Monday, September 30, 2019

Advertising aimed at children Essay

Nowadays, in the developed countries, the need for regulation of advertising aimed at children is generally acknowledged. And that happens because children are a very specific target group with special features due to young age. Children do not have the skills to critique advertisements and are very fooled by them. They cannot recognize if all these things advertised are useful or not. Advertisements influence children in a negative way most of the times. For example, junk food advertisements lead to obesity. Advertising for toys and clothing products lead to consumer mania or antisocial behavior. Regulations should be imposed on advertising aimed at children should cover three areas: the amount of advertising, the advertising time and the concept (theme) of advertising. The amount of advertising intended solely for children should be reduced. Children are bombarded daily with ads from all media especially from television which is the most popular means among children. This bombardment is equivalent to brainwashing for a toddler who has no the resistance to cope with a situation like this. Surveys have shown that many and successive ads cause stress and anxiety in children. Also the time spending on the ads should be reduced. Moreover, timing to run ads must change. To explain myself should avoid viewing commercials that interrupt television series with high viewership among children and adolescents. Regarding the concept (theme) of ads, should be banned ads highlighting a product trough social role. To be more detailed, advertisements today are not so much about the products but rather about the character of the consumers and how they should feel when they use or possess the advertised product. Messages to children are all about the happiness, social status or success which accompanies the possession or consumption of a certain toy or type of food. This type of ads that causes mimicry should be banned. All these regulations in conjunction with education in schools, information for parents and children, I believe will significantly reduce the bad influences of ads on children and adolescents.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Favorite Teacher

Hi! My name is Ameha Tsegai. My favorite teacher is Mrs. Magnusen. She is my favorite teacher because she has done a lot for me. She always makes teaching fun and easy. The students in her class learn faster because the way she teaches. I learn fast too because I am also in her class. She is a special teacher, and she is very nice and kind. She is a good teacher because she always makes sure everybody learned the lesson. If one student does not understand the lesson, she carefully teaches them until they understand it before moving on. She does that because she is trying to make sure every body in our class passes the CRCT. She is a really awesome teacher. She is my math and science teacher. I love those two subjects for two reasons. The first reason I like those two subjects is because their real interesting and fun; the second reason is because she teaches it! Another reason Mrs. Magnusen is my favorite teacher is because she knows my family and culture really well. She has also tried the cultural food that the people in the country that my parents were born make. Anyway, she is a one of a kind teacher. She is because she actually cares about if the students completely understand the lesson. Some teachers just teach the lesson and let the book teach them. Mrs. Magnusen goes beyond that point and does most of it on the board, while she’s explaining it. Mrs. Magnusen likes giving extra help to students. When a lot of students need extra help she goes on the computer, finds something that explains our lesson, and pulls it up on the promethean board. That actually helps the students in our class because it explains the lesson step-by-step. The students can take notes on what the board is saying and study it for the next test. That way more students could pass the tests. Mrs. Magnusen also makes the class laugh. That is another good reason for her to be your favorite teacher. Sometimes in the classroom she makes jokes while no one expects it. I have one more favorite teacher. Her name is Mrs. Goff. She is also generous and kind. Her and Mrs. Magnusen are a lot alike.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Proposal paper assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Proposal paper assignment - Essay Example New media is especially applied through social media by teenagers to create their own social networks and interact with others through them Veltman (2006). Many researchers continue to investigate the impacts of social media on society with different studies focusing different specific segments, including youth, children, young adults, adults, and even the elderly. Even though a lot of research has been done on the impact of social media on the youth and particularly teenagers, not much has been covered about new media in general. Social media is just part of new media and there is still a significant gap in knowledge about how to minimize the negative impacts of new media on teenagers (Gross et al., 2002). According to Veltman (2006), new media is a broad term encompassing the amalgamation of traditional media with the interactive power provided by modern information and communication technology, including computers; computer enabled communication devices, and the Internet. ... This paper specifically focuses on identification of the various components making up new media, the positive impacts of new media on teenagers, the negative impacts of new media on teenagers, and approaches of minimizing negative impacts of new media on teenagers. Research Background This study examines one major dependent variable, which is the impact of new media on teenagers. This dependent variable is affected by the ‘elements’ of new media, all of which make up the independent variables. Although there are many elements associated with new media, this study will focus on five main independent variables, including the Internet, social media, access to portable communication devices, access to computers, and communication support platforms (Cyber cafes) that serve teenagers alongside other groups of people. The first independent variable in the study is the Internet. The Internet is defined by Jones (2003) as a worldwide system of computer networks in which users all over the world can access through a computer to communicate with other computers, share information, obtain information or even directly communicate with users on other computers on the network. Veltman (2006) points out that currently the Internet is an extensive, public, cooperative and self-sustaining system that billions of people around the world have access to. It also consumes a portion of the total resources committed to public communication networks globally. The second independent variable in this study is social media. Many definitions have been given to social media depending on the various approaches towards the concept. According to McKenna & Barg

Women's rights in Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Women's rights in Iraq - Essay Example Girl’s school initiated a series of modifications and deep-seated progress in the lifestyle of literate urban Jewish women throughout the earlier part of the twentieth century. These encouraging changes integrated Jewish women, primarily in the central urban cities; nevertheless, they did not revolutionize the social status of Jewish women as a self-aware, united, and completely formed group (Sehayek, 2004). Moreover, these women fell short to interpret their personal accomplishments into a well worked out and important social occurrence, nor could they change the standpoint of male society surrounding them, or gain acknowledgment as an independent and equal social entity (ibid). The modifications in the life of Babylonian Jewish women should be investigated against the perspective of the subordinate and restricted status of their Muslim, or non-Jewish counterparts. One must take into account the factors that affected their lives and formed their self-identity, namely the domestic tradition and customs and social conditions of the Jewish and non-Jewish context (Reinhart, 2004). There is a dearth in literature discussing about the lives of Iraqi Jewish women. This was because of their imprisonment to domestic responsibilities or household chores, and to insufficient familiarization to the outside world. Travel brochures and journals relate extremely insignificant information about the rights and status of women in the Middle East, and even less about Jewish women. By bringing together information that rests scattered in books, several newspapers and key documents, one must attempt to structure the social and cultural development undertaken by the Jewish female groups in Iraq (ibid). Since the beginning of the history of the people of Israel, the representation of Jewish women was formed in harmony with holy laws, and a

Thursday, September 26, 2019

To CASE A HYPERTENSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

To CASE A HYPERTENSION - Essay Example ctor also found rales of crackles on his chest upon auscultation and this poses a risk as Dr Ally may suffer a heart failure which is his main problem. This is the reason why the doctor ordered him to take some rest and restart his high blood pressure medication to curb the impending condition (Kataoka and Matsuno, 2008). According to the case study, Dr. Ally is undergoing pathophysiological changes in his eyes and heart owing to the fact that he recently suffered a bout of epistaxis which refers to severe nose bleeding, dizziness and a blurred vision. For instance, the blurry vision can be attributed to damaged blood vessels otherwise referred to as retinopathy and if left untreated this could result to blindness. On the other hand, the impending heart failure could be caused by damaged arteries and this could be fatal (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2012). According to the doctor, the patient could have developed congestive heart failure (CHF) due to hypertension, a condition that causes the heart to weaken thus rendering it unable to carry out its pumping activities normally. In this case, the patient could be suffering from left sided heart failure and this can be explained by the rales of crackles on his chest which the doctor encountered upon auscultation. In addition, his feelings of fatigue after work and his developing of dyspnea while climbing the stairs are another clear indication that he has a left sided heart failure. Treatment for this condition includes drugs for hypertension as well as a procedure known as cardiac catheterization which is used in unblocking the heart arteries. The doctor is also likely to advise his patient to embark on a change in lifestyle where he is supposed to stop taking alcoholic substances, go soft on salt and also indulge in regular moderate exercises. Some of the medication likely to be administered includes Beta-blockers, Digitalis, Diuretics which include triamterene, furosemide, spironolactone, bumetanide

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Critical analyzing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical analyzing - Essay Example The main reasons are convenience for students, lower costs, and time saving. According to statistics maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), during the academic year 2006-07, nearly 4,200 U.S. institutions; approximately 66% of ‘degree-granting postsecondary institutions’ offered distance education courses involving over 12 million students. Of these, 77% were enrolled in online courses, 12% in hybrid courses, and 10% in other types of courses (ibid). In a matter of 3 years, the Nanyang Technological University (based in Singapore) has experienced remarkable growth in the last 3 years. They have introduced a myriad of applications. These include some professors-friendly e-learning applications as well. These applications have helped NTU achieve critical mass buy-in through the academic staff when the e-learning take up rate shot up to 85% of the overall existing course curriculum at NIT. This is the third running year of e-learning at NTU. Measures have been taken after a lot of careful consideration to infuse e-learning with interaction and collaboration. The more interactive this form of learning is the better and that has been the priority for this year. They want to humanize the existing e-learning form completely. They intend to so via active collaboration and student learning involvement. This includes, adding various new features to the current mechanisms and modes of e-learning at NYT. They are the use of video talking he ad format, live audio-video delivery, and text chat, document annotations of a lecture, presentations and delivery. The paper revolved around the processes that were adopted at NTU in adding the human touch to their routine e-learning projects. In a span of 3 years, almost 90 % courses at NTU have undergone the online learning process. Barriers for the completion of this process were very few. This was because, it was all carefully planned and only those technologies which were appropriate were

