Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effective Evaluation Methods Useful for Evaluating Effective Training Essay

For over a hundred years the concept of both cost-benefit evaluation and cost-effective evaluation methods has been used for numerous fields and industries to see the positive and negative sides of undertaking a project. These methods has been used to analyze public health; transportation; and etc. Each and every company would rather see more of profits than losses. Employers see that their employees and the trainings are investments to their business. Hence, employers need to have assurances that the trainings that they give out to their employees would be both beneficial to the employers in terms of profit and as well as return of investment (ROI). In order to gain much profit, the employers need to have their employees be up to par with industry standards with avant-garde skills through effective training. Employers do take note that in order to have highly qualified employees they need to give effective and quality training. Using the above mentioned evaluation methods would let the employers know: how much it would cost them to train their employees; the duration of the training – would determine the effectiveness and implementation of the skills. Then again these methodologies are not full-proof as there are numerous factors to be taken note of, to guarantee one hundred percent success rate of these trainings such as: the capabilities of their employees, the willingness of their employees to learn these trainings; and finally applying them during operation. The use of these evaluation methods can be a rough guide to corporations and institutions, to name a few, to see the quality and assess projected costs of trainings and steps to be taken. With such projections yielded by these methods one may be on track with their project management and asset management.

Best Target Market at Behavioral Segmentation

Red Bull has identified the best target market for its product at behavioral segmentation. Red Bull was set up by Mr. Dietrich Mateschitz and Mr. Chalerm Yoovidhya in Austria since 1984. It took another three years to adapt the blue-collar drink to appeal to a completely different market – initially, skiers and mountain snowboarders. Red Bull is non-alcoholic energy drink which adding only carbon dioxide, while retaining the original Thai ingredients of B-vitamins, caffeine, sugar, and the amino acid taurine to let it more refreshing in the beginning. Mr. Mateschitz found that their customers also included all-night disco dancers, cosmopolitans college students cramming for exams, and energy-burning sports enthusiasts across Europe and North America who cult Red Bull as contain a promise of improved their performance especially during the times of increased stress or strain. Thus, Red Bull is not just an energy drink it is primarily a utility drink to be taken against mental or physical weariness or exhaustion. That means use Red Bull to help in increase endurance and heighten alertness as well as reactions and generally spoken the use of Red Bull helps to cope with the challenges of every day life, which includes sports, work and leisure. I agreed that Red Bull has identified the best target market for its product at behavioral segmentation, especially in workers, athletes and Clubber. 1/ Worker Red Bull was popular with Thai truck drivers, rice farmers and work hard such as a manager or street worker to keep them awake while working long hours. Red Bull is non-alcoholic energy drink which concocting a caffeine-rich energy drink for them to get pushed up and would rather than a coffee. 2/ Athletes Red Bull supports over 240 athletes worldwide mainly in a diverse range of extreme sports, including kite boarding, windsurfing, motocross, freeskiirig, triathlon, mountain biking, hand gliding, cliff diving, beach volleyball, inline skating and paragliding as part of its promotion efforts. The athletes would find that Red Bull is usually a person who takes his sport very serious, what means he wants to get the best out of his body. Therefore Red Bull is part of his diet and sport life for him; it is a very good and easy way to import his endurance or speed. 3/ Clubber The typical Red Bull drinker is dynamic and active; the gender does not play any role at all. But it is more likely that more younger who like to go out fall for Red Bull. Research (PHT, 11/97 Smith Kline Beecham Energy & Sports Drinks Report) has shown that 53% of the people who drink energy/ sports drinks are within the age between 14-34 years. Moreover they found out that the main reason for purchasing energy/sports drinks were to quench thirst (37%) and give boost. Red Bull might target the other market segments at Generation Y types and Clubber in China. In the recent years, people willing to have a new taste in the good energy drinks that the Red Bull might target the other market segments which Mateschitz also concedes that the first generation of drinkers he wooed is now aging and Red Bull need to get a new generation of 16-year-olds on board every year. In market segments, Red Bull might target at Generation Y types and younger to develop the wide market especially for younger people and in China market, especially in Clubber, for the group of people in different events or activities to get fresh and energy to present the good performance. 1/ Generation Y Types and younger In recent survey of British marketers which dubbed Red Bull’s effort as a â€Å"non-marketed brand† phenomenon during 1990s. Red Bull used â€Å"street teams† to spread the word to important, trend setting Generation Y types. It carefully won over these hips influential set off a grass roots marketing wave. It also deploys â€Å"mobile energy teams† to hand out free samples at places where people might need an energy boost such as in gyms, office buildings and construction sites. It would get a new generation of 16-year-olds on board continuous every year by TV commercials demonstrate Red Bull’s stimulating effect on body and mind in a spirited, fresh, ironic and witty way to win the image and brand name in the worldwide market. / Market in China, especially at Clubber Red Bull should have a good chance to get the market in China, especially promote Red Bull and develop its image in Clubber as Stealth marketing strategy to win the a large marketing share percentage in China and good and health image in the market; younger people, dancer, and workers and office manger would like to have this energy drinks. Who is Red Bull’s competitor? Red Bull is a non-alcoholic energy drink and there fore falls under the category of soft drinks. Thus, Coca-cola, Pepsi Cola and Anheuser Blusch were the competitors to Red Bull. These are big company and developed for several years of their soft drinks in different seasons or events.. Soft drinks can be divided into sub-segments and one of these segments is energy and sports drinks. These can be divided again into 3 different catagories; glucose energy drink; sport drinks and high energy stimulation drinks which also the direct competitors to Red Bull. Energy Drinks have become very famous in the last decade. During the last ten years, there were established hundreds of them around the world, such as Gatorade, PowerAde by Coca-Cola and All Sports by Pepsi Cola. All of them are marketed as energy spending and as very suitable mixer with alcohol. Although, the above are prepared to penetrate the market very soon, it is not easy to compare the image and brand name of Red Bull in the market, especially in Sport.

