings showed rearing behaviour more than the test groups. Group II rats showed the maximum mean number of rearings fo 32.2 in 10 mins in the open field setup. Theanine and nano particle formulation of theanine reduced the rearing behaviour as compared to diazepam proving their efficiency as anxiolytic drug. The effect of normal drug and nano particle formulation were almost equal and nano formulation seems to show no improvement in crossing the blood brain barriers. These results from open field test confirms that the restrain stress model is effective in inducing anxiety in rats and the test drug theanine performs better than diazepam that is now being commertially used to treat anxiety. Elevated plus maze test: The parameters tested in the elevated plus maze test were No. of entries to open arm No. of entries to closed arm Time spent in open arm Time spent in closed arm Tables 6- 10 show the raw data collected for each group of rats in the elevated plus maze test. Table 6: Group I observations for elevated plus maze test Table 7: Group II observations for elevated plus maze test Table 8: Group III observations for elevated plus maze test Table 9: Group IV observations for elevated plus maze test Table 10: Group V observations for elevated plus maze test Number of open arm entries: Mean number of open arm entries by the 5 groups of rats in elevated plus maze test are depicted in fig4. Group I rats with no induced anxiety showed the maximum mean open arm entries of 13.4 times in 5 mins. The least number of open arm entries were observed in group II rats that were induced with anxiety but not administered with any drug. Diazepam was more effective in reducing the anxiety as the mean open arm entry for rats administered with it was 11.5 as compared to only 9.1 and 9.0 for rats administered with theanine and nano formulation of theanine respectively. Number of closed arm entries: The mean number of closed arm entries for the groups of rats are shown in fig 5. Number of closed arm entries were recorded maximum for group I rats without anxiety, these rats were very active in entering both the arms yet they spent most of the time in open arm chamber. Group II rats had least closed arm entries but they tend to spend more time without movement inside the closed arm showing high level of anxiety. Mean number of closed arm entries for the rats administered with diazepam was found to be 5.4 and the mean closed arm entries for rats administered with theanine and its nano formulation were found to be 6.1 and 3.4 respectively making the observations inconclusive without its correlation with the time spent in the closed arm for each group. Total time spent in open arm: The mean time spent in the open arm by each group of rats in the elevated plus maze setup is shown in fig 6. Rats belonging to group II that were induced with anxiety but were not administered with any drug spent the least time in open arm proving increased level of anxiety. Rats with induced anxiety and administered with diazepam, theanine or nano formulation of theanine spent mean time of 2.96, 2.7 and 2.93 mins in the open arm respectively. These are higher than 2.5 mins of time spent by group I rats that were not induced with anxiety. This proves that level of diazepam and theanine administered were able to reduce anxiety and also improve the performance of the test rats more than the control group in this test. Total time spent in closed arm: Mean time spent by different groups of rats in the closed arm of elevated plus maze setup is given in fig7. Group II rats spent the mean maximum time of 3.76 mins in the closed arm showing maximum level of anxiety as they were not administered with any anxiolytic drug. Rats administered with diazepam spent the least time in the closed arm that was about a mean value of 2.03 mins. Theanine and nano particle formulation of theanine showed no variation with respect to this parameter as both the groups administered with either one of the drug spent an equal mean time of 2.3 mins in the closed chamber. These values are lower than the time spent by the non anxious rats in group I thus making it clear that the amount of diazepam and theanine used have not only been anxiolytic but also have improved performances of the rats in the test. Relative time spent in open arm: Relative time spent in open arm for each group of rats with respect to non anxious rats were calculated and depicted in fig 8. Time spent by the non anxious rats in group I was taken to be 100 % and the time spent by the other groups were plotted relative to the group I rats. Relative time spent by the group2 rats with anxiety and no administered drug was lowest as expected. Rats administered with diazepam, theanine or its nano formulation showed 18 %, 8% and 17% high relative time respectively as compared to the non anxious rats used as control, showing the effectiveness of the drug against anxiety. Relative time spent in open arm: Relative time spent in closed arm for each group of rats with respect to non drug administered rats in group2 were calculated and depicted in fig 9. Time spent by the rats in group II that were induced with anxiety but not administered with any drug was taken to be 100% and the time spent by other groups were plotted relative to this. As expected all the other groups of rats showed lower relative time in the closed arm proving lower level of anxiety than the control group II. Rats administered with diazepam spent the least relativ

Theories of Dyslexia and Strategies for Intervention