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Sweatshops & Anti Sweatshop Movement Assignment

Sweatshops & Anti Sweatshop Movement - Assignment Example This essay discusses that sweatshop workers often labor long hours for very low pay, despite of laws mandating overtime pay or a lowest amount wage. Child labor laws may be debased, or sweatshops may have dangerous materials and situations. Employees may be issued to employer mistreatment without an easy way, if any way, to protect themselves. The anti-sweatshop movement in the U.S. and other developed economies has, in recent years, effort to use consumer boycotts to eliminate sweatshop working conditions and child labor in less developed economies. Unions and college student associations have been leading the drive for sweatshop boycotts. The anti-sweatshop movement acknowledged a great deal of well-liked attention when it was found that Kathie Lee Gifford's garments company had engaged Honduran sweatshop workers to manufacture her line of clothing for Walmart. Roughly 10% of the workers engaged in this task were amid the ages of 13 and 15. A 75-hour workweek was the standard in th ese factories. When this became revealed, Kathie Lee Gifford condemned these sweatshops and affirmed that she was uninformed of the working conditions in these factories. In reaction to the anti-sweatshop movement, several organizations have been formed or have extended their roles to observe working conditions in less urbanized countries. Among the major organizations helping this function are the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Verità ©, and Social Accountability International (SAI).... Critics of sweatshops dispute that the minor gains made by employee of some of these organizations are overshadowed by the negative costs such as poor wages to augment profit margins and that the institutions pay less than the severyday expenses of their workers (Archon Fung, Dara O'Rourke, Charles F. Sabel, 2008 ). Often times, economists are inquired about sweatshops. Individuals often believe that sweatshops are ethically wrong and thus question why they exist. However, they are not ethically wrong. In fact, sweatshops are in reality one of the first optimistic signs of growth for those in developing countries (Raymond C. Miller, 2008). It is difficult to describe a low wage. Americans often gasp at the earnings for which those in developing countries are eager to work. A low wage by American standards does not essentially consider it a low wage. One must evaluate the wage by the standards in the nation in which it is being compensated In the United States; $5 per hour would be de emed an objectionable wage because it is below our minimum wage. Likewise, the citizens of the United States enjoy a privileged standard of living. Those who are measured poor still drive cars and own televisions. However, in other nations this is not the case. In developing countries, the main apprehension is often food and shelter. When the standards of living are so little, the money can go a lot further. Supporting Reasons Sweatshops are also main signs of escalation in developing nations. As more and more of these shops unlock, more and more individuals can locate work. The rivalry for labor will persist to push wages higher. This boost in employment and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Knowledge Management - Essay Example Some of the examples of changing the culture of an organization include how all employees assembled in the main board room every Friday which was to be changed in the up coming quarter, owing to financial expenditures. They discussed organizational matters in a very informal manner but the Managing Director decided to do it in the form of a virtual group which was created and everyone was asked to subscribe it to receive instant updates (Drucker, Garvin, Dorothy, Straus & Brown, 1998). Similar cultural changes do take place within organizations and these are seen as normal measures since organizations are moving ahead with both short term changes as well as the strategic ones. The need is to know what the employees think about them and how ready and willing they would be to embrace the change that is coming about within the organizational cultural realms. As a leader, I would initiate the process of organizational change by finding out what I essentially want to achieve. When I am certain that the aspects that I want to attain are true and genuine for the sake of the organization, and that the change is a positive tangent, then I will manifest it in the truest possible way. I will take all the employees under my aegis and inform them of the management decision. When this has been done, I will ask the middle management to come up with certain policies which are for the betterment of the organization yet are inclined towards attaining a change that is driven by results. I will be making all-out measures to make sure that all employees are on board and provide as much clarity as possible in order to speed up actions. Each of these stages can take up to about 15 days which would mean that the organizational change is a process spanning up to about 3 months. Since there would be five to six different steps that will be undertaken

Sunday, September 22, 2019

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Example for Free

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Paul Baumers experiences of the war transforms him into someone of whom some may describes as lacking in expression, immoral, and maybe even a systematic automaton. These traits are often emphasized throughout his duty in World War II and are even furthermore supported through harsh traumatic incidents. But like all young adults, his innocent mind was concealed from the true face of war, and before such time, he was like any other teenage boy. It is evident that he was particularly interested in school and would sometime recollects back to his regular life, such as things that [is]at home in the draws of [his] writing table lies the beginning of a play called Saul and a bundle of poems (19). However, once he joined the army, he lose all sight of such pleasure and as the global conflict drags on deeper, his range of expression begins to narrowed into what was only necessary, and his daily routine soon becomes systematic. He changes so much that he ceased to see the light of all things, and his thoughts and actions soon turns into that of immoral kinds. However, even though the darkness of war soon engulfs most of his conscience, there still lies a small light of hope, the light of his genuine human soul. Many cannot realize the terror war brings, and often, the soldiers are the one who are the most affected. The journey endured in combat can draws ones hopes out and input fear and reinstall the human instincts as one thinks purely of survival. But unlike most, Paul began such journey at a very young age, and was not yet ready to experience the world. He has yet to even see the real world, but quickly jumps into the middle of the worlds largest conflict. The training camp was the first step to the extraction of his personality. After weeks of preparations for the front, Paul and his friend soon realized that what matters is not the mind but the boot brush, not intelligence but the system, not freedom but the drill (22). The boys soon divert back to their ancestors state of mind, an era where survival of the whole is the first priority while anything else comes afterwards. Beneath the wall of apathy Paul has built up, there still exists a spark of humanity. Paul can still feel things like grief and over the death of friends like Kat, where Paul is stunned to learn that Kat is dead, Do I walk? Have I feet still? Pauls emotions, although restricted, are still there. Paul tries to preserve himself and his soul throughout the war in the hopes of making the world a better place. Although he knows that he probably wont succeed in his goals because he and the rest of his generation are so beat down by the loss and horror of war, we will grow older, a few will adapt themselves, some others will merely submit, and most will be bewildered; the years will pass by and we shall fall into ruin the fact that he still hopes and cares, But perhaps all this that I think is mere melancholy and dismay, which will fly aw ay enough to want to fix the problems that started this war and maybe even prevent others from going through this ever again shows that even at the worst of times, shows that Paul manages to preserve his humanity (294). In another occasion such as when one of his comrade, Kemmerich, dies, he channeled his thoughts toward the justification of Muller claiming his soon deceased friends boots. Although Paul did express some sympathy towards his dying friend, it seems almost artificial as he quickly turned his attention towards a more important matter, at least in his mind, the matter of Kemmerichs belongings. He begins to speculates about who should claim what and should they really be claiming it. Of course, the rule of survival conjures up in his mind, and he remembered that the boots [were] quite inappropriate to Kemmerichs circumstances, whereas Muller [could] make good use of them (21). He even went further to justify the claim by stating that, we have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial. Only the facts area real and important for us. And good boots are scarce (21). This presents a concept derived from the war, in which personal thoughts and individualism is limited and physical survival is accentuates. In a indirect way, his last thought depicts the barbarism of war, that way Man steps back in development and his conscience becomes simple; he only view upon on his needs and nothing else. For war is a two sided coin, with one side, the objective is seen as the motive, while on the other side, a sacrifice must be made to achieve the objective. But ignorantly, we ignore the mean and only focus upon the end. We hope that our actions, the vision of our better world will be achieved, and that the world will become more peaceful. But our efforts are in vain, and our hope is nothing more than a childs dream. War is a cycle, of which will never end. Its there to resolve problems momentary. Its there to break us down, and remind us that we are nothing more than savages who seek power and land. What others may see as normal and moral may be view differently by those who is not in their position. Frequently throughout Pauls journey as a soldier, his actions were often viewed upon as immoral; in that he gave little thoughts to his action, almost to the extent that he could not think of the situation any other way. In a specific incident, one of his younger comrade was badly wounded and would eventually die, so he and Kate agreed upon that [they] ought to put him out of his misery (72). Many of a third perspective may deem that as inhuman, to shoot some just to shorten their pain. Perhaps in his view, he was helping the poor lad by ending what would be a week or so of hell before he dies. But such thoughts may lead one to wonder if he may even think himself as a being greater than other, one who is has the authority to decide for the life of another. Humans are defined by our extension of complex thinking and our ability to empathize another. But in this case, Paul has yet to know how the pain of being severely injured, and only thought upon his assumptions. If he was in any other position, his first normal reaction may have been to carry that boy to the nearest help. As the war drags him into more the intensified front, he soon comes across [young recruits] flock together like sheep instead of scattering, and even wounded are shot down like hares by airmen (130). He sees some died right in front of him and some who runs out due to claustrophobia. However, in none of these occasions did he mourn for the dead, or even consider emotions such as sadness and sympathy. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he may have encountered numerous of such sight. When Paul sees the young recruits being kill due to lack of experience, he

