Saturday, August 31, 2019

Benefiting Students Through A Brain-Based Learning Environment Essay

The question of nature versus nurture as it pertains to human development has been a debate among psychologists for years. And after decades of research, there is still no definitive answer as to whether nature (genes) or nurture (environment and upbringing) are responsible for certain characteristics of an individual. However, many researchers now believe that environmental factors play a more significant role than genetic factors. The acceptance of this belief has many implications for teachers, because it directly affects the teaching strategies they will use in the classroom. In addition, recent findings in brain-based research are providing educators with an understanding of how the brain learns, and how it learns best. As a result, in order to optimize student motivation, involvement, and retention, teachers can no longer ignore the importance of brain-based learning in the educational environment (Wilmes, Harrington, Kohler-Evans, Sumpter, 2008). In the text, Brain-Based Learning The New Paradigm of Teaching, Eric Jensen emphasizes the correlation between students’ emotional states and their learning potential. Adjacently, of the various emotional states a student experiences at any given time, distressed is the most detrimental. A brain in distress results in a long list of negative impacts on learning, including the loss of the ability to correctly interpret subtle clues from the environment, the loss of the ability to index and access information, diminished long-term memory, loss of the ability to perceived relationships, and a lessened capacity for high-order thinking (Jensen, 44). Therefore, managing classroom stress through brain-based strategies is an enormous advantage for students. Childhood stress can be caused by any situation that requires a person to adapt or change (Larzelere, 2010). These changes can be positive such as a new sibling or a new pet, or negative such as poverty, abuse, and separation. It is understandable that the negative stressors are the most harmful to a child’s development. One of the greatest challenges for teachers that aim to alleviate students’ stress is that not all stress-related symptoms are directly measurable or obvious to others (e.g., worry, headache ), thus unrecognized symptoms are likely to go untreated (Shah, 2011). Still, there are many brain-based strategies that teachers can incorporate to help reduce the amount of stress a student experiences in the classroom. First of all, educators can increase a students’ sense of security at school by opening a dialogue with them about their fears. In fact, sometimes just the opportunity to talk about these issues helps reduce the burden (Jensen, 49). In addition, by incorporating small group activities and the use of teamwork among students, a teacher can strengthen a student’s ability to communicate and problem solve. Another example of how a teacher can encourage positive relationships among their students is to offer as much choice and autonomy as possible. Research has shown that creating a classroom environment where student expression and choice are solicited provides a welcoming atmosphere for children to grow at independent rates (Rushton, 2008). There are many ways in which a teacher can afford their students the opportunity to express themselves. Incorporating art, dance, poetry, singing, journal reflection, sports, and debate into a student’s classroom experience are al l productive ways of giving students choice. They are also great ways to introduce rituals of positive affirmation. For example, by creating traditions of applause and team cheers, teachers can help bolster a students’ confidence and improve their self-esteem. Another type of negative stress that some students feel is performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is a fear of not being able to complete a task to the best of one’s ability. As a result, students often experience a â€Å"mental block†, or an inability to retrieve stored information or think creatively. It is very common for students to have performance anxiety before test taking, often times negatively affecting their test scores. Studies show that emotional self-efficacy appears useful in managing negative effects of anxiety (Galla, Wood, 2012). Teachers can help to lessen the occurrence of performance anxiety in their students by regularly activating prior learning. For instance, reviewing previous lessons, offering generous feedback, and establishing mechanisms for self-evaluation and peer review, are all strategie s a teacher can use to reduce learner stress and increase confidence immediately (Jensen, 50). While stress management is an important aspect of supporting a brain-compatible learning environment, stress is not the only emotional state that students cope with. There is a myriad of emotions that a student can feel from one time to another, and a myriad of external stimuli that can trigger those emotions as well. The child’s brain receives stimuli from the learning environment via each of their senses as the stimuli are transformed into a chemical electrical reaction that is the beginning of all learning (Rushton, 2008). One example of such stimuli is classroom acoustics. Poorly designed classrooms that fail to address and reduce ambient noise, echo effect, reverberation, and other acoustical problems cause a decrease in student attention and an increase in off-task behaviors (Jensen, 73). Students whose learning style is predominantly auditory are at the biggest disadvantage. As a result, discipline problems increase and student learning is negatively affected. Such problems are an enormous issue for schools today.For example, many schools across the country have classrooms that exceed the maximum background noise level of 30 to 35 d ecibels recommended by the Acoustical Society of America (Harris, Lambert, 2011). Therefore it is important for teachers to implement brain-based strategies to counter-act the negative effect of a poor acoustical learning environment. This can be done simply by moving around the classroom while speaking. Also, changing the location of students around the classroom can help those at a disadvantage. Using music appropriately in the classroom is another brain-compatible way to positively affect students’ emotional state throughout the learning process. In fact, recent research suggests that music may be a powerful tool in building reasoning power, memory, and intelligence (Jensen, 76). A teacher can change a negative emotional state simply by playing upbeat music in the background periodically throughout the day. Lesson plans can also be enriched through the use of music to elicit certain emotions relevant to the subject matter. Such emotional involvement greatly helps the student comprehend and retain the lesson. Music not only affects students emotionally, but physiologically as well. Music’s potential effects on the body include, increase muscular energy, increased heartrate, reduction of pain and stress, relief of fatigue, and stimulation of creativity, sensitivity, and thinking (Jensen, 75). Another example of external stimuli that can affect learning is classroom aroma. Aromas are especially important because they take one of the most direct pathways to the brain (Jensen, 72). The sense of smell affects brain chemistry and has the ability to change moods in powerful ways. Certain types of scent stimulation like food can disrupt the accelerated learning functions of our brain, and chemical smells from air fresheners, perfume, and even some essential oils can be distracting and block learning (Rogers, 2010). However, certain aromas, such as peppermint, basil, and lemon, enhance motivation, attention, and creativity. And aromas such as chamomile, lavender, orange, and rose calm nerve s and encourage relaxation (Jensen, 72). By using aromas appropriately in the classroom, and keeping aware of aromas that are disruptive or distracting, a teacher can optimize their students’ learning environment. Light in the environment is an additional example of external stimuli that can hinder a students’ learning potential. Lighting strongly influences vision, which strongly influences learning, thus anything we can do to make our eyes more comfortable in the classroom contributes to optimal learning (Jensen, 57). Classrooms that receive a lot of natural sunlight are the most advantageous for students. Natural sunlight helps students’ mood and motivation by delivering vitamin D through uptake by the skin, and in turn raising mood-elevating serotonin. In fact, studies have shown that students with the most sunlight in their classrooms progressed 20 percent faster on math tests and 26 percent faster on reading tests compared to students with the least lighting (Jensen, 58). However, on the other side of the coin, too much morning sunlight can have an adverse effect. Thus, it is important for educators to have an awareness of the effect classroom lighting has on their students learning and strategize accordingly. By providing a variety of lighting types in the classroom and giving learners a choice in determining where they sit can help with student comfort in the classroom (Jensen, 58). Color also plays an enormous role in creating a productive and secure learning environment. Color is an important factor in the physical learning environment and is a major element in interior design that impacts student achievement, as well as teacher effectiveness and staff efficiency. Research has demonstrated that specific colors and patterns directly influence the health, morale, emotions, behavior, and performance of learners, depending on the individual’s culture, age, gender, and developmental level, the subject being studied, and the activity being conducted (Harrington, Kohler-Evans, Sumpter, 2008). Therefore, educators wanting to take advantage of the benefit of brain-based environment can implement classroom color schemes that maximize student involvement. For instance, like aromas, some colors elicit feelings of alertness and inspiration, while others elicit feelings of relaxation. Teacher can enhance student participation and motivation by use of color in hand-ou ts and power point presentation. In addition, teachers can use colors to elicit appropriate emotion in regard to subject matter in lessons. Such as sullen blues or vibrant reds, depending on the subject matter. Again, this greatly helps to emotionally bond the student to the lesson.Another external stimulus that greatly affects a student’s classroom environment is room temperature. Take for example, a student coming back to a warm classroom after eating a good lunch. A classroom environment that is too warm can makes students feel lethargic and unmotivated. Classrooms that are too warm are often the culprit for students falling asleep in class. On the other hand, a classroom that is too cold can make students feel distracted due to feeling uncomfortable. Based on a survey given to teachers, it was concluded that classroom conditions improved by air conditioning included reduced annoyances, improved visual display and flexibility, and comfortable conditions (Gallo, Wood, 2012). In final, teachers who understand the affect of stress and external stimuli in the learning environment and the advantages of brain-compatible learning strategies, visualize a developmentally appropriate brain- researched learning environment which allows an educational focus to preside while student autonomy prevails. Effective teachers support brain development by encouraging children to make discoveries in well-planned environments that support student autonomy (Rushton, 2008). With the benefits well outweighing the required teacher effortt and iniitiative, brain-compatible learning strategies offer far more advantages than hindrances. Students can only win in the long run when teachers utilize these strategies. References Galla, B. M., & Wood, J. J. (2012). Emotional self-efficacy moderates anxiety-related impairments in math performance in elementary school-age youth. Personality & Individual Differences, 52(2), 118-122. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.09.012 Harris, B., & Lambert, C.. (2011, May). Impacting Learning. School Planning & Management, 50(5), 44. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2382182351). Jensen, E. (2008). Brain-Based Learning The New Paradigm of Teaching. (2 ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press. Larzelere MM, Jones GN. Stress and Health. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. December 2008;35(4). Rogers, D. (2010). Mmmmmm . . . Peppermint and rustling leaves. Times Educational Supplement, (4887), 3. Rushton, S., & Juola-Rushton, A. (2008). Classroom Learning Environment, Brain Research and The No Child Left Behind Initiative: 6 years Later. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(1), 87-92. doi:10.1007/s10643-008-0244-5 SHAH, N. (2011). Students†™ Stress Linked To Class Environments. Education Week, 30(24), 5. Wilmes, B., Harrington, L., Kohler-Evans, P., & Sumpter, D. (2008). COMING TO OUR SENSES: INCORPORATING BRAIN RESEARCH FINDINGS INTO CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION. Education, 128(4), 659-666.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Environmental Influences on Performance