Ikea Strategic in Action Essay

Part strategic position and strategic choice which mention above are underlining company environment, capability, and its strategy. Strategy in action will consider on how strategy act in organisation (Johnson et al., 2011a).This part of report will evaluate them considering their suitability. Evaluation IKEA strategies regards Suitability Suitability refers to the strategy is used to evaluate whether the strategies address the key ‘opportunities’ and ‘constraints’ underlined by the organisation’s strategic position (Johnson et al., 2008). This criterion can be examined by checking the strategic options against the environment, capabilities and the stakeholder expectations. Therefore, the analysing of PESTEL, Five Forces and strategic capabilities of IKEA in section above will be helpful for evaluating and understanding suitability. It appears that suitability is used to evaluate whether overall rationale of strategy is suitable in terms of environment and capabilities and stakeholder expectations or not. Therefore, this part of report not only evaluates IKEA strategies and capabilities regard in suitability but its successes and difficulties will be analysed. Firstly, from PESTEL analysis, IKEA takes advantage from ‘hybrid’ and ‘cost leadership’ strategy to response to its environment. IKEA’s products are cheap and differentiate; these are good opportunities to survive in economic recession. Additionally, IKEA’s core customers (middle class with moderate disposable income) are affordable to buy products even if in economic recession. Moreover, IKEA capabilities are strong global brand and low cost products with flat packaging which is its core resource and competence. Combining its capabilities and its strategies will benefit IKEA to achieve in environment changed and competitive circumstance. However, the difficulty is about import issue. All IKEA normally sources products from the same places in order to keep it standard. However, in some countries the import taxes are very high. For example in China, the import taxes on products from Poland to China are up to 22% (Burt el al., 2011). However, to stand its low price strategy and survive in China market, IKEA overcome this difficulty by sourcing goods from local country to reduce cost of taxation (Burt el al., 2011). In overall, it can be seen that in these circumstances and environmental change, the strategies IKEA has been used is a good opportunities to overcome those threats and suitable in its environment. Secondly, from Five Forces analysis, IKEA strategies and its capabilities can go along with external environment very well. It is normal that buyers are looking for cheap products but high quality. IKEA strategies are support customer needs. Furthermore, IKEA unique resources such as strong brand combining with its ‘hybrid’ strategy will maintain existing customers and gain more new buyers. In a term of power of supplier, IKEA’s strategies are suitable to supplier expectations. To generate low cost products, IKEA has to reduce cost of sale per unit by purchasing a large volume of material s from supplier. As well as suppliers, they also want to sell their products as much as possible. Moreover, considering in threat of new entry, IKEA strategies and capabilities are difficult for new entrants to compete. These are the reasons why IKEA takes opportunity from its strategies and capabilities among these threats. In addition, in the rivalry situation, it can be assumed that whether other companies offer low cost products but its quality, design, and brand image may not be the same as IKEA. IKEA considers in quality as well as the price. However, in high competitive markets, IKEA may face difficulties. For example in China which local products are normally cheap, IKEA low price strategy may not attract to this market. Giving a suggestion, in order to offer only low cost products, IKEA should build brand image as a high quality brand and offer Swedish-designed product which differentiate in Chinese customer perception. In overall, it appears that IKEA capabilities and its strategies are suitable to compete in the rivalry situation. IKEA generates its strengths and overcome the weaknesses in a suitable way. Thirdly, evaluation of suitability of IKEA strategies and capabilities according to Ansoff analysis of 4 possible development directions will be examined. The suitability will be evaluated whether these options will match to future scenario. The future scenario which matches in a term of economical environment is predicted that the world economy will maintain very weak in 2013 and slightly decrease between 2014 and 2016 (The Guardian, 2012). Apart from evaluation the suitability of IKEA strategies and capability, the suitability will be used to assessment whether IKEA strategic options meet the stakeholder expectations (Johnson et al., 2008). Table 5 Evaluation of suitability – Direction of growth In overall, IKEA strategies and capabilities are suitable in the environment and meet the expectation of stakeholders. Market penetration may be the most appropriate direction that IKEA should carry on at the present time to the future scenario predicted. There is no major investment needed. The IKEA current strategies and its capabilities is now effective under this circumstance. However, there is a difficulty in IKEA’s strategies. IKEA is a global company which generates same strategies almost every market called one-size-fit-all approach (Stern, 2012). Although, one-size-fit-all approach will benefit IKEA to control it global strategies easily, the difficulty will occur. The problem is every market is all difference. The one-size-fits-all approach on all IKEA staff and customers is good to share the same value but for all market is not suitable. The different markets have different circumstance. For example, according to Anders Dahlvig cited in Stern (2012), the differences between countries were great in China and Sweden. China is different territory. Chinese labour policies are poor for IKEA co-worker vision. Chinese workforce depends on the authority of the boss which is difficult to adapt to the more free and easy way of the new employer (Stern, 2012). Moreover, in the future, if IKEA wants to expand their market and make the differentiation, the policy and restriction in some countries may be serious such as in Islamic countries, and the differentiation needs lots of investment and knowledge. IKEA should consider how to stay the low price while a lot of investment is needed.