Theories of Dyslexia and Strategies for Intervention Drawing on current research, module content and your own professional practice critically consider dyslexia as a syndrome incorporating a spectrum of difficulties. Consider the implications of your theoretical understanding for policy, practice and provision within your school. Over recent years there have been many different definitions of dyslexia. It seems that it is almost impossible to define a disability that affects individuals in so many different ways and to so many different degrees in one agreed definition. The republic of Ireland has adopted this definition for themselves which blatantly relates to the fact that this a disability which is part of a continuum of needs, Dyslexia is manifested in a continuum of specific learning  difficulties related to the acquisition of basic skills in reading,  spelling, writing and/or number, such difficulties being  unexpected in relation to an individuals other abilities. The Adult Dyslexia Association has this as part of their definition Every dyslexic person is different and should be treated as an individual. Many show talents actively sought by employers and the same factors that cause literacy difficulties may also be responsible for highlighting positive attributes such as problem solving which can tap resources which lead to more originality and  creativity. ( Schloss 1999) These definitions show the degree of individuality that is present amongst dyslexic learners. It also highlights the fact there are so many positive aspects to being dyslexic that are easily overlooked. The views held by these definitions are implicit , dyslexia encompasses a whole range of difficulties along a spectrum of need. Dyslexia is a very common disability. According to the British Dyslexia Association around 5 10% of the population are affected. Dyslexia impacts on a persons ability to read and wite, thus affecting all areas of education. The severity of dyslexia varies form person to person and ranges form mild to severe. There are many aspects of dyslexia and many other disorders that are co-morbid. According to the dyslexia Institute Dyslexia is, Not related to intelligence, race or social background. Dyslexia varies in severity and often occurs alongside other Specific Learning Difficulties such as Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Disorder, resulting in variation in the degree and nature of individuals strengths and weaknesses. To have any success in helping these learners to develop their literacy skills we must take full cognisance of their individual manner of working, Reid (2001) states: Dyslexic children are first and foremost individuals and while they may share some common difficulties there are individual differences. Many of the issues facing dyslexic pupils can be adequately remediated with the correct environment and specific teaching strategies. Dyslexia is not something to be cured but if these strategies are applied with recognition of individual differences in learning styles they can be effective as by pass strategies. There is no one definitive intervention as each dyslexic learner is an individual and has an individual need. It is about observing and assessing the specific needs of a specific pupil and adapting an intervention that will address this particular need at this particular time. There are no two dyslexic persons with identical needs and dyslexia occurs across the range of learning abilities. Theory of Dyslexia In order to understand dyslexia fully and to consider the implications for policy and practice it is imperative that the causes of dyslexia are investigated. Frith (1995) views dyslexia as a causal model framework suggesting there are three levels of descriptions for better understanding dyslexia- biological, cognitive and behavioural. The biological description implies that dyslexia is hereditary, Gene markers for dyslexia have been found in chromosome 15 (Smith, Kimberling, Pennington and Lubs 1983 as cited in Reid, G 2001) If one parent is dyslexic there is a 50% chance that any of his/her children will inherit dyslexia Hull learning services This could have a major impact for recognising at risk dyslexics early on and putting measures in place to assist with learning difficulties or differences. Frith also suggests that dyslexia has a cognitive basis and suggests that there is something different in the way dyslexic students process information (quote Fawcett, 2001 regarding metacognition and automaticity). Many dyslexic people have difficulties with short term memory, working memory, metacognition and automaticity. Others have problems with phonological processing and cannot process sounds easily and have problems in a range of areas requiring language skill. Sequencing can also be an issue for some dyslexics. Frith believes there is interaction between these factors causing the behavoural issues of a dyslexic learner in terms of reading difficulties, spelling difficulties and often poor memory and organisational difficulties. Some dyslexia appears to manifest itself or have its root in visual difficulties. In my experience many dyslexic students are helped greatly by the use of coloured paper and coloured overlay to avoid visual stress. Tinted glasses can be useful too in avoiding glare, movement in the text, headaches and eye strain. Traditionally, there have been two main models of Dyslexia. One is that it is perceived to be a discrepancy model whereby a pupil appears to have a higher level of intelligence compared to their reading ability. Snowling, 2000 suggests that this may not hold true as many pupils