1. â€Å"Marathon race organizers should be mindful of weather conditions during the race ‘ Discuss the above statement on a scientific marathon footrace is among the most physiologically demanding endurance events in the world. Competitive runners typically maintain a pace corresponding to 70-90% of their maximal aerobic capacity [3,15,20] for more than 2 h. At maximal mechanical efficiency, more than 80% of the energy required for this task is transferred as heat to the body core [9]. Moreover, the rate of endogenous heat production associated with a 2-h 10-min marathon estimated from ordinary heat-balance equations [9] is approximately 1400 kcal ·h-1. This metabolic heat must be dissipated to the surrounding environment, or body temperature will rise to physiologically dangerous levels. Lind [13] has demonstrated that core temperature is independent of climate over a temperature range he has termed the â€Å"prescriptive zone. † It has been demonstrated that the width of the prescriptive zone progressively narrows as metabolic rate increases. Thus, climate begins to affect physiological responses to exercise at relatively cooler temperatures during activities that elicit high metabolic rate compared with those eliciting lower metabolic rates. More recently, it has been demonstrated that endurance performance is indeed impaired when exercising in warm versus more temperate laboratory conditions and that air temperatures of approximately 10 °C seem optimal for endurance exercise [10]. One criticism of these and other laboratory findings is that typical airflows used for indoor testing situations are well below those encountered when running or cycling outdoors ver the ground. The lack of appropriate airflow substantially reduces the combined heat transfer coefficient [9] and may overestimate physiological strain [2]. Few field studies have examined the effect of weather conditions on endurance running performance[16,17,22]. Although it is generally observed that race performances worsen as weather warms, there are current ly no data quantifying the magnitude of performance reduction. In addition, these studies relied only on data from elite male runners; thus, the implications for slower competitors or women runners are only speculative. COLD WEATHER BEST FOR MARATHON PERFORMANCE Every runner knows that cool weather is better than hot weather for marathon performance. But a recent study from the U. S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine suggests that relatively cold weather is better than merely cool weather. Researchers gathered many years' worth of results and weather data from six major North American marathons and performed stastical analyses to determine the effect of air temperature on finishing times among runners at various levels of performance. Specifically, they looked at year-to-year comparative finishing times of the top three male and female runners at each event, as well as the 25th, 50th, 100th, and 300th finishers. The results showed a clear trend toward faster times at colder temperatures. For example, the finishing times of male races winners were, on average, 1. 7% slower than the course record when the air temperature was between 34 and 50 degrees. The finishing times of the top male runners were 2. 5% slower than the course record, however, when the temperature was between 51 and 59 degrees. And at higher temperatures, finishing times fell off even more dramatically. Runners at all levels were slowed by warmer air, but higher temperatures had a smaller effect on faster runners. The ideal marathon temperature, according to these analyses, was a bone-chilling 41 degrees. Think about that when you sign up for your next marathon! 2. Divers who collect ornamental fish have to work in a hostile environment. Discuss how the SCUBA apparatus helps these divers to meet the challenge of the deep sea environment. SCUBA diving is an exciting and first-hand way for scientists to study the underwater environment. It is one among the most effective ways for executing underwater experiments that require high quality precise measurements. SCUBA as the name suggests stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It literally means that all divers carry all of required breathing equipment’s and gases with them. Hence they are subjected to water temperature, pressure, currents, and other factors revolving oceans present at the diving depth. The NURP program approximately supports about 10,000 SCUBA Divers for Scientific Research work. NURP provides all the necessary equipments and finances for scientists and technical assistance to conduct diving operations. They use both open circuit as well as closed circuit breathing apparatus. The difference between them primarily relies upon what happens to the exhaled gas. In open system the gas is exhaled in to the water. A closed system apparatus has recycling abilities and thus lasts longer underwater as it reduces carbon-dioxide and adds oxygen in a cyclic manner inside the container. It reduces the amount of gas required in the container and also allows the diver to remain streamlined. The breathing gas provided by NURP involves compressed air, NITROX and TRIMIX. NITROX is a composition of nitrogen and oxygen whilst TRIMIX is a composition of oxygen, nitrogen and helium. NITROX is of special interest to NOAA. It was in introduced in late 1970’s which allows the divers to stay longer underwater when compared to compressed air alone. Each of these gases is of different properties which enables the diver to dive at maximum depths. 3. The year 1968 marked the emergence of high altitude trained long distance runners from Kenya. Discuss the scientific basis of high altitude training and how it helps to perform better in long distance events. The theory underlying the belief that training at high altitude can enhance athletic performance sounds reasonable enough. Work out in an environment that causes the body to produce more oxygen-carrying red blood cells and an athlete will be able to perform better than he or she can when trained at a lower elevation. Proponents of this theory point to East African runners, who have dominated long-distance events in recent years, as proof that training at high altitudes pays off. But if that’s the case, why don’t runners from other high altitude countries such as Peru and Mexico perform equally well? And why do some athletes excel in endurance sports despite having never trained at high altitude? â€Å"[High-altitude training has] had so much press that certain athletes feel like they’re at a disadvantage if they’re not doing altitude training,† says Andrew Subudhi, a researcher at the Altitude Research Center in Denver and assistant professor of biology at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. There’s a big movement for endurance athletes to move to high altitude if they’re serious about [improving their performance]. † Into Thin Air But does it really help? Answering that question is harder than one might think, despite numerous scientific studies on the relationship between altitude and athletic performance. The issue reached prominence at the 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico City (elevation 7, 349 feet), when questions arose about the best way to prepare for competing in the thin air, Subudhi says. Thin air† is a term used to describe air that contains less oxygen than air at sea level (20. 9% at sea level compared with 15. 3% at higher altitudes). The number of red blood cells found in the body of an endurance athlete who does not live and train at high altitudes may be insufficient to supply the amount of oxygen needed at higher altitudes. To help deal with this problem, athletes may live and train at high altitudes several weeks before a competition to increase the number of red blood cells, which are produced in response to greater release of the hormone erythropoietin. More red blood cells allows a person’s blood to carry more oxygen, which partly makes up for the shortage of oxygen in the air. Studies have found that athletes do perform better in competitions held at high altitudes if they live and train at high altitudes prior to competition, Subudhi says, but training at high altitudes does not necessarily help athletes perform better at low altitudes as one might assume. â€Å"When you’re at altitude, you can’t train as hard, and when you’re not training as hard, you’re not getting the same training stimulus,† he says. â€Å"Training at altitude doesn’t mean you’ll do well at sea level. Then again, that doesn’t mean that you won’t, says Jack Daniels, PhD, head distance coach at the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University. Daniels says the key benefit to training at higher than normal altitudes is that it teaches an athlete how to hurt, and learning to tolerate pain can help athletes push themselves harder than they would otherwise. â€Å"It’s good for an athlete to learn to really lay it out there, and it’s easy to do that [in high altitude] without working quite as hard,† says Daniels, who has coached 31 individual3/22/13 Printer-friendly article page www. motionsports. com/blog/training at altitude. htm 2/3 NCAA national champions in his career. Although there are benefits to training at altitude, Daniels says, the advantages one might gain are unimportant when compared with more mundane factors. No matter where people train, he says, they want comfortable housing, healthy food, a friendly atmosphere, good training facilities, desirable weather, and adequate medical and therapy attention. â€Å"In other words, you train best where you are happiest,† Daniels says. If you c an have that at altitude, that's good, but if you do altitude-type things and don't have those other things, then you are wasting your time. It is very disturbing to me to hear people say, ‘If you don't train at altitude you may as well not bother trying. ’ I think we have all the things an athlete would want right here, but anyone who comes here and is not happy, I encourage to leave. † Live High, Train Low Daniels also doesn’t believe in another philosophy that has gained considerable support in recent years from researchers who have studied the altitude-performance relationship. Known as â€Å"live high, train low,† this philosophy holds that endurance athletes benefit most from living in high-altitude conditions but training at low altitude where they are able to push themselves harder. The term â€Å"live high, train low† came into being in 1996 when researchers James Stray-Gundersen and Benjamin Levine studied the relationship between altitude, training, and performance using three groups of endurance athletes. One group lived and trained in Park City, Utah, (elevation 7,000 feet) while another group lived there and trained at a lower altitude. A third group lived and trained in San Diego (elevation 72 feet). After the four-week training period ended, all were tested at a low altitude. â€Å"They found that the group that lived high but trained low got the best benefit; that was measured in 5-kilometer time trials. † Subudhi says. The reason for the improved performance among the live-high, train-low group, researchers hypothesized, is that by living in high-altitude conditions, their bodies produced more red blood cells in response to the lower concentration of oxygen. And because these athletes trained at a lower elevation, they were able to push themselves harder than they would have at higher altitudes, resulting in a higher training stimulus. The results of this and other studies received so much media attention that companies began manufacturing masks, tents, and rooms that would allow athletes to live anywhere in high-altitude conditions. Devices cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Some companies convert entire houses to these conditions, and both Finland and the United States have outfitted dormitories in this way. Manufacturers claim benefits can occur from as little as six to eight hours of exposure. But those claims are not supported by research, Subudhi says, who contends 15 to 16 hours per day exposure is supported by research. Exercise rooms designed to mimic high-altitude conditions can benefit athletes who live at low altitudes and are planning to compete at a high altitude, he says: â€Å"If your competition is at altitude, then you need to train at altitude. † Altitude Advantage The only danger associated with the use of such devices is reducing oxygen levels too quickly, and almost everyone will experience more difficulty sleeping, Subudhi says. However, it’s rare to see athletes suffering from acute mountain sickness, commonly known as altitude sickness, or from high-altitude pulmonary or cerebral edema among those who live at an 8,000- to 9,000-foot altitude, he says. Plus, benefits are temporary: An athlete who stops living under high-altitude conditions will begin to see a loss in benefits in about two weeks as extra red blood cells die off, he says. Bob Cranny, PT, owner of Altitude Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Boulder, Colo. , is a big believer in the benefits of training at altitudes of 2,500 feet or greater. He and his wife are both triathletes and marathon runners who moved to Boulder (elevation 5,430 feet) 12 years ago from Long Beach, Calif. , because they believed the higher altitude would enhance their performance. Many athletes in the area follow the live-high, train-low philosophy, although it might more accurately be described as â€Å"live high, train lower. † That’s because many athletes who train in Boulder live at elevations of3/22/13 Printer-friendlyarticlepage www. kmotionsports. com/blog/training at altitude. htm 3/3 round 9,000 feet and travel to Boulder’s 5,430-foot elevation to train, as opposed to sea level. â€Å"If you could live at 9,000 feet and train at sea level, that would be even better — that would be wonderful,† Cranny says. So the answer to the question of whether training at high altitude will enhance an athlete’s performance is: maybe. Training at altitude will help some, while other athletes might benefit best fro m alternate training methods. â€Å"I see altitude as a type of training, and if this type suits you then it is good,† Daniels says.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

History Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History - Scholarship Essay Example The debate on constitution mirrors divisions, which marred the American society during early periods. While the Federalist supported constitution ratification and a powerful national government, the Anti-Federalists advocated for a national government, which is weaker and also opposed the approval of the constitution. The division between Federalists and Anti-Federalist would give birth to political parties trying to woo people to buy their ideologies. The united state’s first party system was comprised of the Federalist Party formed by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party also known as Anti-Federalist (Pickard, 2010). The Federal Party started experiencing opposition in 1790 following Hamilton’s mentioned the possibility of the central government assuming state debts. Republicans, under the leadership of Jefferson, supported the views of older Anti-Federalists accusing Hamilton’s administration for monarchism. A few years later, the Democrats merged with the Republicans to form one national party. During 1800s, the Republican Party gained more popularity as the Federal Party was implementing laws that appeared to favor a powerful national government, which never resonated well with people. Consequently, Democratic-Republicans emerged victorious in 1800 elections with Jefferson becoming the new President (Pickard, 2010). This marked the demise of Federal Party power with Democratic-Republican Party seizing

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Ethics and decision making in financial institution Essay

Ethics and decision making in financial institution - Essay Example In the second part the study will understand role of business ethics and ethical decision making in context to banking industry. Although the concept of business ethics, fair and free competition, abolishment of monopolistic competition are pretty much older in comparison neo classical concepts like trade protection, corporate governance codes but surprisingly very few researcher have tried find how these implications are relevant in context to banking industry. To understand the importance of open and free competition it is essential for the researcher to analyze these concepts by using theories of economics (Misra and Arrawatia, 2012). Nature of Competition in Banking Industry In recent times, various research scholars have tried to investigate nature of competition in global banking industry with help of different concepts of economics. Modern economists have stated that conjoint impact of internationalization, liberalization and harmonization has changed the dynamics of competiti on in global banking competitions. ... their primary and only responsibility is to increase profit by using its resources whereas understanding the second strata such as doing business in open and free competition environment without engaging in deception and frauds (Cheng, 2011). There is no doubt the world has changed a lot from the time Milton Friedman defined the responsibility of managers. In twenty first century, the world has seen many of the major financial scams, financial frauds, unethical competitions hence it is necessary to analyze the viewpoint of Milton in context modern business world. Now the fact is that, research scholars have raised question over the assumption of Milton Friedman in context to banking industry. For example, competition in banking sector has been created due to multitude of factors such as financial markets deregulation, liberalization, consolidation, merger between various financial institutions etc hence it will not be justifiable to take a unilateral approach to analyze the level of competition in banking sector. The study will take help of research works of eminent research scholars such as Bresnahan (1982) to understand competition theories in context to banking sector. According to Bresnahan (1982), market power of a bank is should be analyzed with the help of mark-up of price instead of marginal cost of a particular bank. The proposed model was based on two equations such as supply equation and inverse demand equation in context to first order profit maximization (Misra and Arrawatia, 2012). Shaffer (1993) has found that North American banks were competitive during 1965 to 1990 when the market was consolidated in nature. In that period, few North American banks competed in partially monopolistic competition environment where they had created entry barrier for

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Strategic Planning and Implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Strategic Planning and Implementation - Essay Example As every country in Europe, Germany has much association with the liberal ideas. Political attitudes, supporting liberal democracy, are changing gradually. The new generation is more democratic in their thoughts. German political leaders are apt to be more law oriented, fiscally conservative, and formalistic reflecting their acquaintance with economics and law. Germany economy is the largest in Europe. It has been badly impacted by the recent economic downturn, and so being operated in this economy, the company also got the hit. This was the economic force which affected the operation in a great way. Germany is one of the leading countries on the globe. The German work force is mostly engaged in service sector. The whole workforce in mainly divided in certain groups; the elite, who are well trained and well educated, skilled workers and unskilled workers. A noticeable number of them are foreigners. A perceptible part of the last group stays below the poverty line (Country Studies, n.d). Germany is very much affluent and technologically powerful country. They have got access to many resources. Germany’s triumphs in the field of technology and science have been prominent. Research and development efforts form an important part of the German economy. The scientific research in the country is mostly supported by the industries over there. Germany is the largest economy in Europe and at the same time, the second most populated country in Europe. Out of the many environmental issues Germany has, some worries include the emissions from the burning of coal; industries are hugely contributing to this situation. Acid rain is another, which is produced from the emission of sulphur dioxide. This in turn damages forests, create pollution to Baltic Sea. Disposal of hazardous wastage is another environmental issue created mainly by the industries. These issues seem to be few of the problems, those people are concerned about. With the industries of vehicles,

Monday, August 26, 2019

Events Management and Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Events Management and Operations - Essay Example These are described below: Bedfordshire University The company has a choice of consuming the university place for conducting the desired event which can also be very economical for the University due to the exclusion of space rent. However, the cost associated with developing breakout rooms and other extra facilities will be rented out by the company itself which will increase the overall cost for both the university and company. The University is situated in Luton, England. Strathmore Hotel The Strathmore Hotel can be considered as an event organizing place which is very near to the University of Bedfordshire. The hotel has the availability of providing necessary equipments and space for the desired amount of audiences. However, a huge cost is associated with the rent of the space of hotel but all the necessary equipments are offered by the Hotel itself. UK Centre for Carnival Arts This location is also considered ideal for conducting an event which is situated at the opposite side of the University of Bedfordshire. However, the conference rooms and other space are to be designed accordingly by the event director. Furthermore, the equipments will be outsourced from a different company for the purpose of rent for a single day. Event Business Plan Vision The vision of the company is to create a long lasting impression in the mind of consumers about the event organized by the company. The company understands the value of retaining their customers over a longer period so they shall become potential customers. In order to make the vision successful, the company communicates the vision along with the desired preferences of audiences of event. The key stakeholders of the company are its audiences and the management people who make the event successful. The various strengths of the company involves targeting VIP’s and have relevant experience in serving them according to their needs. However, the company is very particular about using venues events because the company considers that many requirements are dependent to location of the event. The other strength of the company is their presentation which is likely to gain attention of audience. Operations The program will start with an opening ceremony which shall be performed by the chief guest appointed by the University of Bedfordshire itself. Different ideas and learning experience will be shared by professionals, which will be decided with the collaboration of University. The guests will then be transferred to 4 different breakout rooms where breakfast and tea will be served. The program will be resumed after guest entering the main conference room to discuss further involvement in event operations and hospitality. At precisely 1 pm lunch will be served to audiences to which they will again be transferred to their separate breakout rooms. The idea for developing 4 breakout rooms is that different individuals from similar related fields could join and share their ideas. For example, indus try professionals can consume an entire breakout room, whereas, academic scholars can consume the other breakout room. The lunch will be followed by another session of conferences amongst audiences sharing their experiences and ideas on