Event Management (Event strategy plan) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Event Management (Event strategy plan) - Essay Example People were not happy. This caused severe unrest and people began to revolt. All over the Arab world, including Syria. This revolution has done more damage than good, causing a lot of pain and suffering on the women and children of the country. (Jamoul 2012) This section of society hasn’t even had that much of a role in the uprising. But they have been tortured, abused physically, mentally and sexually, till all hope has been lost. Over 500 children have been killed in a year of the uprising. (United Press International 2012). Women and even young girls have been raped and killed, at the hands of authority – like policemen. (Women under siege Syria 2012) The rest are all miserable and scared, and it is time to do something for them. In an effort to make the lives of the victims of the uprising – especially the women and children, we shall organise a fundraiser on an international scale. An event that will show people just how much the uprising has affected this s ection of society and how badly they are affected. (Peralta 2012) The event will not only be a call for attention but also a cry for action to the privileged so that they can do something for those that have suffered. ... It will have different elements to it such as an auction by international celebrities of their favourite items, followed by live performances. There will be dances, songs, stand up and so on. But the focus of the night will be on the woman and children of Syria who have had to suffer so much. The night will not just be one of fun. It will be emotional. A rollercoaster of a night that will allow people to enjoy their surroundings and a jarring reminder that they have it easy, by showing them what the women and children are going through. We will show them videos and let them see what is happening. These people will be constantly reminded of the sad plight of thousands of innocent women and children who are suffering at the hands of authority. Strategic Aim The whole point of this event is to create awareness among the people of the world, of the plight of the women and children of Syria. That done, we feel it is our duty to aid them in any way we can. They have suffered enough at the hands of authority, and they need to be rescued. By this event, our objectives are threefold. One, to create an international awareness about the plight of the women and children in Syria. Two, to generate funds to aid these victims. And three, to set up trusts that will ensure that the victims are taken care of. All donations will be anonymous. The framework of objectives would need to be broad enough to include the large variety of event genres, but still be lean enough to work with. (Damm 2011). Research Management Events such as these happen all the time. Celebrities and the ‘big shots’ get together to support a cause, have a good time and donate what they wish to a charity of sorts.

The Role of Sound and Music in Modern Cinema Essay

The Role of Sound and Music in Modern Cinema - Essay Example This paper discrubes the most important effect the advent of sound had on screenplays was that screenwriters were now able to use dialogue and give their characters a voice. To make a conclusion a distinction can only be made regarding a director's specific stylistic and aesthetic choices within the respective crafts. And as the development of sound over the decades has shown, the advent of new technologies, film theory and criticism, audiences and genre expectations, studio interests, marketing issues, casting, social movements, trends and fashions can all influence a director's reasoning behind the individual design of a soundtrack. By exploring the historical development of sound in the movies, from a pianist visualising galloping horses to its first appearance in The Jazz Singer in 1927, to the masterfully executed dance scene in Godard's Band a parte, to Tarantino's post-modern usage of popular song, it is clear that sound has developed into the equal partner of cinematography as the director's main storytelling tool. Pioneered over the decades by such versatile directors like Renoir, Godard, Hitchcock, Leone and Coppola, sound design and score have given characters a voice, locations an atmosphere, the narrative an unifying force and resulted in audiences not only being able to enjoy spell-bounding visuals, but also to appreciate a film with all its emotional, subconscious, realistic or surrealistic audio-aesthetic facets. To conclude, sound design and score can't be read as unrelated entities in a films' soundtrack. Throughout the history of cinema, filmmakers have discovered that sound design and film music are equally effective story telling tools.... The following examples show how sound has been used as a versatile and powerful storytelling tools in the movies. Sound can: set up the mood for a film: The opening scene of Le Mepris where shots of Brigitte Bardot's naked body are accompanied by a melancholic score that indicates that tragedy is looming. reflect a film's theme: The 'duelling banjo' scene in Deliverance, where a hillbilly boy outplays a city-slicker, supports the film's theme of socio-cultural differences between rural and urban America. be used as an editing tool to create rhythm: The sex scene in Delicatessen where all activities in an apartment building rhythmically adapt to the sound of coil springs under a couple's bed. create suspense: The aggressive string motif in Jaws indicates a shark attack is imminent. reflect a character: The light-hearted flute melody that introduces free-spirit Nobody at the beginning of My Name Is Nobody. place a film in a specific cultural and historical setting: Ska, Northern Soul a nd 1980's pop songs make up the soundtrack of This Is England (2006) that is set in the English Skinhead scene of 1983. It has to be noted that aforementioned films are examples of how sound design and film music (meaning both a score that is specifically composed for a film as well as published music) are used as a storytelling tool. Indeed, it is hard to identify just one film that doesn't use sound design and music on its soundtrack. Hence, my argument in the following essay will be that sound design and film music don't exist separately but make up a movie's aural landscape together, as they are both powerful audio storytelling tools in their own right. Furthermore, I will analyse the motivations behind individual directors' different approaches towards