may have a limited literacy experience at home and are therefore bound to have a lower than expected reading age. Conversly, A dyslexic child my have found their own coping strategies and so difficulties could be masked for a long time. A dyslexic child may come form a literacy rich background and the sheer emersion in this and hard work of parents may also compensate for the difficulties. This makes the diagnosis more difficult. Dyslexia has also been viewed as a deficit model whereby a pupil is lacking in literacy skills and because of this is unlikely to succeed. Many would disagree and will argue that there are a great deal of successful dyslexics who have found a way to compensate for their difficulties and use their differences in learning style to their advantage. Being dyslexic simply means a different way of learning and therefore as educators we may need to find a different way of teaching. Some positive attributes often associated with dyslexia is good visual, spatial and lateral thinking skills. The implications for these traditional views are that interventions currently taking place may not be any where near the solution for dyslexia difficulties. If we are to provide any kind of meaningful solution for these pupils we need to do a great deal more observation and analysis to uncover the specific difficulties. If we are ignoring strengths and concentrating on the weaknesses of these learners we are doing pupils an injustice and adding to the issues of self esteem and confidence. Therefore, there is a challenge for all teachers to actually understand dyslexia and meet the dyslexic learners need. These types of learners like any learner have their own individual needs and strengths. Nicholson and Fawcett In particular, if one can identify the underlying cause of a childs potential difficulties before they are manifested, it should be possible to give pro-active support, to the extend that the child will not fail to learn to read, and will not suffer the comitant emotional and educational devastation. Early Intervention If Dyslexia is caught early enough it may that there is less need for intervention. (Critical learning period) Many would argue that it is too late to help pupils beyond the age of 6 , according to bodien 2007 intervention at 6 80% successful, 9 40%, 10-12, 10%.. Research as shown that by this time parts of the brain have shut down. Early and accurate diagnosis will ensure the best possible intervention for a pupil with this difficulty. Drawing on my own experience as a secondary school teacher there are some dyslexic learners that no matter what is put in place still do not make adequate progress in the area of literacy. These pupils need to be given a means of coping in school without having to rely on reading and writing. Continually teaching the same method of reading for the 10th or consecutive year or longera in a row is clearly not working. Some of the dyslexic learners at my school who have made he most progress with literacy have despite all the schools effort found their own way of unlocking words and becoming better readers. The fault of the school lies in insisting all pupils lear n to read in the same manner. One particular severely dyslexic pupil I recall has become a fluent reader by devising his own syllable breaking rule which I find difficult to comprehend but has been a way of accessing materials previously incomprehensible. To have continued using phonics programme with this pupil would have been pointless and exasperating to this pupil. On the other hand this form of remediation has been extremely helpful to another pupil and has meant access to a range of learning opportunities. Certain areas of education have recently been heavily backing linguistic phonics as the solution to all literacy difficulties as we can see according to., Nicholson and Fawcett, It may also be true that appropriate treatment for a given child depends critically on the specific underlying cause(s) of their difficulties, rather than just the general reading symptoms displayed Fawcett, Nicholsonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..200? P6 ( dyslexia, learning and the brain) There are many differences between dyslexic pupils both n the manner in which problems arise and in the severity of the problems. Enrolled at any school there are pupils with dyslexia ranging form mild to moderate to severe. Each of these pupils may be affected by their dyslexia in very different ways. Schools need to be able to provide opportunities for dyslexic learners to learn in their own style. A certain degree of flexibility needs to be applied to the way in which notes are taken and homework submitted. Dyslexic learners also need to have plenty of opportunities to work to their own strengths and have adequate support for their own specific areas of weakness. Specialist one to one teaching needs to be put In place also. This is particularly helpful in specifically showing a pupil survival and bypassing techniques so that the pupil can be as fully included in the curriculum as the other non-dyslexic learners within the organisation. Without support within an organisation dyslexic learners are at risk from a number of negative outcomes from being dyslexic. Some psychosocial factors may come into play to a greater or lesser extent depending on the individual. Thompson describes the daily public humiliation of dyslexic children at school and states failure is experienced every time dyslexics are asked to undertake any literacy, which happens many times at school. Thompson, p 214. The effects of this are