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Gender as a victim Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender as a victim - Assignment Example Moreover, in the case of Emily the attitudes, perception and situations were the key factors regarding the aspect of gender that contributed to the vulnerability of the victim. Morgan & Chadwick (2009) concluded that with having negative attitudes affects the life of couple. In this case, it has been reflected that the behaviour of Emily’s husband towards her was negative and depicted criminal activities. Besides, VicHealth (2009) stated that attitudes of violence-supporting are high in males due to gender biases. On the other hand perception also influences one to commit crimes and restrain other to commit the same. Likely, the situation i.e. the husband wife relationship and the dominance of male over the female is major gender contribution factor of vulnerability of the victim in case of Emily. Criminal activities especially the sexual violence has significant impact both on physical as well as mental condition over the victim and cause physical injury. Based on the analysis of the provided victim case it can be affirmed that anger and the feeling of superiority led Emily’s husband to commit crime. In this context, Truman (2011) concluded that male genders during the time of frustration, express their anger and negativity towards others especially their better half as in the case of Emily. In this regard it can be affirmed that individual perpetrator factor i.e. attitude of Emily husband, lenient behaviour of Emily over the crime, short temperedness can be perceived as a key factor of crime. Moreover, material relationship and the community perspective i.e. high level of dominance of male over the females are few reasons of crime (Cooper & Smith, 2011) played a prior role in committing crime against Emily (Jewkes, 2012; NCDSV, 2003). Moreover, lack of knowledge and the male dominating attitude leads to crime and victimization. With regard to the criminal case of Emily, one of the major lacunas in the judicial

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Developing the Professional Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Developing the Professional - Assignment Example Dear Sir/Madam I am a postgraduate student pursuing my Master's degree in International Business from Lincoln University United Kingdom. I would like to be considered for the post of an HR PMO Officer in the organization. I am very interested in working in this field and would like to take this opportunity to put my ideas and skills into practice in order to develop myself along with the organization. I would like to make the best use of this opportunity and that is why I am applying to Vodafone for the post of an HR PMO Officer as I believe that, this platform will give me an exposure to a professional working environment whereby I will be able to learn and grow along with the organization. This job will be a perfect platform for me to put into practice my communications skills that I have developed over the due course of my life, thereby enabling me to interact with many people all over the world and to learn and know more about them thus enhancing my communication skills. While working with Ras Girtas Power Company and Doha Bank, I learned to provide assistance to my superiors and I had to work under strict deadlines. I had to schedule my tasks and report the status of every single assignment on a timely basis to my superiors. This is where I believe I can be of great assistance to the PMO lead where my major responsibility will be to support the PMO lead and other project and program management officers to deliver their projects within time, cost and quality.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Human resource-Manage industrial relations-report Essay

Human resource-Manage industrial relations-report - Essay Example Human resource management seems to complement industrial relations as it focuses on employers policies in order to manage the employment relation (Gardner & Palmer, 1997, p. 591). In addition to the above strategy the organization will incorporate strong corporate culture along with better management support as it is an ideal industrial relation situation and vital as the management recognizes the value and importance of the workplace. Thus adopting to the above mentioned strategy will lead the organization to have an effective industrial relation policy for its employees and employers in together. Effectiveness of the Policy Adopting the complementary approach organization will be able to emerge in the field of industrial relation. It focuses mainly on the productivity of the industry and will help the organization to achieve competitive advantage. The policy will take care of the employment system in the workplace and includes human resource as well as labor relation practices. The refore the policy will help the organization in both strategic manner and to meet the operational needs. The complementary approach will provide the organization with competitive advantage and the culture of the organization will provide the organization with a well defined policies and industrial relation strategies. Procedures Related To the Policy The policy of the organization is to operate business in a way that will provide as well as preserve harmonious place to work for all its workers within the instrument of industrial relation like agreements and rewards and the management are focused to ensure that the work is carried with minimum disruption and with industrial harmony (Acubis, n.d). When policies are made it is necessary to communicate about the new or revised policy to all the members of the organization and it can be said that communication plays a very important role on the success of the policies in organization. The employees need to know about the benefits of impl ementing the policy such as flexibility of working hours, incentives, training and development. The CEO should be the person to communicate the new industrial policy of the organization to all the employees. In addition to effective communication all industrial relation plans should also include contingency plans. Organization should assess all the potential risk as well as benefits which are associated with negotiation. Risk in relation to the implementation of new policy should be analyzed. Contemporary Industrial Issues Some of the contemporary industrial issue which Australia has been facing and it is assumed that the organization will also face similar kind of contemporary industrial issues. The following is the list of contemporary issues faced by the organization and Australia Globalization Technological changes Casual workplace and part time work place Work place flexibility Collective bargaining Reduction in job security Enterprise bargain in order to gain conditions more t han awards Family friendly working patterns Australia workplace agreement Changing industrial and political landscape (UnionTeach, 2003). Globalization is one of the major issues concerning organization as more and more number of organization have been affected because of

House of Lords Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

House of Lords Reform - Essay Example 110). That same year the government took its first significant steps in reforming the House with the Constitutional Reform Act. This act mandated the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to take over the existing role of the Law Lords, in addition to taking on a role in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. It also removed the powers of the Speaker of the House of Lords and Head of the Judiciary of England and Wales from the office of Lord Chancellor. This change has been the most contentious of those proposed. The number of elected representatives that should be allowed has been the subject of considerable debate. It was proposed that 120 members be elected by the public, 120 appointed by a statutory independent commission and the rest would be appointed by political parties in proportion to votes received by a party at the most recent general election. Despite the debate surrounding the number of members a larger issue is at stake. In the report put forward by Clarke, Cook, Tyler, Wright and Young (2005) they claim that it is not so much the number of elected members but rather the powers they will receive that is at issue (p. 8). They state, "Whilst there has been a great deal of support for the introduction of elected members, some in the political world have been concerned that this would make the second chamber more powerful, and therefore result in a challenge to the traditional primacy of the House of Commons" (p. 8). merits and dismerits: There is little doubt that the introduction of elected members to the House of Lords would allow for a greater degree of democratic representation than is seen today, particularly within the regions. Yet, it could cause an unfavorable change in the balance of power between the two houses if elected members do not take the spirit of the Salisbury Doctrine into consideration, something many doubt would happen. Roger and Walters (2004) state the Salisbury convention is perhaps more a code of behaviour for the Conservative Party when in opposition in the Lords than a convention of the House. Indeed it is a moot point whether, following the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, the expulsion of the hereditary members and the ending of the overwhelming numerical advantage of the Conservative Party, the Salisbury convention as originally devised can have any continuing validity (p. 19)1. If the House of Commons and the Executive wish for there to be a check on the Ho use of Lord's powers of bill prevention they must look to making such limitations. 2. The reduction of the number of House members Currently the House of Lords has over 700 members and is one of the largest parliamentary chambers in the world. Although, since members are appointed for life and often reach an age where they cannot sit in on House meetings as often, attendance is considerably lower than the total number of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Greek and Eygptian Mythology Essay Example for Free