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Purpose of Art Essay Example for Free

Purpose of Art Essay The quote â€Å"Anyone who says you can’t see a thought simply doesn’t know art† by Wynetka Ann Reynolds. Reynolds is saying in this quote that you need some thinking or imaginations to see or do art. I think, If someone can’t see and figure that out, how can he draw or write music ? . In this quote Reynolds is saying that the purpose of art is thinking, like an imagination, imagination is the true inspiration of art. Without imagination we can’t have art. Also without imagination other items like philosophy itself cannot exist. The Art needs imagination or thinking. Art Should need imagination, for example, young children draws something unexpected, interesting even surprising for old peoples point of view, because they have lot of imaginations. Like they draws about speaking birds, talking dogs, those imaginations will give them more inspiration which eventually led them to be creative. A photographer must imagine what the end result will look like before snap the picture. Writer must imagine what his reader will see or comprehend when they have finished reading the article. Musician, whether creating a musical piece or plying an existing piece, must imagine what the music looks and sound like, and what those who hear it will hear, see and feel. Any form of art MUST involve imagination. Imagination is used in all aspects of life. Every inventor, artist, doctor, architect, â€Å"all people† use imagination. You have to be a creative thinker to produce anything. Which did not exist before It takes vision, imagination and intelligence to implement a new concept. The Artists should use imagination to talk or express their thought. Without imagination art itself cannot exist, it just will be one of copying thing without creativity.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Transactive Memory System and Creativity of Dutch Designers