Descriptive essay of favorite room Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Descriptive of favorite room - Essay Example My eyes are bleary from focusing on the bright computer screen, and my mind numb from all the battering it has taken in creating a segment of the computer program I am working on. I need to break for a while. My eyes lift up from the computer screen, and I see the door through which I come and go. There is the desire to walk through it. I turn my eyes away from it, only to confront the information board with its intimidating schedules and deadlines, and the calendar as a reminder of the passage of time. I swivel on my chair and my eyes fall on a large picture on the right. A waterfall gushes over, creating a mist over the green canopy of trees on either side of it. I feel the roar in my ears, sense the mist on my body, and my eyes feast on the soothing green of the trees. My benumbed mind awakens and I feel a sense of revival. I swivel further to the shelf and see the disarranged books and compact discs, but my eyes do not focus on them. They search in between this disarray of books and compact discs till they fall on the baseball bat and fielding gloves sticking out. I have only eyes for them. My mind races back to my school days and the gay abandon of that age. I can see myself, baseball bat in hand waiting for the next ball to be delivered. The howls and hoots echo in my ear, as I miss and I am out, but who cares. The joy of just being part of the game is the thrill. A host of faces of my boyhood friends parade in front of me. Those days have gone and will never come back, except in the mind’s eye to refresh me from time to time. I swivel again to the right and my eyes hit another picture. This time it is a picture of a lazy river winding itself among a splash of green and yellow – a field of daffodils. The poem my English teacher made me learn races through my mind and the words gently fall out of my lips, as I picture myself on stage, reciting it. â€Å"I WANDER’D lonely as a

Fashion marketing - target customer- stravarious brand research Essay

Fashion marketing - target customer- stravarious brand research - Essay Example The essay "Fashion marketing - target customer- stravarious brand research" discovers the marketing of Stradivarius brand. With this concern, the essay intends to research the current retail environment as well as market competition prevailing in the UK business and also the campaign surrounding the launch of Stradivarius. Apart from this, an evaluation of the scale of the launch of the brand, assessment of how the brand will attract the existing along with new customers of Inditex and ideas about generating greater awareness about the brand, will also be highlighted in the essay. Thus, based on this research, a pre-framed questionnaire will be compiled, which will help in building a complete picture of the customers and their expectations in the market sector of retailing. It is quite essential to evaluate the current retail environment prevailing in the business markets of the UK, as Inditex is planning to launch its another globally renowned brand Stradivarius in this region. Acco rding to the report published by Crown (n.d.), it can be apparently observed that the current retail environment prevailing in the UK largely contributes in developing the economy of the nation through employing huge figure of skilled workforce and generating approximately  £17.5 billion taxes among others. The report also highlighted the fact that the retail sector of the UK is viewed to be a foremost leader in the arena of innovation. The international retail brands operating in the business markets of the UK.

The challenges of realising benefits from ISIT Essay

The challenges of realising benefits from ISIT - Essay Example It also provides information about the challenges businesses face to implement and operate information systems. Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) are integrated into every area of organisations' business. A closer look at how IT and IS shape up internal and external environments in which businesses operate, is provided below: With the advent of internet, the traditional business environment has shifted to the e-world. With business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumers (B2C), internet and e-commerce provides a market place free from geographical boundaries, where companies can buy and sell from virtually anywhere around the globe. This provides an opportunity to organistions to extend their reach and enhance their businesses. Internet and e-commerce is a direct benefit of technology adoption for business use. As stated above, the entire world has become a single marketplace. To succeed in this market, companies merge and acquire other companies, enter into long term strategic alliances and partnerships with companies half way across the world, and develop business ecosystems that benefit both organisations. These moves require consistent and continuous communication, swift and speedy responses and strategy formulation capabilities, and face to face meetings between parties thousands of miles apart. This would not have been possible had it not for information technology. IT provides the necessary infrastructure to conduct video and teleconferencing, message transfers and 24x7 connectivity through satellite, telephones and internet. Faster Business Cycles Due to the advancement in technology, the business cycles for products and services have become faster. Companies can not wait for a long time to develop a product as competitors will almost always surpass. Information technology has provided the necessary speed, accuracy, and reliability to significantly reduce cycle times while enhancing the quality, comprehensiveness and timeliness of the product and/ or service. Enterprise Resource Planning The introduction of information systems having a large scope comprising of the entire organistion, has marked the beginning of enterprise resource planning systems or ERPs. An ERP is a software system that attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company on a single computer system that can serve all those departments' particular needs (Koch, 2006). Accountability and Transparency Converting business operations on information systems allow the organisations ability to minimise risks of frauds, unauthorised access to sensitive data and information, and enhances internal control environment for the organisation. Knowledge Management Using the power of information technology, organisations can develop knowledge bases in form of intranet and electronic portals. This can be used as a central location to hold all the required policies, procedures, guidelines and other information necessary for workers to carry out their job responsibilities. In addition, it provides a platform that allows communication among all employees who can share views, obtain expert advice, and give feedback on the

Constructivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Constructivism - Essay Example They all talk of identities and interests in world politics. They believe that for some levels of predictability and orders to be in place in the international politics and domestic society, and then identities must be present. The state must have some intersubjective identities that are sufficiently stable so as to bring some patterns of behavior that are more predictable. They believe that the absence of identity in the world can trigger chaos, pervasive and irremediable uncertainty and the world can be more dangerous compared to anarchy. The importance of the identity is that it implies the state’s preference and consequent actions. They believe that the state’s understanding of others can improve according to the identities it attributes to them. Also when the state produces its own identity through the daily social practice. Ted Hopf contrary to the other authors who believe that the change in the world politics is so easy. He appreciates the power of structures an d believes that actors through ordinary practice are able to produce their own constraints. This in turn strengthens the world politics. He also admit that there can be some rooms for dynamism, though minimal. Therefore by viewing the relationship between the social grounds and agency, he admits that social change is both possible and difficult. These differences are existing due to the differences in their view of the social relationship between the agency and social change. The two factors play a major fundamental role.

Higher education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Higher education - Essay Example I agree that too many people are participating in colleges. There are several opportunities apart from going to college, and they are all viable. There are so many people going to college, and the most interesting thing is that there is a high rate of drop out compared to those graduating. The graduation rate is low as described by Murray in his article. It is evidential that there are six months certificates, which are flexible as compared to four years, stay in college. In addition, most of the students spend up to six years in college; they could have invested the time in more viable ventures. Not all people that go to the college become successful. At the same time, too many people are joining the colleges leading the current education system into shamble (Murray 225). According to statistics, from the financial institutions, the competence of the financial students is wanting. Most of the people have tried to be fit and conform to the social norms of the society. No one is bound to fit into the social norm of the society, in fact, they must use creative and critical thinking does decide if to join the college or to become an electrician. The fact that too many people are going to college does not affect or influence an individual’s decision of joining the college. Joining the college must not me a communal decision but a personal decision (Murray 230). It is important to note that, not everyone who can make it through to college. Most of the skills must be learned in the alimentary and middle school. Murray describes the education system as a failing strategy. Most of the people in the society believe that everyone in the society must have a bachelor’s degree to be considered in the job market. People must do what they are good at and not what the society tells them to do. Money is not the reason for joining the college but getting a

Where You Go To Achieve Your Fitness Desires Essay Example for Free

Where You Go To Achieve Your Fitness Desires Essay Situated, and being the sole tenant at the top-most floor of a 40-story building, Feat to Fit enjoys the freedom of its location. It is around a thousand square meter facility with various fitness machines in various corners of the facility. The wall is made of glass panels where men and women doing their fitness activities, unassisted or not, have the freedom to look at the clear view of the city laid out before them at the foot of the building or somewhere far so long their eye sight can reach the view. The center itself is situated in the middle of the building as there is a terrace portion on all four corners of the building. Anyone can enjoy the fee sunlight after their shower or pass a few minutes drinking iced-tea or some refreshments right after they have burned out some calories. There are adjustable gazebos (it can be closed or opened as umbrellas). There is a little bar inside offering drinks to the always thirsty Feat to Fit clients. There are 12 shower rooms, 3 each in every corner of the facility. At the entrance, there is the lobby, where drinking and reading and watching the fitness center’s wide LCD screen (approximately 60 inches wide) that’s always tuned in a sports channel. That’s where the reception lady and/or guy always busy herself or himself with the customers or some administrative tasks. From the ground floor, the Feat to Fit center can be accessed through 2 possible options of taking elevator, one arriving at the side (minor) entrance of the center and another stopping right in front of the main entrance where the reception is. At the south of the entrance (across it), there is the stairway, another option to use in order to reach or leave the center. There is a fire exit near this stair. Below, the property is mixed residential-commercial. I wonder why this was possible but it was already this mix when Feat to Fit opened in this location. It was blessing in disguise though as there are a lot of both residential tenants and office employees using the center now.