Greek and Eygptian Mythology Essay The Greeks myth of creation is one of the oldest theories to date. Dated back to 753 BC in Rome and have a lot of similarities to the Egyptian myth of creation. The Egyptians documented their beliefs on stone carving inside temple walls. Greek and Egyptian myths of creation Gaia is known as the mother goddess. In the beginning the world was ruled and formed by a female. Females were soupier to males and were thought to be powerful and have all the knowledge. (greek mythology, 2010) The Greeks believed that Chaos is born out of darkness from the Unknown. Gaia or the earth emerges from Chaos. (ancient-mythology. com, 2009) Gaia separates heaven from the earth, water from the land, air from the airless space. From the depths of Gaia comes, Tartarus and Eros. Chaos also gives birth to Erebus, the Darkness of the Underworld and Nyx, Night. Gaia also gives birth to Uranus, The Sky and Pontus The Sea. Uranus fertilizes Gaia with rains and from Gaia spring the mountains, the water, the animals and plants. (ancient-mythology. com, 2009) In the beginning there was only water it was a chaos of churning, bubbling water, that the Egyptians called Nu or Nun. It was out of Nu that everything began. (ancientegypt. com, 2012) As with the Nile, each year the flood caused chaos to all creatures living on the land, so this represents Nu. Eventually the floods would recede and out of the chaos of water would emerge a hill of dry land. This is celebrated as the first day of their existence every year. The Egyptians also believed the sun or god Atum was a creator god. That Atum arose out of the Nu and with nowhere to stand created a hill. The creation of this hill was bringing light to the darkness of the chaotic water. Atum was alone and wanted children but with no mate he couldn’t reproduce. It is said he joined with his shadow and created a son and daughter. Different worlds in Greek and Egyptian mythology In Greek mythology there are different worlds. The underworld or the afterlife of their myths was ruled by Hades. (ancient-mythology. com, 2009) Mortals passed through the underworld where they awaited judgment. If they lived a life that displeased the gods they were punished. People in Greece would place coins on the deceased eyes when they were buried to pay the toll into the underworld. These coins were to pay the boatman on the ferry needed to cross the river in Hades known as Styx. (greek mythology, 2010) The boatman was said to be evil and feared by all that passed through Hades. There were many parts of the underworld such as the Elysian Fields or paradise. There was also Asphodel Meadows that was a place of shadows, where souls of mortals that led lives of equal good and evil rested and Tartarus or hell. (ancient-mythology. com, 2009) The Egyptians had really intricate beliefs about life after death. Death was not considered to be the end of one’s life, rather it was considered to be a necessary stage that someone has to go through in order to enter an aspect of complete bliss and eternity. This was dependent on the way the individual lived their lives. (egyptianmyths. net, 2011) The Egyptians have their own criteria for judgment to which each individual will be judged and awarded his destination in the afterlife. This would take place in the Hall of Two Truths. (ancientegypt. com, 2012) Anubis was a cruel god that was considered to be the spirit of the dead. He would be the judge along with forty two other gods and judges that would judge each soul. The gods were classified into different categories. Amongst them were gods that exclusively governed the underworld. Egyptians priests were known for developing many myths and legends about life after death and it was these stories that drove the Egyptian afterlife beliefs. This is why the Egyptians had elaborate burial rituals the purpose of which was to ensure the preservation of the dead bodies and their soul. Some of the most important burial rituals included the process of mummification, the making of the tomb, the casting of spells and death masks. (ancientegypt. com, 2012) The Egyptians perceived the sky as a roof placed over the world it was supported by columns placed at the four cardinal points. The Egyptians thought that the Earth was a rectangle. That it was longer from north to south and that the surface bulges slightly and that the Nile was its center. On the south there was a river in the sky supported by mountains and on this river the sun god made his daily trip. (egyptianmyths. net, 2011) The stars were suspended from the heavens by strong cables, but they had no explanation for their movements. Mythology to explain nature occurrences The Greeks depicted god to explain the unexplainable. They had several gods that took the form of rain, wind, fire and other occurrences they couldn’t explain. The god Poseidon was the water god. He was a brother to Zeus and Hades and ruled the water. (ancient-mythology. com, 2009) Greeks blamed him for floods, earth shakes and droughts. He was visualized with a titan that he could control the waters and earth with. They believed that Zeus was the king of the gods who lived on mount Olympus. He was the ruler of the weather and the sky. He created thunder and lightning when he was angry with the mortals. (greek mythology, 2010) The Greeks believed there were four gods of directional windsBoreas was known as the North-Wind, Zephryos the West-Wind, Notos the South-Wind, and Euros the East-Wind. (ancient-mythology. com, 2009) They were also closely connected with the seasons. The Egyptians myths are a central base of the Nile. The Egyptians believed that the gods would flood the earth every year at the same time. They believed this was necessary to have their crops grow after the water receded. They based their yearly calendar around the flooding of the Nile. (egyptianmyths. net, 2011) Every year they would prepare for the flooding and celebrate the waters rising. The Egyptians believed that everything was on a path of cycle. Comparing Greek mythology with Egyptian mythology. The Egyptians and the Greeks had similar creation myths. They both believed that a single god erupted out of chaos. Egyptians myths believe it was out of water that the first male god was created. Where Greeks believed it was out of darkness the first goddess was created, known as the earth. Both myths believe that the first god sprung life from their selves and created more gods. They also both have several gods to explain nature occurrence. Both myths have several gods that control the rain, wind and sea. There are many myths documented throughout time. Some that try to explain where or how we all got here. Many religions hold on to these myths for validation and a sense of conformity. Greeks and Egyptians are no different. These myths have been around for century’s and rarely vary from one generation to the next. References ancient-mythology. com. (2009, september). Retrieved from http://www. ancient-mythology. com/greek ancientegypt. com. (2012, spring). Retrieved from http://www. ancientegypt. com egyptianmyths. net. (2011, June). Retrieved from http://egyptianmyths. net greek mythology. (2010, october). Retrieved from http://www. greekmythology. com/

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Techno Structural Interventions