Transactive Memory System and Creativity of Dutch Designers Preface The author declares that the text and work presented in this Master thesis are original and that no other sources other than those mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating the Master thesis. The copyright of the Master thesis rests with the author. The author is responsible for its contents. RSM Erasmus University is only responsible for the educational coaching and beyond that cannot be held responsible for its contents. Abstract This research examines the impact of the transactive memory system on the creativity of Dutch fashion designers, architects and graphic designers. The transactive memory system (TMS) consists of individual expertise of members as well as their knowledge of ‘who knows what and is based on communication. The emphasis in this thesis is given to the retrieval function of the TMS. This function could have an impact on the process of idea generation. In this research a special focus will be on the concept of ‘ba, developed by Nonaka (1994). Central to the ‘ba stands the idea of knowledge creation during interaction. Approximately five hundred designers were sent an online survey about the impact of the environment, knowledge creation and knowledge transfer on the retrieval of information during idea generation. The final number of cases used was 128 and these were empirically investigated using a multiple regression analysis. Results showed that having connections with other individuals did have a significant impact on the creativity of Dutch designers during idea generation (ÃŽ ²=.379 significant at level .001). Furthermore, the use of explicit knowledge showed to have an unexpected positive moderating effect on the relationship between retrieving information and creativity (ÃŽ ²=.202 significant at level .05). However, the other aspects did not show significant results. Chapter 1 Introduction and research topic Introduction ‘The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your resources Albert Einstein In order to be successful in the creative industry, designers have to be able to deliver what is perceived to be creative. But what is creativity? Many researchers focused on the personality approach; defining creativity as a personality trait. Simonton (2003) argued that creativity has three essential components: person, product and process. These components have to be interrelated in order to recognize creativity. Koestler (1964) proposed that creativity involves a ‘bisociative process- connecting two frames of reference to produce new insight or invention. Amabile et al (2005) mentioned that creative performance can be affected by the work environment in every context; a school, a room, a design studio or organization. Amabile (1983) focused on the process of creativity and identified that social and environmental influences are also of importance in creative performance. She developed a framework, which describes the way in which cognitive abilities: personality characteristics and social factors might contribute to the different stages of the creative process. Social networks are taken as to be one of these social factors. How does this work in the creative industry? Designers must have all of the resources and assets available in order to succeed in todays highly competitive marketplace. But where do new ideas come from? And in what way do these ideas affect creativity? Marlies Dekkers designs her collections based on a different concept than traditional underwear. Every collection is inspired by movies, art or literature. When she has a moment of inspiration, even if it is in the middle of the night, all the members of her designing team receive a text message with her idea. They all discuss this idea the next morning. Rem Koolhaas has been successful architect for more than twenty years. He celebrates the chance-like nature of city life: the city is an addictive machine from where there is no escape. Another key theme in architectural design was introduced by Koolhaas. This notion: the ‘Program, involves an act to contribute to human activities. Over the past 15 years Viktor and Rolf have taken the fashion world by storm with their particular blend of cool irony and surreal beauty. They created The House of Viktor Rolf that presents each of the designers signature pieces from 1992 to now, shown in a specially commissioned and characteristically theatrical installation. They are most well-known for their fantastical and concept driven designs and for their conceptually driven fashion show presentations. Subjects of their work include their analysis of fashion and the fashion industry, the idea of the fashion designer as a story teller, transformation and illusions. Marlies Dekkers, Rem Koolhaas and Viktor Rolf are successful, but are inspired in different ways. It could be interesting to know in what way social relationships affect creativity; what kinds of relationships are part of the process of generating ideas? Family, friends or peers? And within which context and with what means are these ideas shared, transferred or created? Perry- Smith and Shalley (2003) focused on the importance of generating creative ideas and tried to explore the association between the context of social relationships and individual creativity. They argued that informal relationships are more beneficial, in general, than formal relationships for creativity. Informal relationships are not specifically required as a part of the job. These relationships are more likely to provide connections to people with diverse viewpoints and perspectives (Perry-Smith, 2008). Informal ties ease the process of communication rather than formal ties. Conversations with others can therefore not only be a source of ideas, but also a driving force behind creativity. Nonaka Toyama (2003) discuss the potential of these dialogues as they introduce the concept of ‘Ba; a context or place, which can transcend beyond boundaries to create knowledge. Knowledge creation occurs as the actors synthesize tacit and explicit knowledge in social space. Conversations can create new knowledge and enhance creativity. Searching for information and getting inspired is essential during this process. A transactive memory system (TMS) is a collective memory of who knows what. This is a shared system for encoding, storing and retrieving information (Wegner, 1986). The TMS is based on the idea that individual members can serve as external memory to others. Its value is determined by the willingness of members to search for the specific expertise. Members are able to benefit from each others knowledge and expertise if they develop a good, shared understanding of who knows what in the group/unit. They are able to develop deep expertise in specialty areas and they can rely on other members to provide access to others specific knowledge (Lewis, 2003). Retrieving information is a valuable asset of a TMS: individuals with specialized expertise can be found quickly. Designer creativity and the retrieval function of a TMS have not yet been associated with each other; connections to people who are creative or have specific expertise may help individuals be more creative (Perry-Smith, 2008). Therefore the subsequent question will be central in this research: What is the effect of the retrieval function of a transactive memory system on the creativity of fashion designers, architects and graphic designers in the Netherlands? The following sub-questions can be derived: How is a transactive memory system used to generate new ideas? How is a transactive memory system used during the transfer of knowledge? 1.1 Research Objective The objective of this research is to provide some new insights as to how the retrieval function of the transactive memory system (TMS) can have an impact on the creativity of designers. The purpose of this research is to test theory and causal relations. The most appropriate research strategy will be the survey design since we are dealing with probabilistic hypotheses. The numbers of respondents to the survey in this research were 128. 1.2 Thesis structure The next chapter will discuss the theoretical issues, namely the concept of creativity and the transactive memory system. Chapter 3 will justify the chosen research design and the analysis of the results. The general discussion, implications and recommendations will be described in Chapter 4. Part I Chapter 2 Literature Review ‘Everything you can imagine is real Pablo Picasso This chapter will discuss the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity as well as different aspects that could moderate this relationship. The first section will explain how retrieving information can play a role during idea generation. The following part will discuss the cognitive elements that could impact this relationship such as absorptive capacity, scanning the environment, the usage of boundary objects and the role of a shared context (‘ba). A conceptual model will be presented at the end of this chapter, displaying the presumed relationships. Introduction Designers operate in a creative environment and are faces with innovative tasks. They should be able to identify trends and changes during idea generation. This phenomenon called environmental scanning can be used to retrieve relevant information. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) argue that the ability to exploit external knowledge is critical during the generation of ideas. They introduce the concept of absorptive capacity, which is the ability to take in and make use of new knowledge. In this way, retrieving information requires prior related knowledge to assimilate this newly acquired information. Sharing information means sharing knowledge. The context in which these interactions take place is crucial. Knowledge is created by means of interaction among individuals or between individuals and their environment. ‘Ba is the context shared by those who interact with each other (Nonaka Toyama, 2003). Thus, designers could retrieve relevant information when participating in a ‘ba. To deliver creative products, designers need to be able to combine and integrate knowledge. They could face knowledge boundaries during interaction. Different boundary objects can be used to manage knowledge across boundaries (Carlile, 2002). The first difficulty that needs to be addressed is the way different types of ‘ba, the environment and the usage of absorptive capacity are related to retrieving information. The second problem that needs to be addressed is how boundary objects are being used dring the generation of ideas. The most common means of identifying creativity has been through its products. In architecture, music, writing, art and even scientific discovery the presence of a creative product is of importance (Akin Akin, 1998) Creativity is generally defined as the production of novel, useful ideas or problem solutions. It refers to both the process of idea generation or problem solving and the actual idea or solution (Amabile, 1983). Drawing on the assumption that novelty is the distinguished feature of creative work, Simonton (1999) focused his theory on variation. In this theory, the process of variation primarily contributes to idea novelty; it is guided by the existence of knowledge elements that are available for combination into new variations within the creators mind. According to Simonton (1999), the initial selection of ideas goes on within the mind of the individual creator, through a process of testing them against relevant criteria for novelty. Once an idea has been selected by the creator, developed, and communicated, there is often a second selection process by relevant individuals in a social group or community. In Simontons view, creativity depends in large part on novelty, and because novelty is largely a function of cognitive variation, interacting with other individuals is likely to increase the probability of creativity. Creativity is a choice made by an individual to engage in producing novel ideas; the level of engagement can vary from situation to situation. In this thesis creativity is defined as thinking outside of general frames of reference that leads to generation of novel ideas, solution to problems, or innovations (Akin Akin, 1998). In order to create a new product, diverse ideas become available from past experiences. In this way, individuals enrich their own knowledge domain with other knowledgeable persons who help them to retrieve and apply knowledge components during idea generation (Taylor Greve, 2006). This means as a conclusion that individual creativity and the ability to deliver innovations depend on interactions in social systems (Amabile, 1996). Relevant ideas can be generated through communication and through the retrieval information from external sources. External knowledge and the interpretation of the environment can be such sources. 2.1 Transactive memory system creativity Creativity does not just play a role in arts, invention and innovation; it also is a part of our everyday life (Runco, 2004). He defines creative thinking in terms of cognitive processes that lead to an original and adaptive insight, idea or solution. What is unique about this definition is the reliance on cognitive processes. This definition assumes that all creative work requires some cognition and that everything we do requires information processing. Creative ideas generated from ones cognitive processes are influenced by the individuals personal experiences. A combination of individual and others knowledge is an ideal means to obtain information and be creative. Strategic management researchers have proposed a knowledge processing view of the firm that emphasizes the importance of social interaction as the process through which knowledge is created and transferred in organizations (Kogut Zander, 1992; Nonaka, 1994). Nanaka Takeuchi (1995) argue that knowledge consists of tacit and explicit dimensions. Explicit knowledge is that which can be expressed in words and numbers. It is easily communicated and shared in the form of hard data, codified procedures or universal principles. In contrast, tacit knowledge is highly personal, difficult to formalize and consist of subjective insights; intuitions and hunches (Davenport Prusak, 1998; Alavi Leidner, 2001). These forms of knowledge are mutually dependent and have qualities that reinforce each other. It is via the process of continual interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge that new knowledge is created. Nonaka Toyama (2003) argue that knowledge creation starts with ‘socialization, which is the process of converting new tacit knowledge through shared experiences in day-to-day social interaction. A transactive memory system (TMS) has been defined as a combination of an individuals knowledge and a shared awareness of who knows what (Wegner, 1986). This represents a ‘divided up into portions type of knowledge sharing. TMS was initially proposed to explain the knowledge residing amongst intimate couples and family members when they are able to bring together disparate knowledge to solve a problem. This means even though the solution to any issue at hand may not be readily available, family members do know how to come together and develop a response. Wegner (1986) explains that members are able to benefit from each others knowledge and expertise if they develop a good, shared understanding of who knows what in the unit/group. TMS is built on the distinction between internal and external memory encoding. Often, individuals encode new (tacit) knowledge internally, in their own memory. However, even more often individuals encode or use knowledge encoded externally. According to Wegner (1986) a TMS can be explained as a set of individual memory systems in combination with the communication that takes place between individuals. He argues that an individuals memory system becomes connected with those of other individuals involving three stages: Directory updating. Directory updating or expertise recognition is the process by which team members learn which topics others know without learning the actual information within each topic. Furthermore, members come to understand their own areas of expertise within the team Communication to allocate information. Communication to allocate information is characterized by a team member using his or her directory of expertise to forward new information outside of his or her domain(s) of expertise (Anand et al 1998). Communication to retrieve information. Although it is important to possess relevant knowledge, the knowledge must also be utilized to be successful. Communication to retrieve information is the process by which individuals seek specialized information from the teams domain expert to help in task completion when their personal knowledge bases are insufficient. A transactive memory system will be most effective when knowledge assignments are based on the members actual ability, when there is a shared understanding between the members and when members fulfill expectations (Brandon Hollingshead, 2004). This research focuses on the process to retrieve information for it is in the retrieval process where usefulness and efficiency of a TMS can be achieved (Wegner et al 1985). This retrieval process could result in the creation of new knowledge. The creation of new knowledge leads us to creativity. Creativity could be seen as a mental event by which an actor intentionally goes beyond his or her previous experiences in order to gain novel and appropriate outcomes; the TMS can help individuals to achieve these outcomes (Pandza Thorpe, 2009). Transactive retrieval requires determining the location of information and sometimes entails the combination or interplay of items coming from multiple locations. This process begins when the person who holds an item internally is not the one who is asked to retrieve it. In transactive memory this can occur when individuals respond to a particular information label and one group member retrieves one item whereas a second member retrieves something quite different. In their discussion it could be determined that two items add up to yet a third idea. These so-called external components of information are not personally known but can be retrieved when required (Anand et al, 1998). If we ask a question to a person who is a well-integrated part of a transactive memory network, this person is often able to answer (after consulting with other network members, of course) with information well beyond his or her internal storage. When team members correctly identify the experts and delegate ta sks based on an individual members expertise, they perform better (Hollingshead, 2000). Brandon and Hollingshead (2004) argue that representation of tasks is critical to the structure of the TMS; the features of tasks are embedded in the transactive memory process. In this way, team performance in terms of creativity may depend on whether the group can correctly recognize and utilize the knowledge of its members (Brandon Hollingshead, 2004). The interaction of different perspectives enabled by a TMS is a large contributor to the discovery of insight and the creation of knowledge (Jehn et al, 1999; Nonaka Takeuchi, 1995; Nonaka Toyama, 2001). As individuals will retrieve relevant information via a TMS, it is probable designers will discover new knowledge and improve creativity. Thus, the following hypothesis is defined: H1: The usage of the retrieval function of the transactive memory system is likely to contribute to creativity 2.2 Interpretation and creating As mentioned in the previous paragraph, creativity is concerned with generating novel outcomes (Pandza Thorpe, 2009). Creativity is defined as the production of novel ideas that are useful and appropriate to a given situation (Amabile, 1983). Cognitive styles are recognized as core characteristics of individual creativity. Cognitive style is a persons preferred way of gathering, processing and evaluating information. It influences how people scan their environment for information, how they organize and interpret this information and how they integrate their interpretations that guide their actions (Amabile, 1988; Woodman et al., 1993). According to Miliken (1990), action involves a response based on scanning and interpretation of information. Choo (1996) argues that the principal information process is the interpretation of news and messages about the environment. Individuals must determine what information is significant and should be attended to. Interpretation involves the development of ways of comprehending information; the fitting of information into some structure for understanding action (Thomas et al, 1993). Interpretation of the environment also requires identifying threats and opportunities (Miliken, 1990); which requires designers to assess the meaning and significance of each trend, change and event they noticed during the scanning phase. During this phase information is gathered. If one has access to more information, it is also important to select information that is useful to interpret issues (Thomas et al, 1993). Another purpose of scanning is identifying the key trends, changes and events in an environment that might affect performance (Miliken, 1990). Monitoring and analyzing the environment enhances the ability to enter new knowledge domains. Information about the environment can be gathered through different channels, such as personal relationships with peers (Danneels, 2008). Daft and Lengel (1986) explain that the interpretation of the environment is the source of information processing. Cohen and Levinthal (1990) argue that the ability to recognize the value of new information using prior knowledge is critical to innovative capabilities. This phenomenon, called absorptive capacity is used to give rise to creativity; using prior knowledge to assimilate and use new knowledge. An amount of absorptive capacity is needed to increase both the ability to acquire new knowledge and the ability to retrieve and use it (Cohen Levinthal, 1990). As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the retrieving function of the transactive memory system could be used to acquire new data, which is combined with the creation of new interpretations about the environment, which in turn can reduce the uncertainty about the environment. Taking the importance of the ability to interact in different contexts, scanning the environment could put some people in more advantageous positions than others to be creative. Some persons are considered to have contacts with individuals in other fields of expertise who may possess or develop knowledge that can have an impact on their current work. Creative individuals who interact with other designers and are aware of trends could be considered to achieve more creative ideas. Individuals can scan the environment and benefit from this novel information flow. TMS can increase this learning process and can act as an interactive mechanism (Austin, 2003). A certain amount of absorptive capacity and environmental scanning could affect the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity. Therefore the following hypotheses are defined: H2: high levels of absorptive capacity will moderate the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity, such that retrieval is more likely to have a positive relationship with creativity H3: environmental scanning will moderate the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity, such that retrieval is more likely to have a positive relationship with creativity 2.3 Boundary objects Interacting to develop a shared understanding can be done using language and other symbols. Individuals articulate what they intuitively know through dialogue and discourse (Choo, 1996). Texts are a variety of forms including written documents, verbal reports, art work, spoken words, pictures, symbols, buildings and other artifacts (Philip et al, 2004). Carlile (2002) define these objects as ‘boundary objects. The notion of boundary objects was first introduced by Star and Griesemer (1989), who described the attributes of boundary objects that enable them to serve as translation devices; they have different meanings in different social worlds but their structure is common enough to more than one world to make them recognizable and function as a means of translation. Boundary objects can adapt to different context simultaneously while maintaining a common identity across all context, allowing each group to decontextualize its knowledge for use in common space and recontextualize it for use in its own practice (Bowker and Star, 1999). Boundary objects are enabled via in going transactions but also enable interaction. Carlile (2002) distinguishes among different types of boundaries- syntactic, semantic and pragmatic- that require different types of boundary objects: Repositories supply a common reference point of data, measures or labels across functions that provide shared definitions and values for solving problems. This object establishes a shared syntax or language for individuals to represent their knowledge. Standardized forms and methods provide a shared format for solving problems across different functional settings. These objects provide a concrete means for individuals to specify and learn about their differences and dependencies across a given boundary. Objects, models and maps are simple but complex representations that can be observed and then used across different functional settings. These objects facilitate a process where individuals can jointly transform their knowledge. A syntactical approach is based on the existence of a shared and sufficient syntax at a given boundary. A common syntax or language is shared between the ‘sender and receiver. Integrating devices are processing tools (repositories) and integration is accomplished through processing information. When novelty arises, the sufficiency of the syntax is in question and another boundary is faced. A semantic approach recognizes that there are always differences in kind and the emergence of novelty is a natural outcome in settings where innovation is required. Integrating devices are seen as processes or methods for translating and learning about differences at a boundary, but when negative consequences are faced, another boundary arises. A pragmatic approach recognizes that knowledge is localized, embedded and invested in practice. This view highlights the negative consequences that can arise given the differences at a boundary. Integrating devices (objects, models and maps) are used to create new knowledge. Sketches can be seen as a pragmatic boundary object during idea generation. In order to move beyond a knowledge barrier, designers can use sketches to communicate and explain their ideas to others. Individuals must be able to alter the content of a boundary object to apply what they know (Carlile, 2002). As novelty of the situation increases, this study argues that designers, who face more pragmatic boundaries, will need boundary objects to see consequences of social interactions with others. In the engineering industry, all the information is expresses in a common framework using 3-D design so that everyone concerned with the project can quickly respond to each other (Baba Nobeoka, 1998). Visual tools, such as sketches, facilitate the processing of novel information and may lead to a faster understanding (Feiereisen et al, 2008). Thus the following hypothesis is developed: H4: the usage of pragmatic boundary objects will moderate the relationship between the retrieval function of the TMS and creativity, such that retrieval is more likely to have a positive relationship with creativity 2.4 Knowledge through ‘ba Information becomes knowledge if it is given meaning through interpretation and interaction. Knowledge exchange cannot simply be a matter of transferring it across groups engaged in different practices; knowledge must be transformed through decontextualization and recontextualization (Spender, 1996) Tsoukas (2002) argues that these mechanisms to interact can be used to predict and guide behavior. These tools can enable a skilled user to get things done and need to become instruments through which we act- of which we are subsidiarily aware- not objects of attention. Objects can be used to ease the transfer of tacit knowledge, since this knowledge is not visible. Tacit knowledge is highly personal and hard to formalize, making it difficult to communicate or share with others. Whereas explicit knowledge can be expressed in words and numbers and shared in the form of data (Nonaka et al, 2000). The most explicit kind of knowledge is underlain by tacit knowledge (Tsoukas, 2002). Although the tacit knowledge of each individual is personal and unique, it can be absorbed by others through social relationships and collaboration (Mascitelli, 2000). Nonaka (1994) introduced the concept of ‘ba to be specific to knowledge creation in order to include these concept-specific items. According to him, ‘ba can be thought of as a shared space for emerging relationships. This space can be physical (e.g an office), virtual (email, teleconference), mental (shared experiences, ideas) or any combination of them. What differentiates ‘ba from ordinary human interaction is the concept of knowledge creation. According to Nonaka et al (2000), ‘ba provides a platform for advancing individual and collective knowledge. Knowledge is embedded in ‘ba where it is then acquired through ones own experience or reflections on the experience of others (Nonaka et al. 2000). An environment is created, whether physical or virtual, that lends itself to the creation and sharing of knowledge. It can emerge in individuals as well as in teams and is an existential place where participants share their contexts and create new meanings thr ough interactions (Nonaka Toyama, 2003). Participants of ba bring in their own contexts and through interactions with others and the environment, the contexts of ‘ba, participants and the environment, change. A good ‘ba needs participants with multiple contexts and yet a shared context is necessary for a ‘ba to exist (Nonaka et al, 2000). It sets a boundary for interactions among individuals and yet the boundary is open. It is not bound to a certain space or time (Nonaka and Toyama, 2003). When participating in a ‘ba, it is important that these individuals share time and space through their direct experience. As mentioned before a good ‘ba can provide a platform for advancing individual and/or collective knowledge ( Nonaka et al, 2000). A TMS can be seen as a combination of knowledge possessed by individuals and focuses on the utilization of expertise (Hollingshead, 2000; Lewis, 2003; Wegner, 1986). This expertise could be gathered by the retrieval function of the TMS, creating a ‘ba, where during interaction, new insights and new knowledge can be developed and in turn, could enhance creativity. An originationg ‘ba, a dialoguing ‘ba, a systemizing ‘ba and an exercising ‘ba support a particular knowledge conversion process and there by ‘ba speeds up the process of knowledge creation: 2.4.1 Originating ‘ba An originating ‘ba takes place in a world where individuals share feelings, emotions, experiences and mental models. An individual sympathizes or further empathizes with others, removing the barriers between the self and others. It is the primary ‘ba from which the knowledge creation process begins