Art Of The Late Ninegteenth Century Essay Example for Free

Art Of The Late Ninegteenth Century Essay Speaking about the late nineteenth century art, it is necessary to say that the transition from one century to another is always marked by the feeling of disillusionment as far as conventional themes and methods are concerned. There is an emptiness which prompts artists to search new forms, new means of expression. It is not always easy, however, which leads them to aspiration to escape from the usual reality to exotic countries and ways of life. The cultural phenomenon of fin de ciecle (end of the century) naturally manifested itself in visual arts and lead to emergence of impressionism and post-impressionism. Partially, impressionism appearance was caused by the fastening of life tempo and industrial revolution. As a result, impressionists aimed to depict the ever-changing reality; they wanted to catch the moment of the life flow, which is never the same. Impressionist painters inherited the romantic naturalist philosophy but chose different devices to reveal nature.   The term â€Å"postimpressionism† was coined by the English artist and critic Roger Fry (1866-1934) in 1910 as a name for the various movements that grew out of Impressionism, but moved away from its naturalist tendencies. In the current paper I intend to analyze some of postimpressionists’ paintings to trace the influence of traditional art and innovation. One of the most prominent painters on the brink of the centuries was Paul Gauguin. When we speak of fascination with primitive and exotic art, we primarily mean this artist’s attempt to move in this direction. Like most postimpressionists he started as impressionism and was devoted to traditional objective rendering of nature with the help of new coloring and light and shadow effects. In the course of time, when he was already a famous painter he realized inherent limitations impressionism had in itself and chose another direction. He did it not only in the figurative sense but he physically moved to Tahiti to investigate new opportunities for art progress. Let’s look closely at some of his canvasses of Tahitian period to discover what novelty they bear and how they correlate with impressionist tradition, on the one hand, and primitive art forms on the other hand. One of the most illustrative pictures of the series is called Femmes de Tahiti [Sur la plage] (Tahitian Women [On the Beach]) The name itself suggests that the conventional subject matter of impressionism – conveying fleeting states of nature – is put aside.   The painter made people his objects and applied revolutionary technique to depict them. The fist thing the eye catches is the unusual exotic coloring for the sky, the sea and the sand, which has nothing in common with the palette applied for European landscapes. The colors are rich and warm; it seems they soaked exotic sunlight. At the same time we see that the artist doesn’t aim at showing every subtle hue (if we speak of color) or every subtle bend of human body (if we speak of shape). On the contrary, he wants to make the impression of ultimate simplicity of color and form, which follows the tradition of primitive art. Despite of this primitivism, the women in the painting feel exceptionally real and palpable, not in terms of photographic similarity and anatomic precision but in terms of emotion conveyed. Natural rich colors of Pacific islands and simplicity of form make them a part of surrounding nature. As a result they feel real in a sense that they are devoid of any artificial glossiness, which civilization imposes. Another famous painting of Gauguin, which was considered to be scandalous and indecent by many of his contemporaries, is called Spirit of the Dead Watching. It depicts a nude young girl lying and mystical world surrounding her. This painting inherits the tradition of primitive art not only in terms of form but also in discovering the mythology of Tahitians. In this case Gauguin managed to do a unique thing – with the help of simple, rough, down-to-earth colors and forms he depicted an ephemeral world of spirits Edgar Degas is another famous postimpressionist of the late nineteenth century. Unlike Gauguin, he was not much into exotic themes. He inherited much from impressionist tradition, and was greatly influenced by the naturalist philosophy of romanticism. Still, if we look at his landscape paintings, it becomes plain that the emphasis is quite different, as well as the role of nature. For example, the canvass Aux courses en province (At the Races in the Country) is a perfect illustration to this dual influence. The painting is no way an ode to nature, as it was the case with impressionists and romanticists. It is rather the point, where the two worlds – rural and urban – intersect. The contrast between the picturesque scenery and the people who came to the country to enjoy themselves is really huge. This contrast is not manifested through color but through some specific details, which make the impression that the people are outsiders for the nature. Thus, a sun parasol a woman wears, her husband’s top hat, the cart among the field, and especially the horses’ eyes covered with blinders – all these details disclose the painters’ idea that people no longer belong to the nature. Degas is said to be the one who was greatly influenced by the revolutionary invention of the late nineteenth century – photography. Thus, his painting Absinthe is illustrative of the new perspective and spacing photography opened to artists. The canvass reminds of the technology of painting black and white photos, which was applied at this period of time. To sum up, the late nineteenth century was marked by the trend of transformation, transition from Romantic to Postimpressionist art and way of thinking. The painters of these periods were exposed to dual influence- on the one hand, they inherited the technique and tradition of impressionist art and naturalist philosophy, on the other hand the felt like the old principles and themes were exhausted, that’s why they resorted to new sources of inspiration like primitive exotic art and photography. Bibliography    Broude, Norma. Impressionism: A Feminist Reading: the Gendering of Art, Science, and Nature in the Nineteenth Century. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1997. Impressionism , in Painting. The Columbia Encyclopedia . 6th ed. 2004. Rewald, John. Post-Impressionism: From Van Gogh to Gauguin. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1956.