Techno Structural Interventions Employees involvement is one of the major issues in the field of management sciences; it becomes relatively more important when appears in organization development process. While going for some interventions, success without the employees involvement seems to be impossible. This paper argues that how the employees involvement affect the success of interventions process. For this Empirical study has been conducted in the textile sector of Pakistan to explore the relationship between the employees involvement and the techno-structural interventions, the results are very much likely the literature. Change tries to alter the employees status quo; if it occurs rapidly it can be very disturbing for all the stake holders of the organization (DaphneÂÂ  G.ÂÂ  Taras, JamesÂÂ  T.ÂÂ  Bennett, 2007) as the employees are the direct victims of the change thats why they feel more economic insecurity in the work place. Change can be of various types and can raise the fear in the employees, doest not matter; it has good or bad impact on the employees (ADF Price, K chahl, 2006) but on the whole change always come in the organization for the development purposes (Rikard Athin, 2004). Organization development is controlled process in which sequence of actions, activities intended to improve the organizational performance and effectiveness (Thomas G cummings; Christopher G whorley, 2002).These set of sequenced planned changes for improvement of organizational performance and development are called interventions (cummings; whorley, 1993). Interventions will only work for the or ganization if they are relevant with the organization (Chris Argyris, 1970). These interventions design varies from organizational needs and can be divided into different types of interventions (D. Coghlan 1995). At the highest level in the organization, there are strategic level interventions, which are designed to form the organization structure for achieving its objectives affectively (R. Draft 1998). The other one is the techno-structural intervention, having purpose is to form appropriate work designs and organizational structures to provide the strategic support of the organization development (E lawler III, 1974). The third component of the intervention is the people oriented interventions which focus on the fulfillment of human needs in the organization as well as the expectations of the organizational effectiveness (Frank Friedlander; LD Brown, 1974). Our main focus in this research is in techno-structural intervention, which deals with the restructuring of the organization; the restructuring is in the division of workload of overall organization in to subunits for completion of the task effectively (M Tushman, E Romanelli, 1986). Restructuring can be performed on at least five major factors, environment, organization size, technology, organization strategy and world wide operation (Thomas G cummings; Christopher G whorley, 2002). Second other major component of techno structural intervention is the employees involvement, D Glew, et al 1995 defined the employees involvement on the basis of power, information, knowledge and skills and finally reward. Final component of intervention is work design , broadly speaking work design is of two types, one is of scientific management (F. Taylor, 1911) which is task oriented, the other type of work design is motivational approach (G Susman, 1976). Muhammad Imran Muhammad Mahmood Aslam In literature, F. Herzberg, N. Mausner, B snyderman 1959, describes the work design having the opportunities for autonomy, move forwarding, responsibility and authority gives more satisfaction to the employees and increase the employees involvement. Enrichment of the job of the employees leads to the employees satisfaction as well as to the acceptance of the change (F. Hertz berg, 1974). Employees involvement plays an important role in the success or failure of the organization. Our research in this context revolves around the relationship between the employees involvement and its effect on the techno structural interventions. In this exploratory research we will describe the relationship which exists in the employees involvement and techno-structural interventions. Methodology We have used the data from three different sources i.e. Literature, Survey using questionnaire and unstructured interviews. The literature based on the interventions; which includes the previous research on the interventions as well as the case studies from national as well as from international journals have been used to provide theoretical ground to our hypothesis. Beside this, for empirical study we have selected the textile industry of Pakistan, in which changes are imminent on radically basis (Yim Yu Wong, Peng S. Chan 1993). In textile industry of Pakistan, we have selected the five readily available organizations from which we get the sample of 150 respondents by using the simple random sampling method. All the respondents were middle level managers having minimum 10-15 years of experience in the apparel industry. Beside this in our respondents are the top level management, for them we use the interviews for collecting the data. Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative da ta has been performed in our research. Scope As the Economic recession all over the world has affect the industry all over the world, but in all these circumstances under developed countries suffer more with this phenomenon (Nick Beams 2001 ). In case of Pakistani, where the major export portion is based on the apparel industry this phenomenon become more critical (Frank P. Saladis PMP, 2007) resultantly, decreasing in export give rise the manager to bring some intervention in this sector at top management level, a number of decision has been taken to bring change but the success ratio of these are very low (Areeba Khan 2001) our research in this context will bring the revolutionary change it will give the manager a new direction that how the successfully interventions can be made by involving the employees. Our study setting is contrived in which we have the minimal interference in this study so, the external validity of our study will be very high and it will provide a great support to the industry. Limitations The intervention process or any change process is not an event of day; it took from months to the year (Stuart Gilmour, et al 2006). As our study is cross sectional study in which we have gather the data in the same span of time so we can just analyze the past that in the past what are the impact made by the employees involvement in the intervention. However we can give recommendations for the future. Another thing which limit our study is that though we have selective the respondent with the random sampling methodology; however the organizations for the study are those which are readily available to us. Literature Review Changes must be preceded systematically (GuangmingÂÂ  Cao, et al 2004). The success ratio for the change increase greatly, when we use the proper model of planned change (YitzhakÂÂ  Samuel, et al 2004). In spite of all the planning and development change never successfully happened and mostly the reason behind this failure is resistance (JamesÂÂ  L.ÂÂ  Vann, 2004). To overcome the resistance and for the success of change several factors can influence, these can be management involvement and support, employees participation, information sharing and the most important is leadership (Jean E. Neumann, et al 1999). The sequenced, planned, organized and managed from the top changes are called the interventions (Beckhard 1961). While designing intervention, concept of Effective intervention has much importance which describes that effective intervention is providing the free and informed choice to the employees by the organization (C Argyris, 1970). Widely, research has been done that how to design intervention and how to make them effective to achieve the organization objective effectively (D. Warrick 1995). While designing some interventions, individual differences (skills, knowledge, need for autonomy, etc), organization factors (management structure, Employees, culture etc) and dimension of change process (management support, employees involvement, power etc) must be considered (J Porras, et al 1987).While going for interventions in the organization, four major options are available that are strategic interventions, Techno-structural Human Process and Human Resource Management intervention (Thomas G. Cummings, et al 2001 ). Strategic intervention is of broader term describes the corporate as well as business level strategic intervention like cultural change, strategic change, self design organization, and integrate strategic management (P. Evans, et al 1997). In human process, the interventions deals with the social issues which occurs among the organization members like communication gap, individual differences, conflicts and team issues (D. Ancona, et al 1992). Thirdly, the human resource management interventions, aim is to goal setting, Performance management, reward systems, career planning and development and managing work force diversity (D. McDonald, et al 1995). Techno-structural intervention is another type of the organizational intervention which mainly deals with the issues like business process reengineering, total quality management, Quality circles and work design (M. Tushman, et al 1985). Techno-structural interventions have two important components which are technological interventions and the structural interventions (J. Galbraith, R. Kazanjian 1986). Technological interventions involve introduction of new technology in the organization like in organization changes made from the manual to computerized, or to implement som e enterprise system (A. Chandler 1962). While in case of structural intervention it deals with the changing in organization structure, work design so that the organization may able to achieve the organization objective more effectively (G. Hamel, C. Prahalad 1994). In textile sector of Pakistan several techno-structural interventions have been made but the success ratios of these intervention is very low and still Pakistan is far behind than the rest of the world (Noor Ahmad Memon, Noor Zaman 2007). There are a number of reasons behind to discuss all these failure in the industry, but the most important of it is the lack of employees involvement in the intervention process which lead to this failure (S.A.J Shirazi 2007). Some researcher has defined the employees involvement on the basis of Participation in the change process and the profit sharing with the employees (Susan Schwochau 1997). Employees Involvement can be defined as on the basis of Power, information sharing, Knowledge skills and finally Reward (Thomas G cummings; Christopher G whorley, 2002). In our research we have used all the four variables which we have further sub divide into sub variables to measure this abstract into concept. Theoretical Framework Employees Involvement in relation with the Techno-structural Intervention Employees Involvement is independent variable and having sub variables are power, information sharing, knowledge and skills, while on the other hand techno-structural intervention is dependent variable. In our research we have studied the empirical relationship between the employees involvement and techno-structural intervention. Our scope of study is limited up to the textile industry of Pakistan in which we have selected the five readily available organizations. Power Information Sharing Knowledge and Skills Reward Employees Involvement Techno-structural Intervention Independent Variable Dependent Variable Figure-1: Employees Involvement in Relation with the Techno-structural interventions. In five organizations, we go through the study of 150 participants who are all the middle level managers. For data collection we further classified all these four variables into its indicators. Power is being defined as the decision making authority given by the employer to the employees up to their levels (D. Glew, et al 1995). The other indicators which we used in our research in order to find the indicators of power are management support and autonomy which gives the employees confidence and increase their participation in the intervention process (E. Lawler III 1986). The second indicator of the employees involvement is the information sharing which also encourage the employees to participate in the change process (SusanÂÂ  Schwochau, et al 2007). The information can be strategic information of the organization which deals with the organization vision, mission and objectives as well as the financial information which indicate the financial gains or loss by the organization, it also give raise to the trust between the employees and employers as well (David E. Morgan, Rachid Zeffane 2003). The third indicator of the employees involvement is the employees knowledge and skills which focuses on the Training and development of the employees regarding the interventions (D. Roche, et al 1984). Employees involvement can also be made affective by giving them assignment which are challenging and relevant to the change of the organization (K. Broosseau 1983), beside this overall technique of knowledge management and transfer of learning can be made appli cable to enhance the positive participation of the employees (R. Ruggles 1998). Finally, Reward systems of the organization also affect the intervention process in the organizations. While going for intervention, the organization have pay plans like skill based pay plans in which employees are being rewarded according to the skills they owned (V. Gibson 1995). Performance based pay plans and performance based incentive is also in voyage in modern management practices to encourage the employees to work for the change (Z Schiller 1996). After the successful intervention, Employees should be get participated in the profit which the organization actually make by the implementation of intervention, this will encourage other employees to be the part of the intervention in the future (J Belcher 1994). If the organization dont go for the direct financial benefits, than other measures like promotion can be a source of encouragement to the employees. In this way, we have developed all these variables to measure the employees involvement in the process of Techno-structural interventions. Power Decision making Authority Autonomy Management Support Information Sharing Strategic Information Financial Information Future Plans Procedures and Results Knowledge and Skills Training development Challenging Assignment Developing Skills Knowledge Management Reward Skill based plans Performance based plans Gain Sharing Promotion Employees Involvement Figure 2 Variables effecting the employees involvement Data Gathering For getting the data for our research, we developed several questionnaires in which we measure all these four variables that are power, information sharing, knowledge and skills. In questionnaire technique, all questionnaires consists of approximately 15-20 questions in which we have measured all these four variables to measure the employees involvement while techno-structural intervention has been measured by the indirect questions by asking about the work design, changing in technology and adoptability of the employees with the interventions. Analysis of Data Analysis of Data is being performed by the SPSS (statistical package for social sciences) and in which by using the regression model we analyze our findings. We used the regression analysis model for finding the empirical relationship between the employees involvement and the techno-structural interventions in the organization. This model indicates that there is positive relationship exists between the employees involvement and techno-structural interventions. If the employees involvement is greater than the employees will perform better and go for the success of the intervention, in case if the organization is not given the employees the right to involve in decision making and employees dont find enough autonomy than employees not only will resist the change but also the success ratio of the intervention will also reduced. In context with the regression analysis performs above this indicate that model is quite significant, as the value of significance is less than .05. The significance value is actually the p-value which in statistics predicts that how much reliable is your model to predict the independent variable. On the basis of the data we gather by using the likert scale, from the observation as well as from executives interviews, we well come to know that there exist a strong relationship between the employees involvement as well as in the success of the techno-structural interventions, we have also proved this by using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) where we use the regression analysis to find the correlation in between our variables. As the data is collected from the field so the externally it does not give the exact result which we expect from the study but it shows the positive relationship and model is quite significant, in spite of field study. Another reason which can also be one of the factor that it is not showing the optimum relation is the culture of Pakistan, in which most of the time employees hesitate to take the responsibility and very few go for the intervention process and want to take the responsibility another thing which we study during this empirica l study is the attitude of executives who dont want to share the information with the employees due to broken of secrecy problem they never ever trust in their employees either they are the bottom line managers or middle level managers, our study in this circumstances is just limited up to the executives and middle management as the low level managers and workers are not directly victim of the change process, they actually take the commands from the top and middle level management and act like that, in Pakistan it is more about the culture rather than the rules and regulations or policies of the company. Conclusion Recommendations Based on the data, and the calculations shown above, it has been proved that techno-structural intervention is greatly impacted by the employees involvement, if the employees found the chance to participate in the change process, than they better performed as compared to those who dont have a chance to give their views about the intervention process. So, it is better to get the participation of the employees which should be in positive manner this will enhance the confidence of the employees towards the intervention process and self responsibility of the employees will lead to the success of the intervention. In Textile Sector, as in case of Pakistan, Employees involvement can be increased by giving the employees proper participation as well as providing the opportunity to the employees so that they can get the responsibility by their own self. The all four variables which have been discussed here must be kept in mind in order to prepare the employees for the Techno-structural intervention. One of the major problems which we really face while getting the data about the employees involvement is the organization structure which is highly autocratic. At the top level, Management dont wanted from the employees side to listen any thing they just wanted to pass the orders rather than to make the decisions by the consensus of the employees. But on one way around though some employees are also enough satisfied with this culture of the organization but in real sense the employees creativity element will all shutter down, resultantly they unable to produce that thing which actually they can. Summin g up, our discussion as that as the competition is in the market is increasing, new and radical changes are being occurring in the organizations. Those organizations who get prepared their employees to accept the changes got success while other who unable to got accept the changes fail badly and one of the major reasons they have that their human resource dont accept the change made by the employer in some technical work or some structural design, resultantly it fails down.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The effect of tourism from films