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Whitewashing of African American Culture Exposed in Song of Solomon Ess

Whitewashing of African American Culture Exposed in Song of Solomon      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   White culture would rather keep the African American culture at a distance and shape it into what the white culture believes it should be rather than accept the enrichment offered by the African American culture. This may be because of the white culture's fear of anything and anyone obviously different in appearance. However, it is not enough for the dominant culture to separate itself from the African American culture, it has to shape and mold that culture into the stereotype projected upon the minority culture. African American culture is shaped by the dominant/ white culture, among other things, through the white culture's use of fear within the minority group, the bestowing or withholding of innovations and wealth, and controlling the mobility of the African American.    The white dominant culture uses fear to shape and control people and cultures different from them. In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, the fear evoked by the white, dominant culture comes from the thought of being lynched and beaten by any white person who might take offence at the presence or actions of an African American. While this is not an obvious, overlaying theme in the novel, it is present nonetheless in the existence of the Seven Days as the Black answer to the lynchings and murders of African Americans by whites, as Guitar said, "'when a Negro child, Negro woman, or Negro man is killed by whites and nothing is done about it by their law and their courts, this society selects a similar victim at random, and they execute him or her in a similar manner it they can' (154)." This fear of lynching or physical pain kept African Americans in the limited roles and geogra... ...ted: Bjork, Patrick Bryce. The Novels of Toni Morrison: The Search for Self and Place Within the Community. New York: P. Lang, 1996. Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views: Toni Morrison. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 1990. Ellis, Kate. "Text and Undertext: Myth and Politics in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon." LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory. 6.1-2 (1995): 35-45. Furhman, Jan. Toni Morrison's Fiction. South Carolina: U of South Carolina P, 1996. Middleton, David. Toni Morrison's Fiction: Contemporary Criticism. New York: Garland, 1997. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: The Penguin Group, 1977. Peterson, Nancy J. Toni Morrison: Critical and Theoretical Approaches. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. Rice, Herbert William. Toni Morrison and the American Tradition: A Rhetorical Reading. New York: P. Lang, 1996.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Media and Modern Society Essay -- Technology, TV, MP3 Players, Electro