far reaching and potentially disatrous for any student, causing daily stress, anxiety and can also be the victims of bullying by other students and indeed by teachers in their lack of understand and inappropriate labelling Thompson p216 In order to be fully included within the curriculum there are devices which could be vital to some dyslexic learners. The use of ICT has proven to be very effective in providing the kind of support necessary to access the curriculum. On the market nowadays are a variety of technical aids. Some pupils are greatly helped by the use of voice activated software and can produce work more in line with their academic ability when the need for written accuracy is removed. At the other end of the extreme from this is the use of hand held spell-checkers which can be an unobtrusive way of removing the problem of poor spelling. All of these devices have their downside also and require expert use and the acquisition of particular skills such as keyboarding. and practice by the dyslexic leaner and the compatibility with the kinds of work and arrangements in schools. Being diagnosed with dyslexia is a long and difficult process. There are so many factors in place. Certainly the intervention and amount of intervention varies from school to school and indeed even from pupil to pupil depending on parental pressure and even finance. It has been argued by Wise, Ring and Olsen (1999) as cited in Reid G 2001 that the actual type of phonological awareness training was less important than the need to actually embed the training within a well structured and balanced approach to reading. Many schools now in Northern Ireland are adopting the Linguistic Phonics approach to teaching reading and remediating reading. It could be argued that this is a useful beginning strategy for may people with literacy needs but for many dyslexic pupils it could add to the confusion and is not an adequate intervention for all dyslexic learners. Fawcett 2002, argues that difficulties often arise from confusion between cause, symptom and treatment and that grouping symptoms without understanding cause can lead to inappropriate treatment. Another important implication here is the fact that a dyslexic pupils needs will change over time and will schools be ready to change the intervention. If we are not constantly assessing these needs we could be seriously letting our pupils down. The implications for this are far reaching. The amount and quality of help is inequitable. As a practitioner I realise there are a great deal of areas within my organisation that need to be upturned, examined and seriously modified. There are some pupils in my school who receive specialist help from a dyslexic tutor. Someone who is qualified to get to the real heart of problems and devise a programme that will be meaningful to dyslexic children. There are others who fall below the threshold for this help and there interventions can be hit and miss at best. This has to be examined. Ofsted doc 2006 promotesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. We are left with the question. How good will provision be if a specialist teacher is not available for all? The Department of Education is promoting the idea of a dyslexia friendly school. The emphasis being placed on every teacher to deal with Dyslexia and not the role specifically of a specialist teacher. The British Psychological Society came up with a definition in 1999 which has major implications for the manner in which we address dyslexia in schools, implies that the problem is severe and persistent despite appropriate learning opportunities. It provides the basis for a staged process of assessment through teaching. The first major implication of this sometimes contested definition is that the ultimate responsibility for assessment lies within schools themselves. This places the responsibiity upon teachers to address these persistent and severe issues and provide the appropriate remediation. Every school should have procedures and structures in place to deal with the issue of dyslexia. A programme of assistance should be in place for all dyslexic learners to help overcome difficulties faced and in the long term to prevent the negative psycho-social aspects to this different approach to learning. To cover all aspects of difficulties the programmes should incorporate phonics, reading and spelling. It should be in line with the developmental stage of the learner and constantly reassessed and reviewed to ensure that it is effective. Above all it should be set up to provide dyslexic learners with a degree of success to compensate for thr low self esteem often experienced by trying to access materials and learners presnted in a manner that it is inaccessible to them. The Dyslexia Friendly School guidelines are a useful framework for Dealing with dyslexia. The success of the schools programme will be down to how individual teachers plan their lessons, how well the school is resourced and the quality of the teaching. The question remains will this be sufficient. The British Dyslexia association in its article states Dyslexia friendly schools are able to identify and respond to the unexpected difficulties that a dyslexic learner may encounter Intervention requires precision teaching, specialist intervention one to one. In reality we require materials that will support differentiation to facilitate access to the full curriculum. ( Reid, 2003). All dyslexic learners like any learner has unique needs, strengths and areas that need to be supported. Brooks ( 2000, p19 ) children should begin to perceive the world as a place where their strengths rather than their weaknesses are spotlighted. If this shift in perception occurs, then when they are expected to assume the tasks of adulthood, they will do so with increased comfort, confidence and success Cultural context and assessment Thompson p209 Stackhouse and wells continuum of needs Students with SpLDs will often present with significant and persistent difficulties despite appropriate learning opportunities even when additional educational provision has been made available. Dfes 2005