The effect of tourism from films Introduction: The movie under analysis is referred to as the tourist, and it was produced in the year 2010. This is a romantic comedy thriller that depicts the life of a tourist, who is wrongly mistaken to be a notorious criminal, being sought after by the Scotland Yard detectives. However, after the movie progresses, the police are able to find out that he was the real criminal they were looking after. This film stars some of the best movie talents, and this includes Johnny Depp, and Angelina Jolie[1]. This movie was written and directed by Florian Von Donnersmarck. This film was produced and financed by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, and it was distributed by the Columbia Pictures Production. The initial budget for this film stood at 100, million dollars, however, it went on to cost approximately 278 million dollars, before its release. This paper is an analysis of the movie Tourism. It explains the various thematic connotations of the movie, and this is in regard to tourism. The movie To urism is one of the best movies that depict the challenges the factors that can promote tourism within a state or region. Background Information: In this movie, Angelina Jolie acts as Elise Clifton Ward, and she is being followed and monitored by the French police. This police force is working together with the Scotland Yard department, under the supervision and direction of Inspector John Acheson. Acheson has the responsibility of hunting Alexander Pearce, a tax fraudster, who managed to evade over 744 million pounds, in taxes, and he has altered his face, through plastic surgery. Alexander Pearce is aware of the plot, to use Elise Clifton to nail him, and he thus instructs her to pick any man in a train, who resembles him, so that they may mislead the police[2]. This is in a secret letter written to Elise, who later burns it. In the train, Elise Clifton manages to select Frank Tupelo, who is an American tourist. Tupelo is a mathematics teacher, who teaches in a community college, situated in Wisconsin. Elise Clifton manages to start a romance with Tupelo, just in a bid to fool the police that he is Alexander Pearce. Meanwhile, the police manage to get the ashes, and retrieve the information written in it. On the other hand, a police informer, who is not aware of the ruse, manages to inform Reginald Shaw on the location of Pearce, upon sitting Elisa, with a man in Venice. The man under consideration is John Acheson. Reginald Shaw is the person whom Pearce stole some 2.3 billion dollars. Elsie further invites Frank to accompany her in her suite, in the Hotel at Venice. Alexander Pearce manages to leave another instruction to Elise, so that she should attend a ball. Elsie runs away from Frank, who in turn is being chased by the men of Reginald Shaw. While trying to escape, Frank is arrested and detained by the police force of Italy, and this is for purposes of protecting him from the men of Shaw[3]. It is important to denote that Reginald Shaw was not aware of the burnt ruse, which Pearce commanded Elsie to look for a person whom she could use to fool the police. However, Frank is betrayed by a corrupt police officer, who is motivated by the money that Reginald Shaw is offering, and he betrays him. However, Elsie manages to rescue Frank, and she gives him money so that she may escape to America. The movie ends, when Elsie explains to Frank that she loves two men, Pearce and, and himself. However, it later appears that Alexander Pearce is the same person as Frank Tupelo. Analysis: Tourism and violence are the major themes depicted in this movie. Tourism is depicted when Frank Tupelo, who is actually Alexander Pearce manages to travel to Venice, as a tourist. One of the important infrastructures that can ensure the success of tourism in a particular region is the development of a good transportation system[4]. This includes a good road network, an efficient water transportation system, and good security. There is also a need of having good hotels that serves the delicacies of the locals, and also of the foreigners. While looking at the movie, it is important to denote that Venice has an efficient transportation system. For example, the city is connected with Paris, via an electronic train. This is an efficient mode of transportation, mainly because tourists are able to easily access the city. Some of the leading tourist destinations have an efficient transportation system. Cities such as Rome, Istanbul, Berlin, London, have an efficient transportation system which plays a role in transporting tourists in various destinations and locations around the city. The movie depicts a water transportation which is the major tourism attraction in the city[5]. Tourists are always attracted to natural scenes, such as the waterways, which are greatly depicted in the movie. The waterways are seen when the corrupt Italian detective is able to take Frank Tupelo to Reginald Shaw, the person whom Alexander Pearce was able to swindle the money[6]. Furthermore, there is a boat chase, involving the men of Reginald Shaw, and Elisa Clifton, who came to rescue Frank Tupelo. This is an important advertisement for the city of Venice. A country such as Egypt has managed to utilize its historic pyramids, and initiated measures aimed at attracting tourists at the site. This is through movies that depict the pyramids. Furthermore, the movie manages to depict the traditional boats used by the people of Venice, that is, the gondola. Elisa and Frank used the gondola to run away from the men of Reginald Shaw. Indigenous activities play a great role in attracting tourists to any given location or city. Through the use of the gondola, producers of this movie are able to depict a traditional method that the people of Venice are using for transportation. From this movie, we can also denote that Venice is a city that is car-free. This is because while Elisa and Frank were in Venice, they mostly relied on the waterways, as a form of transport[7]. This normally gives a new experience to tourists, wishing to visit and experience such natural sites. Furthermore, the hospitality industry of Venice is good. The movie depicts very c lassy hotels, such as Hotel Daniele, and Hotel Reginae. For tourism to prosper there is a need of a good and efficient hospitality industry that offers high quality services and products. The services offered at these hotels were of high quality, and good. Take for example the hotel where Elias and Frank Tupelo stayed. The hotel had good sceneries, the rooms were superb, and the customer service was good. This is an indication that the hospitality industry in Venice is of high quality, and good[8]. Without the existence of a good hospitality industry, then chances are high that the city under consideration would not manage to attract a high number of tourists. This is the reason the hospitality industry has developed the Michelin guide, whose aim and objective is to rate restaurants for purposes of ensuring that they provide high value services. The Michelin guide, normally rates restaurants and hotels, by giving them stars, the highest being three and the lowest is one. A hotel industry that achieves a three star rating is the best, and it attracts numerous customers. Tourists normally like to visit such kind of hotels, for purposes of experiencing their services, an d enjoying a stay in the region they visit. The producers of this movie are able to depict such kind of hotels, and restaurants. Security is also another important factor, that plays a role in determining whether a city is worth visiting or not. In this movie, there is a lot of violence, specifically directed, to the tourist, Frank Tupelo, and Elisa Clifton. However, the city itself is safe and secure, and this is seen through the numerous patrols by the police force, depicted in the streets of Venice. For example, we are able to see police officers moving to the rescue of Frank Tupelo, when he was being chased by the men of Reginald Shaw, at the Hotel Daniele[9]. The presence of a police patrols, is a sure sign that the state or region under consideration is secure. Security of a region or state is important for tourism, and this is because tourists are concerned with their security. They will never visit a region that is insecure, or is a threat to their security. This is the reason; the Egyptian tourism industry faced a dow nward spiral during the Arab spring. The country was viewed as insecure, and not fit for visiting. Conclusion: In as much as this movie is filled with violence, it promotes the tourism industry of the city of Venice. The first issue that we note in this movie is the transportation system of the city of Venice, which is connected to Paris, via a train, and it has waterways, which are serviced by the Godolo. The Godolo are traditional boats used by the people of Venice, to help them in navigating the waterways depicted in the city. This is a major tourist attraction, and this is because it offers a good experience to visitors, visiting the region. In fact, this is better depicted when many people are seen at the ports of the city, seeking to board the Godolo. The city has a good hospitality industry that can help in facilitating the manner which tourists can spend their time in the region. Through this money, we can denote that Venice is a good city, to visit. Bibliography: Barwick, John, and Jennifer Barwick. Tourism. Abbotsford, Vic.: Echidna, 2001. Top of Form Bottom of Form Dhaliwal, Nirpal Singh. Tourism. London: Vintage Books, 2006. Top of Form Bottom of Form The Tourist. Performed by Johhny Depp. Italy, 2010. DVD. Moore, Danielle P. United States Travel and Tourism Industry. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science Publisher's, 2011. Top of Form Bottom of Form Spilsbury, Richard. Tourism Industry. New York: Rosen Central, 2011. Top of Form Bottom of Form Walker, Robin, and Keith Harding. Tourism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. [1] Singh Nirpal Dhaliwal, Tourism, (London: Vintage Books, 2006), p. 11. [2] John Barwick and Jennifer Barwick, Tourism, (Abbotsford, Vic.: Echidna, 2001), p. 27. [3] Barwick and Barwick, 39 [4] The Tourist. Performed by Johhny Depp. Italy, 2010. DVD. [5] Danielle Moore,United States Travel and Tourism Industry, ( Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science Publisher's, 2011), p. 44. [6] Robin Walker and Keith Harding, Tourism, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 51. [7] The Tourist. Performed by Johhny Depp. Italy, 2010. DVD. [8] Moore, 22 [9] Richard Spilsbury, Tourism Industry, (New York: Rosen Central, 2011), p. 66.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay examples --

Addiction: Anabolic- Androgenic Steroids Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgenic steroids, are drugs that are related to the cyclic steroid ring system and have similar effects to testosterone in the body. They increase protein within cells, especially in skeletal muscles. They address the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics such as the growth of the vocal cords, testicles and body hair. Anabolic steroids were first made in the 1930s, and are now used therapeutically in medicine to stimulate bone growth and appetite, induce male puberty and treat chronic wasting conditions; such as cancer and AIDS. The American College of Sports Medicine acknowledges that AAS, in the presence of adequate diet, can contribute to increases in body weight, often as lean mass increases and that the gains in muscular strength achieved through high-intensity exercise and proper diet can be additionally increased by the use of AAS in some individuals. Health risks can be produced by long-term use or excessive doses of anabolic steroids. These effects include harmful changes in cholesterol levels, acne, high blood pressure, liver damage, and dangerous changes in the structure of the left ventricle of the heart. Conditions pertaining to hormonal imbalances such as gynecomastia and testicular atrophy may also be caused by anabolic steroids. Ergogenic uses for anabolic steroids in sports, racing, and bodybuilding as performance-enhancing drugs are controversial because of their hostile effects and the potential to gain unfair advantage is considered cheating. Their use is referred to as doping and banned by all major sporting bodies. Mechanism of action The pharmacodynamics of anabolic steroids are unlike peptid... ...ses the production of red blood cells. Through a number of mechanisms anabolic steroids stimulate the formation of muscle cells and hence cause an increase in the size of skeletal muscles, leading to increased strength. The androgenic effects of AAS are numerous. Depending on the length of use, the side effects of the steroid can be irreversible. Processes affected include pubertal growth, sebaceous gland oil production, and sexuality. Some examples of effects are growth of the clitoris in females and the penis in male children, increased vocal cord size, increased libido, suppression of natural sex hormones, and impaired production of sperm. Effects on women include deepening of the voice, facial hair growth, and possibly a decrease in breast size. Men may develop an enlargement of breast tissue, known as gynecomastia, testicular atrophy, and a reduced sperm count.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Deformity in Richard III :: Richard II Richard III Essays

Richard III and Deformity Some scholars insist that Richard was neither crippled nor humpbacked, and they are passionately dedicated to proving that Shakespeare's portrait of the inhuman monster is based on Tudor propaganda used to bolster Henry VII's weak claim to the throne The only "proof" we have of Richard III's deformity is that which is provided by Sir Thomas More in "The History of King Richard the Third". It is here that modern readers digest the adjectives which forever plague Richard "Little of stature, ill-featured of limbs, crooked-backed, his left shoulder much higher than his right". This description may seem horrible, but it is only compounded when it is placed next to the deformity of his character. Regardless of whether Richard was truly the demon he was portrayed to be, the role of Richard III as established by William Shakespeare is one of the more challenging roles for the Shakespearean actor. Because this week's annotations were to be focused on the actor's perspective of Shakespeare, I chose to focus my posting on the same topic. First of all, Richard III is on stage longer than any other Bard character. Usually, the time on stage is not a bed of roses either. The actor must limp, wear a hump, or at least hunch over for the duration of the play. This may doom an actor to chiropractic sessions for the rest of their life! Certain actors have defined the role of Richard. Antony Sher researched the affects of scoliosis on the body, and any other back deformity he could. When it was time for him to begin acting the role and he saw the make-up crews version of his hump he stated, "With my heart in my mouth, I hurry over to see my back. It's much softer than I imagined, lying on the floor like a big pink blancmange, a slice of blubber, a side of Elephant Man.