The Effect Of Technology In Current Architecture Cultural Studies Essay

The Effect Of Technology In Current Architecture Cultural Studies Essay Technology opens the door to the future. It is one of the main essence that shape and changes the way society behaves, as well as trancends the surrounding to suits the way society lives. Nowadays, the effect of new technology has reached almost every level of the society, and one of it is modern building technology. It has great implication in the creation of space in architecture and interior design. Since the early days, architecture has been one of the most important needs of man. It is a space to live and work, an environment to interact and provoke emotions, as well as a realm where experiences and memories are created. This feelings and emotions are evoked by the form and shape, the arrangement of forms and by the relationships that the space draws with the surroundings. It affects every part of human senses. As technology developed, the meaning of architecture started to adapt with it. Formerly, with conventional building technology, the shape and form of architecture that could be achieved is only a simple and pure form. It leads to a trend of homogeneous building, which makes every architecture looks similiar. Within this limitation, architects and designers became more sensitive and focus on crafting experiences in a space. These experiences then become memories that will be remembered by the visitor and elements that differentiate one building from another. As this continues, buildings visual aesthetic is slowly decreasing. Currently, with the creation and development of building technology, the inventions of cutting-edge and futuristic looking forms and shapes are possibble. New materials and structures are created and evolved everywhere. These advancements have made architects become so attached with visual appearance. Meanings that majority of them concentrate on using technology in order to discover new forms and shapes for architecture in order to reflects the idea for which it was designed. The design of the buildings that focused on visual aesthethic has led to a trend of creating a form that looks good rather than a space that feels good. With this trend continues, it seems that the role of visual sense has being privileged when compared to other human senses. The impact of this trend causes the design of the current architecture being reduced and restricted into the visual experience. With the absence of other senses, the strength of interaction that affect our bodies with a space is being diminished. This indicates that the tendency of architecture of image rather than architecture of experience is increasing. The products of architecture of image will only offer visual consumption which wont create lasting impressions that all the architects strive for. It will only become a nice looking postcard of visually striking building. Hence, the essay aims to prove that the current use of technology in architecture is only being used to achieve visual aesthetics and has decreased the value of architecture. The essay will also argue that technology to achieve powerful form has to be able to grow hand in hand with other human senses in order to create valuable experience and memory in a space . Only then, the value of architecture can be pushed to a full potential. Architecture of Experience rather than Visual Instead of experiencing our being in the world, we behold it from outside as spectators of images projected on the surface of the retina. Pallasmaa, J, 2005, p.47 Before we can move forward to the main issue, to question the effect of technology towards current architecture, it is important to look and understand briefly what is the nature and value of architecture since the early days it was created. Through out the history, despite of a large number of definition have been proposed by numerous architects, the answer to this have never came to a conclusion. Maybe it is because there are diverse ways to formulate an answer to this. One of the vast definitions of architecture maybe can be found in dictionaries, which means design of a building. It seems that this definition leads to a diminishing understanding that building is just an object. Some even make comparison of architecture with other form of arts which is sculpture. For instance, Santiago Calatrava, a world-renowned spanish architects that combined sculpture and painting with architecture. He is claimed as a building sculpturor and had an exhibition world-wide about his works. So is architecture an application of aesthetics consideration to the form of buildings? Or an Santiago Calatrava: Sculpture into Architecture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art art of making buildings beautiful? This idea of definition seems to have miss a central core of the nature and value of architecture. Previously, in the prehistoric time where architecture is not even born yet, human lives in a nomadic way. They move from one place to another. When night comes, they stop and light a fire to warm them up. By doing so, they started to define a place. And if they intend to stay there longer, they started to define a place to sleep, a place to shelter them from the rain, a place to collect and store food, a place where they can defend themselves from danger, etc. From their chosen site, experience of their surrounding, until the organization of their place, this leads to an evolution from a place to architecture. Based on that, one can said that the nature and value of architecture is the sense of a place that is created by the experience and organization of the building and surrounding itself. Thus, architecture relates to the way people live, it changes and evolves based on the environments, experiences and needs. As time goes on, places that people used has became more diversed, sophisticated and complexed which made architecture consistently changing as well. Started from the prehistoric era where human dwells in an occasional caves and temporal tents from woods to round houses that made of bricks, and into the stone age. Not only materials that has evolved, functions and tools to build each building have advanced as well. From the early civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Roman and the East, the development in architecture to create building for different purposes has greatly varied. Egypts Pyramids, Greeks Temples, and Romans Amphitheatres are just few illustrations of various functions that can be found globally. Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt Built 2560 BC Colosseum, Rome Built 1st Century AD Parthenon Temple, Greece Built 5th Century BC The form, material, tools and function of the architecture evolves because of the resources that is available in the environment. The needs for stronger materials to create shelter and better materials to craft the atmosphere for different functions has made the tool or building technology to advance too. With this different materials and technologies, human are able to generates unique experience which would enriched the physical and psychological sensory in an architecture. In the time where modern building technology is not developed yet, there is a limitation in the creation of architectural form. Architects and engineers are only able to produce a simple and pure form which makes every buildings looks similar. Considering this constraints, the focus of architecture at this time is in the creation of experiences which is the nature and value of architecture since the early days. People lived through experiencing the world with body senses. One sense interact with other senses to be able to let him or her integrates with the surrounding and the world. Architecture is the products of this constant interaction between people with the surrounding and the world. Architecture also provide spaces where people could do their daily activities, experience the surrounding, feel comfortable with it and generate memories through these interactions. The interaction that happens can be either simple or complex. It means that the space within the architecture should be able to generate interaction with at least one or all of the body senses. This is due to, as human we have needs and desires, beliefs and aspirations, as well as aesthetic sensibility that are affected by warmth, touch, odour, sound and visual stimuli. Every interaction that happens will be experience by the body and if the experience through the space is strong enough, it will formulate an impactful memory to the visitors mind. And If this is successful, the lasting impression that every architects strive for will be achieved. That