History Of Western Music :: essays research papers

Most of the early music that we have today still in print is primarily sacred music. This music, for the most part, is in the form of sections of the Mass, such as the Gloria, Kyrie and Agnus Dei. Most people of the Middle Ages were poor peasants who worked all day for meager wages and had no idle time lounging the way the upper classes did. Therefore, there are few extant secular compositions of music from this era. The rise of a new middle class, however, gave financial freedom for some people to spend time and money on entertainment in the form of music and dance. Thus, the rise of the middle classes also gave way to the rise in composition and performance of secular music, which became the music of choice for composers of that day. Many of the songs we have today of the Middle Ages were in Latin, and are by anonymous composers. Many were written by wandering people, many of them men and churchmen without permanent residences of their own. Men who could not obtain a position in the Church and had to drop out were called goliards. These goliards wandered around the land, composing and performing for people. Their music was mostly comprised of the "’eat, drink, and be merry’ type, appropriate to the wanton kind of life the goliards lived" (Stolba, 99). Carl Orff, the composer of the Carmina Burana, used the poems found in the largest surviving records of Latin secular music that we have today. The Codex latinus 4660 was held in the Benedictine monastery at Benediktbeurn. Many of the songs speak of love, many of them lascivious. Others speak of drinking, satires of the religious life and even liturgical plays. A few of them are even written in the vernacular of the region in that time (Stolb a, 99). Following the history of the era in literature, many authors were fascinated by the courtly tradition, chivalry and a higher love. Therefore, we have today musical compositions that speak of many of the same ideas. French composers wrote songs in the vernacular called chansons de geste . These songs spoke of the heroic acts performed by knights for their ladies in the name of love. The French have a national epic called the Chanson de Roland which related the life and death of Charlemagne’s nephew and his endeavor to rid France of the Basques.

Colonial Canadian Shakespeare Essay examples -- William Shakespeare

1 Colonial Canadian Shakespeare: West Meets East at Stratford In his essay â€Å"The Regional Theatre System†, Czarnecki picks up on the challenge of creating a national theatre in Canada, but also articulates the central and defining challenge in developing a unified sense of Canadian identity; Canada, because of its immense span from ocean to ocean, is inevitably divided into regions distinct from their provincial boundaries. The regional boundaries which identify the Maritimes as distinct from French Canada and the Prairies as distinct from the West Coast, for example, imply not only geographical, but also social, cultural and political differences between these regions. Because Canada is a nation born from British imperialism, the colonial relationship that exists even today between Canada and Britain is undeniable, though this colonial relationship is by no means uniform across Canada. The different regional attitudes towards Britain and Canada’s colonial history became evident to me when, as a Western Canadian, I saw a production of Hamlet in Central Canada: at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario. This production served to illustrate that Shakespeare serves as a standard by which to measure the colonial relationships between a given Canadian region and the British Crown; therefore Shakespeare also helps to illuminate the discrepancies between these different regions in relation to Canada’s colonial history. The Stratford Festival, whose mandate is to â€Å"produce, to the highest standards possible, the best works of theatre in the classical and contemporary repertoire, with 2 special emphasis on the works of William Shakespeare†, has become the place in Canada to see productions of Shakespeare. As Cza... ...ion to the production of Hamlet was only further proof, however, that Shakespeare’s iconic position in Canadian culture originates in our shared colonial history. Adaptations of Shakespeare are telling of regional differences, which is only the case because Canada too is rooted in Shakespeare’s home country. 6 Works Cited: Czarnecki, Mark. â€Å"The Regional Theatre System.† Contemporary Canadian Theatre: New World Visions. Ed. Anton Wagner. Toronto: Simon and Pierre, 1985. 35- 48. Fischlin, Daniel and mark Fortier. â€Å"General Introduction.† Adaptations of Shakespeare. Eds. Daniel Fischlin and Mark Fortier. London: Routledge, 2000. 1-22. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Susanne Wofford. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994. Full production details of the Stratford Festival’s 2000 production of Hamlet available at http://www.paulgross.org/theatreindex.html#hamlet