Jane Eyre :: Literature Religion Papers

Jane Eyre    St. John Rivers makes some very intriguing choices in Jane Eyre. He is constantly faced with difficult decisions to make. Whether it be refusing his true love or moving to India to give his life serving others, there is always an interesting twist where St. John is concerned. His importance in the novel may be evident to readers, but they may not always understand his decisions and his actions. The choices he makes are exemplary of a man who has given his life to serve God and His people. St. John, at his introduction in the novel, is a clergyman with plans to become a missionary someday soon. This is not surprising for clergymen, according to Andrew F. Walls, author of The Missionary Movement in Christian History, since "a missionary was essentially a preacher, and a preacher should normally be a minister" (161). At this time, it was considered normal for a clergyman to become a missionary. But a missionary did have to be more than a clergyman. He also must have "common sense" and "competence," Walls says. St. John has all of these qualities and more, making him perfect for a life of sacrifice. St. John Rivers is introduced into the novel as a savior. He takes Jane into his home and under his care when she believes to have reached the end of her road. It is here, at Moor House with St. John, that she is given a new beginning with a new identity, job, and, eventually, a family with St. John and his sisters. As a clergyman, St. John is a good, moral person whose intentions are to provide for his people and his family. He also eventually wants to become a missionary someday soon. Jane likes the idea of this and it is evident to readers that Jane admires St. John and loves him like the brother he has become to her. He even gives her a job as a teacher at a school for less fortunate children. It is here that she is introduced to Rosamond Oliver and her father. After meeting Rosamond Oliver through her teaching position and hearing her talk about St. John with admiration, Jane concludes that they are meant to be for each other. She goes to St. John with her allegations and he admits his love for her to Jane: [. . .] I

Saturday, August 17, 2019

What Is Demarketing

What is de-marketing? De-marketing is a process to make a product less attractive (so that the demand of the product will reduce). The company will take measures to decrease the demand of customers on a product. A good example of de-marketing is cigarettes. Companies put phrases as ‘’smoking kills’’ on the boxes of their cigarettes, to make people aware of the hazards of smoking. They hope this measure will reduce the amount of smokers in the world. This is a great example for de-marketing. I found the following article on the internet: Hungary institutes hamburger-tax. Link of article: http://www. ibtimes. com/hungary-institutes-hamburger-tax-293105) The article is about the fact that Hungary institutes a tax on unhealthy food. They will raise the taxes on food that deems unhealthy, such as hamburgers, energy drinks, salted nuts, crisps and other ‘’junk food’’. I think this is an example of de-marketing, because they try to make unhealthy food less attractive (with raising the taxes on it), in the hope people will buy it less and consume more healthy food. Another example of de-marketing is on the following product: Magnum Ice creams. ’ Een beroemde â€Å"De-marketing† case: Magnum ijsjes! In het eerste jaar dat de magnum ijsjes op de markt kwamen kon men niet of nauwelijks aan de vraag voldoen. Men kon de prijs verhogen, maar men koos voor het minder aantrekkelijk maken van het product. Zo werden de mooi ontworpen verpakking vervangen door gewoon een simpele zilverkleurige folie. Het product zag er gewoon wat minder aantrekkelijk uit. Daarnaast werd er juist een grote marketing campagne gestart om de vraag naar Cornetto's te verhogen.Hiermee zou de vraag naar Magnums ook iets dalen. I will summarize this article: In the first years that Magnum (the ice cream brand) was active, the demand to their product was so high, that the company could not satisfy the demand of their customers. To reduce the demand for Magnum ice creams, they put the ice creams in simple gray wrapping paper to make the packing less attractive. Anothe r measure they took, was to introduce the ‘’Cornetto’’ (another product of the company). This would reduce the demand of magnums slightly.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Country lovers Essay

copy and paste method Screen-reader users, click here to turn off Google Instant. About 2,640,000 results (0. 56 seconds) Search Results country lovers Web definitions The Country Lovers is a 1911 short silent comedy film directed by Mack Sennett and starring Blanche Sweet. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Country_Lovers Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer, an Analysis – lee custodio leecustodio. hubpages. com †º Books, Literature, and Writing? Mar 5, 2012 – Country Lovers (1975) is a story of forbidden love between a black woman—Thebedi and Paulus, the son of her white masters. It was a story of †¦ Country Lovers – College Essays – StudyMode. com www. studymode. com †º Home †º Literature? †¦ above being a line of strung together sentences and give the story meaning. †¦ Recently I have had the pleasure of reading the short story â€Å"Country Lovers†, †¦ Country Lovers Meaning Free Essays 1 – 20 – StudyMode. com www. studymode. com/subjects/country-lovers-meaning-page1. html? 20+ items – Free Essays on Country Lovers Meaning for students. Use our †¦ Country Lovers 737 Words 3 Pages. Country Lovers 980 Words 4 Pages. Response to Country Lovers – Research Paper – Hamdez8 www. studymode. com †º Home †º Linguistics & Human Languages? The first thing that captured my interest about the story â€Å"Country Lovers†, by Nadine †¦ Literature exists only when it is read; meaning is an event (versus the New †¦ Reading Reflection on the short story by Nadine Gordimer, â€Å"Country †¦ www. scribd. com/†¦ /Reading-Reflection-on-the-short-story-by-Nadine-G†¦? Jun 29, 2013 – Finally, I had to evaluate the meaning of the selected literary work, which in this case is â€Å"Country Lovers†, by Nadine Gordimer, once again †¦ Country Lovers flashcards | Quizlet quizlet. com/5228536/country-lovers-flash-cards/? Vocabulary words for Quotes and Meanings. Includes studying games and tools such as flashcards. Country Lovers – Essays – Justew53 – PaperCamp. com www. papercamp. com †º Literature? Jun 18, 2012 – In Nadine Gordimers story, Country Lovers she uses many different methods to describe the meaning behind this story;; An Analysis Of Country †¦ Free Country Lovers Vs The Welcome Table Essays 1 – 30 Anti Essays www. antiessays. com/topics/country-lovers-vs-the-welcome-table/0? Get access to Country Lovers Vs The Welcome Table Essays only from Anti †¦ The Welcome Table: discover different human experiences and the meanings. Essay | Analysis of â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer †¦ www. bookrags. com/essay-2003/3/6/115012/5149/? Mar 6, 2003 – Essays from BookRags provide great ideas for essays and paper topics like Analysis of â€Å"Country Lovers† by Nadine Gordimer. View this student †¦ Patriotism – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster †¦ www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/patriotism? pa ·tri ·ot ·ism. noun ? pa-tre-? -? ti-z? m, chiefly British ? pa-. : love that people feel for their country. Full Definition of PATRIOTISM. : love for or devotion to one’s †¦

Thursday, August 15, 2019

How basketball taught me hard work and discipline Essay

Self-Presentation General purpose: how basketball taught me hard work and discipline Specific purpose: hard work can help achieve anything Thesis statement through basketball I learned how to work hard and discipline myself to achieve my goals in life My passion for the basketball started when I was in my second year of high school, basketball not only helped me grow but also taught me a lot of things that I use in my everyday life. My passion for the game began during my last year of middle school, but despite trying out for the middle school team I was not chosen to be a part of it. Although this was of great disappointment to me, it did not deter me from my love of the game. It made me more driven and determined to work hard during the summer prior to entering high school to ensure that I was in a position to try-out for the high school freshman team. I practiced morning, noon and night in 90 degree heat, perfecting my shot and working out to improve my skills. This hard work paid off, when I was chosen to be a part of the freshman team and I have continued to work hard during my high school years to be an asset to the varsity team. I feel sure that this experience of being a part of the high school basketball team has helped me become successful in my academic life. Being part of a team has instilled in me the responsibilities and work ethic that carries over into other aspects of my life and I feel sure that this will be extremely valuable in my future endeavors at the University. And really more precisely on hard work, there is a saying that â€Å"hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.† I believe this because to me it means that no matter how good you are if you don’t work hard, your talent is nothing. If Michael Jordan had not believed in working hard then he would not have been anywhere near as good as he is today. You do not only need to work hard in sports in the classroom, and life in general. Working hard in the classroom will give you many advantages later in life. That way you can get into a good college, and get a good job later in life. In all this experience, the greatest thing I learn is that hard work pays off, Although the above experience and accomplishment of being chosen to be a part of a team has contributed and shaped the person I am today.