The children of modern society differ on polar opposite scales as compared to children of previous generations. Anything that does not have an on and off switch is considered old fashioned and obsolete. Our society has trained children to surround themselves with electronic devices such as cellphones, MP3 players, gaming consoles and most importantly, television. Television plays a significant role in everyday life since it is more widely available than it was a couple of decades ago. The media is easily accessible through the television, allowing for positive and negative influences to take place. The main problems that parents of today's children face are that the children are becoming less childlike with video games and television taking up majority of their time; they are beginning to gain weight with the influence of junk food commercials and their social skills are beginning to fall by the wayside since they spend excessive amounts of time watching television or playing video g ames. Regulations on the content of food advertisements should be implemented by broadcasting authorities such as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), and time restrictions together with critical monitoring of content should be implemented by parents in order to reduce the negative effects of television and video games on the children of modern society. With the constant reminder of the ubiquitous nature of media in modern society, children are becoming less and less childlike in their behavior and attitude. In Marie Winn's article titled â€Å"The End of Play†, she discusses the topic of how children today are losing traits of how we traditionally perceive children to behave and are becoming more like â€Å"tired business men†. (Winn, â€Å"End of Play† 81... ...and the inability for a child to function socially all have one common factor that ties them together. They are all negatively influenced by the presence of television and video games. In reality, the wide spectrum of the negative influences that burden television and video games can never be completely eliminated at once, but there are definitely solutions to combat the particular influences that pose as threats to the growing process of the nation's children, especially if they are easily preventable. Restricting and regulating the amount of time allowed to watch television or encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle as opposed to a sedentary lifestyle are such examples of solutions to preventable problems. The children are a very important fundamental to society because they are, after all, the ones who will run our future and generations after the next. Media and Modern Society Essay -- Technology, TV, MP3 Players, Electro The children of modern society differ on polar opposite scales as compared to children of previous generations. Anything that does not have an on and off switch is considered old fashioned and obsolete. Our society has trained children to surround themselves with electronic devices such as cellphones, MP3 players, gaming consoles and most importantly, television. Television plays a significant role in everyday life since it is more widely available than it was a couple of decades ago. The media is easily accessible through the television, allowing for positive and negative influences to take place. The main problems that parents of today's children face are that the children are becoming less childlike with video games and television taking up majority of their time; they are beginning to gain weight with the influence of junk food commercials and their social skills are beginning to fall by the wayside since they spend excessive amounts of time watching television or playing video g ames. Regulations on the content of food advertisements should be implemented by broadcasting authorities such as the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), and time restrictions together with critical monitoring of content should be implemented by parents in order to reduce the negative effects of television and video games on the children of modern society. With the constant reminder of the ubiquitous nature of media in modern society, children are becoming less and less childlike in their behavior and attitude. In Marie Winn's article titled â€Å"The End of Play†, she discusses the topic of how children today are losing traits of how we traditionally perceive children to behave and are becoming more like â€Å"tired business men†. (Winn, â€Å"End of Play† 81... ...and the inability for a child to function socially all have one common factor that ties them together. They are all negatively influenced by the presence of television and video games. In reality, the wide spectrum of the negative influences that burden television and video games can never be completely eliminated at once, but there are definitely solutions to combat the particular influences that pose as threats to the growing process of the nation's children, especially if they are easily preventable. Restricting and regulating the amount of time allowed to watch television or encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle as opposed to a sedentary lifestyle are such examples of solutions to preventable problems. The children are a very important fundamental to society because they are, after all, the ones who will run our future and generations after the next.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The green mile

The green mile BY ajW0215 The Green Mile In the year 1999, Director Frank Darabont released The Green Mile, written by Stephen King (Novel) and Frank Darabont (Screenplay). The main characters include Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks and Dabbs Greer), Brutus ‘Brutal' Howell (David Morse), Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison), and John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan). The movie starts out with the protagonist (Old Paul Edgecomb) recalling his memory of his time as a prison guard in the Great Depression (Green Mile).He recalls the year 1935 as he year his bladder infection was the worst it had ever been (Green Mile). He then talks of the first day that he had met John Coffey â€Å"Just like the drink only not spelled the same,† (Green Mile). He then proceeds to talk about the amazing things that started happening in and around Death Row Block â€Å"E† like his bladder infection getting cured, a mouse coming back to life, a cure for a tumor, and finally the â€Å"insanity† p unishment that one of the guards and a certain inmate so rightly deserved (Green Mile).Once he is done with his story, it is found that he is one undred and eight years old and still has many, many more years to go thanks to John Coffey, a very gifted man who was executed in 1935 for the rape and killing of two innocent little girls (Green Mile). He was found to be innocent during the story but only the viewer gets to know that part (Green Mile). The Story artfully ties nursing home life of an old prison guard to that of an inmate on death row. The Green Mile talks about segregation and â€Å"open and shut† cases. The movie also touches on the historic lack of delay before an execution, particularly in those involving an AfricanAmerican. In the nursing home, Paul is confined to the premises by walls and rules, both of which he habitually breaks. Rules he breaks by eating white bread every day while the â€Å"rules† dictate he should be eating healthy. He â€Å"breaksà ¢â‚¬  the walls by taking long walks every day, even though it is dictated that he needs to stay within the confines of the building. The staff is concerned, but tends to turn a blind eye. This is a direct contrast to his life as a guard on death row, where he was surrounded by alleged law breakers who were forced to stay within the confines of their cells until he day they were to die.It is allegorical in that he is also confined to this life until the day he is to die. Segregation was illustrated by how everyone took one look at John and declared him guilty Just because he was black and they could easily compare him to a dog gone rogue; they never stopped to listen to his side of the story. In this film, we can assume that if it had been a white man who was found at the scene of the murder, then they would have listened to whatever he had to say and he may have gotten a very different ruling.The illiteracy of blacks comes in when Paul is surprised to hear that John can spell his name, he then asks for John to spell his name and proceeds to interrupt him in the middle of the first name. When the townspeople find John with the two raped and dead girls, they immediately put him to trial and prosecute him. This went to show how officials werent doing a full police investigation if they could present enough evidence that someone could easily find their person guilty, not to mention that if nobody wanted to look at all of the evidence hey didn't nave to.The entire time period tor the memory in this tilm is only a tew weeks between John getting convicted and John getting executed; whereas in today's legal system in the United States, a minimum often years transpires before an execution can happen. Assuming the defendant is convicted in a state that still allows capital punishment; the defendant has many appeals before various or sometimes the same courts to determine if they truly are guilty, if a life sentence is better, or if the decision can be overturned.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Engineering Economic analysis Essay

Relevant psychological and physiological effects were found to occur in a promotion or transition process and these include the increased stress due to more challenging job experience and more demanding job responsibilities and the observation that the promoted technical person will become more people oriented and less technically oriented. The stress created could either result to positive or negative consequences to the just promoted manager. If positive, the promotion may make him or her happy in the job but if not the negative effects could result to the company not attaining its organizational objective. Motivational and leadership theories could be incorporated in the daily routine to the workplace but the their incorporation must take into consideration the assumptions and conditions under which theories may be applied in order to assure the company of a better chance of benefiting from their incorporation as people may react differently in a way that may contradict the intended purpose or purposes of the theories. It is an accepted business reality that people are the most important part of the organization but they are the same time the greatest liability if they are not motivated which makes it easy to attribute success or failure of the business to people and their decisions and actions. Applying or incorporating the theories is possible but requires a great deal of challenge to management because it is difficult to determine with certainty the different conditions under which the theories and motivations and leadership may apply. In however making the decision to incorporate the theories into the daily routine of the workplace, advantages could be found in the greater chance of having motivated employees that would help the organization in attaining its vision but at the same time disadvantages are also inevitable for incorporating the same on the basis of the risk of making decisions to incorporate for not all incorporations of theories will result to a successful end. This paper asserts that certain foreseen and relevant psychological and physiological effects may occur in a promotion or transition process of technical person, using another person’s personal on-the-job experience, and the managerial visionary concepts covered/discussed in both MSE504 (Engineering Management and previously MSE404) and MSE602 (Advanced Engineering Management.) This further asserts that incorporating the theories of â€Å"Motivation and Leadership† into the daily routine of the company (workplace) from the perspective of engineer advancing in positions and that of an accomplished engineering manager is not easy as the theories are applicable under different set of assumptions or conditions which the present company does not readily lend without effecting changes to the higher corporate strategies of the organization. It is further asserted that in so incorporating the said theories touches upon different pertinent theories and job-related experiences that cover key attributes of management such as: risk-taking and decision-making, judgment by trial and error, performance monitoring and evaluation, observation and interpretation, strategizing and behavioral analysis and that in so having various effects among these attributes of management, advantages and disadvantages as well as ramifications could be observed as they personal conduct, overall managerial tasks, and the company’s operational vision.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis of “I Have a Dream” Essay

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln oversaw the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation. Although all black slaves were freed by this proclamation, unfortunately, the oppression towards African Americans was far from over. It wasn’t until the mid 1900’s that African Americans took a stand against this ongoing segregation and racism. Amongst all the civil rights leaders that arose during this time, MLK was arguably the most influential figure. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), thousands of African Americans, as well as many of other individuals, marched to Washington D.C. to witness the speech that many people today regard as one of the greatest speeches in history. MLK goes in depth outlining the problems with racism as he simultaneously invokes feeling of sympathy in the audience. Furthermore, through his use of various other rhetorical devices, he generates strong feelings of unity amongst audience members to bring them together as one equal group of people under God. In persuasion, emotional appeal is one of the most powerful devices a speaker can use. If a speaker can effectively force audience members to sympathize with him, they will essentially be on his side of the argument. MLK does a phenomenal job of this in his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. â€Å"Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation†¦.One hundred years later, the colored American is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition†. The â€Å"great American† MLK was alluding to was Abraham Lincoln; who, as I stated earlier, was the main driver behind the Emancipation Proclamation. The syntax of this quote really emphasizes the oppression that African Americans are exposed to. Words like exile, languishing, and shameful were chosen to evoke sympathy in the audience for the victimized African Americans. Now that he effectively gained sympathy from the audience, he has their attention. His next move is to drill into their heads that the need for change is imminent. The heavy use of anaphoras in MLK’s speech was his best weapon in regards to making his ideas stick in the heads of audience members. As seen in the portion of the speech, â€Å"Now is the time to†¦make real the promise of democracy†¦.rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation†¦lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice†¦make justice a reality to all of God’s children†, his repetition of â€Å"now is the time to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  stirs up the audience and makes them realize that there is need for immediate actions to be taken to fight this oppression. It was no coincidence that MLK decided to refer to us as â€Å"all of God’s children†. Although the people in the crowd may have differed in skin color, the majority of people were apart of some sort of religion. By putting everyone in the same category (i.e. being children of god) he furthered his point that all men are created equal. When MLK came to speak at Washington D.C., he didn’t come to propose a compromise, he came to preach that African Americans will not settle for anything less than equality. Again, MLK used anaphoras to emphasize and reiterate how relentless â€Å"we† (the African American population) will be in the civil rights movement when he said â€Å"We can never be satisfied as long as†¦our bodies cannot gain lodging in the motels†¦.the colored persons basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one†¦our children are stripped of their selfhood†¦we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream†. Along with the repetition of â€Å"we can never be satisfied†, he uses a simile for â€Å"justice† and â€Å"righteousness† to relay the power of the freedom he dreams to achieve for the African American people. Again, through the use of anaphoras, MLK describes this dream he hopes to achieve. In this portion of the speech, he shows the audience a glimpse of the harmonious future that will come with his dream of equality amongst all people. He repeats the phrase â€Å"I have a dream† eight times. His voice progressively got louder and more dramatic as he repeated the phrase. Each time, becoming more powerful than the last. The result of this was a sharp increase in excitement and emotional arousal in the audience. His inclusion of equality and brotherhood in â€Å"we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal†¦.we will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood’ were used to invoke feelings of unity in the audience. Unity amongst the American people was not only the dream of MLK, but, along with freedom, was the basis on which America was founded upon. MLK’s repetition of the phrase â€Å"let freedom ring† served to show the audience that, although America was founded on freedom, it hasn’t yet been truly achieved. When true freedom is achieved, he said â€Å"we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.’†. He successively appeals to the diversity of the audience by referring to the every major social group and recognizing them all as equal. †. The usage of the diacope â€Å"Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last† brings his speech full circle. It presented the end result of the dream he proposed, and successfully expressed the feeling of relief African Americans will have when they get their freedom. In his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, MLK went in depth identifying the problems with racism as he simultaneously invoked feeling of sympathy in the audience. His use of various other rhetorical devices generated strong feelings of unity amongst audience members to bring them together as one equal group of people. Although his rhetorical devices were the main reason behind the success of the speech, the way he structured of the speech is what pushed it above and beyond greatness, and made it ones of the greatest speeches in history. MLK was without a doubt, the most influential leader in the civil rights movement. Without his influence, segregation may have still existed even today. However, thanks to his phenomenal rhetorical speaking, his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech gave the civil rights movement the immense push it needed to end segregation for good.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Love: An Inexpressible and Indescribable Feeling

Love is an indescribable and inexpressible feeling. It can affect a person to the point of recklessness. Once a soul has realized its counterpart in another, the effects can cause one to surrender themselves completely. Judgment becomes clouded and rationality no longer exists. In the end, all that remains is pure, indefinable emotion. This emotion is what fuels the person. Love is why almost everybody on Earth looks forward to tomorrow. Those who lack it will try to look for it. Those who have it, will work themselves to the bone Just for the ones they love.It is the best possible feeling Christopher Final Essay Love is an inexpressible and indescribable feeling. It can affect a person to the point of recklessness. Once a soul has recognized its counterpart in another, the effects can cause one to surrender themselves completely. Judgment becomes clouded and rationality no longer exists. In the end, all that remains is pure, indefinable emotion. This indefinable emotion is what fuel s the person. Love is the reason why almost everybody on Earth looks forward to tomorrow. Those who do not have it, tries to look for it.Those who have it, will work themselves to the bone Just for the ones they love. It is the best possible feeling one could ever feel. While love seems like a splendid thing, it also has its flaws. The most well-known negative thing that comes along with love is Jealousy. Jealousy is a special form of emotive Kim k unemotional anxiety, which occurs due to the lack of a sense of security in relation to the one who is loved. The Jealousy directed to a third party, I. E. , the competitor who is perceived as the rival for the affection of the person who is loved.Jealousy is n emotion having components of both anger and fear commonly found in children. It originates from the lack of a sense of security for the affections of one who is loved and more attended to. The play, A Midnight Summer's Dream is about several couples in love and the problems that ca use relationships to crumble like dominoes, one after another. Shakespeare is mainly focusing on the crazy things that people do when they are in love. People tend to break the shackles of normalcy and common sense and do things for their own madness.In the play, A Midnight Summer's Dream, Shakespeare uses the shifting of the peoples' personalities to emphasize what love could do to people. As a person falls deeper in love, he or she becomes blind to things that happen around them and could care less about anything else except their own love affairs. Shakespeare portrays this in A Midsummer Night's Dream when Helena accuses Demerits of killing Lessened and asks him if he has killed Lessened. The shift in her personality reveals the interference of love since she starts blaming others groundlessly.Shakespeare uses this to show how people react to problems hat involve love and how foolish their actions are. Another major problem caused by love is rivalry and how easily friendship can be crumbled when it comes to the issue of love. When Hermit enters the scene while Demerits and Lessened are with Helena, Hermit blindly enters and is questioned by Helena because Demerits and Lessened both originally liked Hermit. Therefore, she thinks it is a trick and they are when her close friend is involved. Thus, Helena starts the argument which causes her friendship with Hermit to crumble.Shakespeare is clearly showing the message of owe the common nature of people causes them to make rash decisions and change personalities because of love. People in love will see the world in a different perspective, they become so obsessed with their love to the extent that their world revolves around the person they love. This type of love can cause trouble, especially when deep and intense. This is seen almost every day in real life. For example, heartbroken girlfriends throwing pots down the window and locking their boyfriends out is the first image that comes to mind when thinking of J ealousy.

Friday, September 13, 2019

A Mnemonic Device Can Be Used

A Mnemonic Device Can Be Used The beginning development of mnemonic starts with a poet named Simonides of Ceos in fifth century B.C. This mnemonic invented by the Greeks for memory training around 2500 years ago. The Greek lyric poet Simonides, born in 556 B.C., is attributed with inventing mnemonics. His creation have great benefit thought us, many people success is because using this mnemonic method. There do many types of mnemonics device exist and which type works best is limited only by the imagination of each individual learner. Here are the 9 basic types of mnemonics device presented in this paper include Music, Name, Expression/Word, Model, Ode/Rhyme, Note Organization, Image, Connection, and Spelling Mnemonics. Mnemonics are memory devices that help learners remember larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, phases, etc. Mnemonics device try to transform information into a form that the human brain can remember better than its original form . Although the process of applying this transformation might already aid the transfer of information to long-term memory but this is still benefit to learner. The mnemonic device commonly practice for lists and in auditory  form, such as short poems,  acronyms, or memorable phrases, but mnemonics can also be for other types of information and in visual or kinesthetic forms. This device use is based on the examination that the human brain more easily remembers many form of information. In our daily, we have to remember everything. In school, we have to remember all the knowledge about subject; in workplace, we have to remember all the information about our task, in order to remember this entire thing we have to find out what method can enhance our memory. In my example, I am hardly to spell â€Å"mnemonic†, so I use the concept of mnemonic device and create my word, which is â€Å"Mnemonic Notes Effective Memorized on New Ideas Creativity†. From my creation, I know that every first letter for every word is â€Å"Mnemonic†. Using this method, we not only can spell out those difficult words and also can remember it. Mnemonic device play an important role in our daily life, although it is important, it still has their limitations or advantages and disadvantages. For the advantage of mnemonic devices is it provide a method to help us recall those information which is difficult to remember. Moreover, it involve rearranging or restructuring information that help our personalize information to become a smart learner. Other than that, it also increases our interest to study by creating my way to learn with information. Lastly, mnemonic devices will help us spend less time on retrieving our information in long term memory when we properly use it. Beside advantages, mnemonic devices also have some limitation. If a person uses mnemonics too frequently, he or she will have confusion on their learning process. For example, we use mnemonic to remembe r difficult word, but he or she who too extensively using mnemonic will use this method on every word no matter the word is difficult or not. This problem will occur on those who too rely on mnemonics. In addition, this mnemonic device need more time to practice, create and learn. If someone still cannot understand the practice, which mean that he or she is just wasting time to practice it.

A portfolio about Mary Walker Phillips (an artist), and discussing the Essay

A portfolio about Mary Walker Phillips (an artist), and discussing the meaning of the work, it's form, its context, its qualities - Essay Example (Daniels, 1988) The Chinese in that period of time were migrating in search of better living conditions than were prevalent in China at the time, and the major incentive to go to America was the California gold rush which began in the 1850's. The gold rush attracted a huge immigrant population, and led to an economic boom, which created a large demand for labour. The Chinese arrived to fill up this demand: "The pull effect of California is reflected in the Chinese ideogram for California, "Golden Mountain." California, .......was just starting a spectacular economic boom based on the discovery of gold in 1848........... Services were not only high, they were virtually unobtainable........ It was this economic boom that first drew Chinese to California......"(Daniels, 1988) The Chinese were a hardworking people, and soon made a reputation for themselves as a bunch of people who earned their pay through disciplined, long suffering, honest toil. They became a favorite with the employers in America. Not only did they provide labor, some of the Chinese also were entrepreneurs, merchants and small time tradesmen, who were were welcomed into America for their reputation as honest, hardworking people with fair practices: " In actuality, the first Chinese immigrants were well and widely receiv

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Death by Heidegger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Death by Heidegger - Essay Example However, death is more complex since it allows no chance for experience. Every other explanation about death to him is therefore mere speculation. Additionally, he observes that everyone is conscious of their inevitable death and always portray fear of the concept but people live their days fully without any psychological disturbance implying that people accommodate the sense of death. Every living organism eventually dies, this is a knowledge that man have but the fact that man cannot always explain the concept of death, people cannot always prepare for it. Scientists in their explanation of death allege death is a state of lifelessness that every organism acquire because of exhaustion of the body tissues. This is a general and a more realistic explanation but its application is relative as different interests groups offer more explanations to the human life well past their deaths. People believe in the existence of God and the life after death, this increases man’s curiosity on the topic of death. However, unlike every other human concept, it is impossible to have a practical study of death. The only people with adequate experience of death are the dead themselves who unfortunately do not ever come back to share their experience with the living. This aspect of death makes the living aware of the existence of death but ignorant of the concept, they cannot therefore prepare adequately for death a factor that results in everyone trying to stay alive for longer. Heidegger seeks to authenticate his explanations from the concept of Dasein a literally inexistent being that is therefore inauthentic. Nevertheless, validates his use of such a concept by asserting that death cannot validate itself since despite its conspicuous existent in the society, it is practical inexistent. Every dead person is unavailable and does not share his understanding of his situation. As scientists explain, such people cease to feel. Their senses die and they cannot literally share anything. Investigating death is therefore difficult and requires the use of more tactful theories of life to ensure understanding of the dead. People anticipate death but it is obvious that everyone would wish to live the longest. Any activity that links man with death is therefore feared. Men live carefully always avoiding any precarious situation capable of jeopardizing their lives. From the fear that the living have for both the dead and death itself, it becomes possible to understand the concept of death. In understanding death, Heidegger uses the experiences of the living. He postulates that people are very careful of their actions and avoid life threatening situations in order to prevent death. Despite the extreme care, death still comes naturally a feature that makes death powerful. He begins his works by investigating the basic factors of humanity thereby establishing the value of every being. He investigates the concept of existence through which he investigates both the o rigin of life and the subsequent value of every life especially of the human. In his phenomenological explanations of the question of being, he determines the relativities in humans and provides an explanation for such. Heidegger asserts that all humans are born equal with no understanding of the world. However, people begin developing elative understanding of

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

To what extent are our sexualities fixed at birth Essay

To what extent are our sexualities fixed at birth - Essay Example Significantly, scholars have debated on whether one's sexuality is fixed at birth or not, and one dominant argument is that being a man or a woman is not a fixed state, as it is a becoming or a condition actively under construction. According to major French feminists like Simone de Beauvoir, one is not born, but becomes, a woman. "So we cannot think of womanhood or manhood as fixed by nature. But neither should we think of them as simply imposed from outside, by social norms or pressure from authorities. People construct themselves as masculine or feminine. We claim a place in the gender order - or respond to the place we have been given - by the way we conduct ourselves in everyday life." (Connell, 4) Therefore, one's sexuality is not completely fixed either by birth or by upbringing, and it is fundamental to realize to what extent are our sexualities fixed at birth. This paper makes a reflective analysis of the question to what extent our sexualities are fixed at birth. Gender is not fixed by nature alone, i.e. one does not completely assume one's manhood or womanhood by birth. It is also determined by what is imposed on an individual from outside, including the social norms and pressure from authorities. Understanding gender is essential to realize to what extent our sexualities are fixed at birth and it is common that people claim a specific place in the gender order which they enjoy in their daily life. Significantly, most of the people willingly accept this gender order and enjoy the gender polarity. It is also important to realize that sexual pleasure is frequently organized around gender polarity in Western culture. However, there are also several cases of gender ambiguities and there are masculine women as well as feminine men. According to psychological researches, the great majority of people combine masculine as well as feminine characteristics, rather than being all one or all the other. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the sexuali ty of human beings - as it is created at birth and as it is formulated all through the stages of development in human beings - is essential and a clear understanding of the term gender is also crucial. "In its most common usage, the term 'gender' means the cultural difference of women from men, based on the biological division between male and female. Dichotomy and difference are the substance of the idea Gender is, above all, a matter of the social relations within which individuals and groups act. Gender relations do include difference and dichotomy, but also include many other patterns Gender is the structure of social relations that centres on the reproductive arena, and the set of practices (governed by this structure) that bring reproductive directions between bodies into social process." (Connell, 8-10) Therefore, it is important to recognise that one's sexuality or gender refers to the structure of social relations based on the reproductive arena and it is a set of practices which determine the reproductive distinctions between men and women. A reflective analysis of the definition of gender confirms that there may be striking difference in the gender patterns from one cultural context to another. It is also essential to

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

16th century Empires Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

16th century Empires - Essay Example To put the comparison in perspective, it has to be noted that religion dominated the public sphere of almost all civilization in the world be it among Europeans, Middle Easters, Andeans or Mesoamericans during the 15th century. Whether it be a the theistic god of the Christian or the pantheistic god of the Andeans and Mesoamericans, religion played a major role in their society. The extent of religious influence however on the policies that govern its empire varies with each civilization. There are civilizations or societies whose imperialistic thrust may be primarily motivated or at least veiled by religion such as the European Spaniards, and there are also societies or civilizations who adopted a more pragmatist approach toward its expansionary ambition such as Incas of the Andeans. We can cite as a classic example the Spaniards in 1521 who were at the height of its religious fervor sending its missionaries to pagan countries to hear the word of God from the Catholic church. Ferdin and Magelland, the leader of the expeditionary Spanish Fleet was in fact looking for spices in the exotic world but used religion to subjugate the natives of the Philippines when it landed in Mactan. It did not tell the natives that they were really there looking for spices and other items for trade but rather used the cross and the sword to justify their presence. What followed is a more than 300 years of colonial rule characterized by theocracy to usurp the country of its natural resources. Compared to the Incans who were dominant among the Andeans during its height in the 15th century, the Incans as representative of the Andeans were more pragmatic in its approach in gaining material resources to sustain its empire. From periods 1438 to 1533, the Andeans used a wide variety of method to sustain herself that ranged from conquest to peaceful assimilation that would integrate territories that they

Monday, September 9, 2019

Dematologic Disease or Condition Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dematologic Disease or Condition Report - Essay Example It is irregular in shape, and lacks raised wheals or pustular abscesses. No ecchymoses, petechiae, any other sign of epidermal or subdermal injury or damage are present near the hyperpigmented area (Calonje, 2009). There are several acneform papular lesions near the center of the patch (Rivers & Wiseman, 2010). No evidence of ulcers of any type is seen. Testing: Patient was sent for surgical biopsy, with the incision to be made at the center of the hyperpigmented area. Biopsy results are negative for malignancy and infection. The biopsy showed smooth muscle bundles within the dermis and an excess of melanocytes in the affected area, confirming diagnosis of Beckers nevus. (Rivers & Wiseman, 2010). Treatment/Plan: Prognosis is good, as the area appears to be a benign lesion. Patient has been warned to expect hypertrichosis on the area, and referred to a laser hair removal center. Neither dermabrasion nor cryosurgery is indicated, as the pigmentation is within the dermal layers and cannot be removed in this manner. The condition is non-infectious, so treatment with antibiotics, antifungals, or parasiticides is unneccessary (Book, Glass, & Laude, 1997). Keratolytics will be similarly unhelpful at treating the pigmentation, despite sun exposure being a possible correlating factor (Tymen et al., 1981). Further treatment is not necessary except on cosmetic grounds; however, if desired by the patient, laser treatment can reduce the excess pigmentation (Rivers & Wiseman, 2010). Patient has been told to return for further examination if the lesion shows major changes, excepting mild erythema resulting from laser treatments or