is why architecture should be design with a thought of multi-sensory experience. The Commissioners House of the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, By Edward Holl, built : 1820sNevertheless, over this time, there is one senses that architects and engineers could not satisfied with. It is the visual aesthetic, which is because of the technology at that time couldnt afford to provide the structure, system and material to create a visually striking form. With the will and the unsatisfactory as the main force that drives architects and designers to overcome this issue. This has led to numerous experiments over the time. Until the 19th century, in the industrial revolution era, when cast iron can be produce in a large numbers and cheaply enough. This is when architects and designers started to become aware of the glorious potential of cast iron used in architecture. One of the first residential project that use cast-iron as the structural framework is The Commissioners House of the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda (Potter, D, 2006). This marks the dawn of Modern building technology. As technology has advanced towards a new level, which is the modern building technology, the nature and value of architecture started to shift and adapt as well. This development has begun to revolutionize architecture into an entirely new direction. With this modern building technology , architects and designers is provided with a new range of materials and tools to achieve and satisfy their hunger of a more advanced form. Previously, the architectural language of each location has their own unique characteristics. This is because of their environment would only be able to produce certain kinds of materials. Due to this, architects and designers tended to use resources that were available and plentiful in their location. Which means that the materiality and tool spoke more to place, to locale, and in a way was more purely defined with the unique representative of that certain location. For instance, the Pyramid in Egypt that is made from stone is entirely different with the Temple i n China which is made from wood. But with modern building technology , transportation of materials from one location to another location has became possible, the ability to mass products have made the cost of construction became lower, and the innovation of new and better material is continually increasing. This development has made architecture become more efficient and effective in every layer, either it is the construction, the time span to complete, the experience that could achieved inside the space or even the form of the architecture. Beginning by looking into the traditional materials that have been used since the prehistoric times, which is the wood. This material could be considered as the forefather of all current materials. Started with the wood, in the early days where prehistoric people used this to build tents as their shelter from the sun and rain. By constructing tree trunks or branches together creating the shape of an inverted V-shape, putting some support to hold it firm on the ground and covered with leaves. This creates the simplest foundation of architecture form. As human evolved so does materials for their shelter. Moving from wood to stone, as a stronger material, the form of the shelter started to develop into tent-like house by stacking different stones together. As humans move on to the times of early civilizations, the needs, desires, and beliefs have been greatly developed too. This leads to the creation of places of worships, sacrifices, monuments, and governments. Based on these, the form of the architecture started to goes vertically higher and bigger. At this time, pillar, column, beam, arch and dome has started to be build to fulfill the functions of the architecture. Then into the middle age, where castles are becoming a common forms of architecture in every part of europe. And as it moves through The Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism and Gothic revival, from 15th century to 18th century, architects and designers feels that every architecture has looked similiar because of the limitation of technology and material. US Capitol Building Washington DC, Built : 1793 Neoclassicism Architecture St Mary Basillica Venice, Built : 1630 Baroque Architecture The Basilica of Saint Peter Rome, Built : 1590 Renaissance Architecture Joseph Paxtons Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition London, Built : 1851 Until 19th century, when modern building technology is discovered. This technology allowed iron to be used in architecture because it has became relatively cheaper which previously considered as a very expensive material. Irons are architecurally unique because of being relatively lightweight and malleable as well as strong. More over, because of its properties, they are able to used for free-form designs. In this period, glass is also widely used and available. Glass is used for its optimal balance between aesthetics and functions. By using glass, the building are able to change, move and create certain environments because it allows light to transmits in and for architect light is one of the poweful tool in crafting experience in an architecture. One of the architecture that reflects a building of high technology in this period is the Joseph Paxtons Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition. Built in 1851 in London, this building was made of modular cast iron and glass which symbolize the industrial, technological and economic superiority of the modern building technology. And in 20th century, plastics became widely known and popular as well. It is because plastics are lightweight,resilient, generally resistant to corosion and moisture, and can be molded and formed into complex shapes. And because It is the only man-made material, this allowed it to be developed even more in the future. This opens the door for architects and designers to realize all the crazy ideas that they had in mind. And with this the notion of architecture of image is slowly becoming a trends. With advancement in modern building technology materials and tools to construct a building have greatly expansed. Back then, buildings are limited with height. Mainly it is because of the limitation of materials and tools. This caused architects and designers to think and design horizantally . But with modern building technology, current buildings are able to go higher becoming a skyscraper or go deeper underground, maybe becoming an earthscraper, and not only going vertically, it also allows the buildings to be built diagonally. From geometric to organic form or from masses to pixels, with the current technology everything is possible. Architecture has entered into a realm of visual form which is nothing more or less than the creation of buildings tangible and visible shapes. Beekman Tower, Frank Gehry New York One example of a purely visual architecture is the Beekman Tower in New York by Frank Gehry. It is a curious fusion of public and private zones. What makes the tower so intoxicating is the exterior skin of the buildings which is mad of aluminum foil. The folds evoke rivulets of water, crinkled sheets of melting ice. The effect of this ripples will be heightened by light and shadow dancing across the surfaces over the course of a day. This building is surely a successful design and appealing to one of human senses which is the visual. But for the interior, everything inside the space is dully conventional. The consideration towards other senses inside the space in order to experience the space has being neglected. Another one is the Orchard Central in Singapore by DP Architects. The key design element of this shopping mall according to DP Architects is on the facade of the mall which will be an 11-storey-high faceted membrane which will function as a massive media wall and is set to be an iconic feature at the junction of Orchard and Killiney roads. The idea of this is to add aural and visual vibrancy to the central stretch of Orchard Road. By doing so, the architectural facade of a building is no longer made of solid materials but is, instead, an ever-changing, programmable image. The problem with this is the elimination of other senses and the dependency towards the vision has made the design of Orchard Central, DP Architects Singapore the space unattracted and unable to create a connection with the visitors. Based on both of the case studies above, it is fairly obvious that the privileged of visual senses over other human senses will create a sense of detachment between the architecture and the visitors. This is merely because human experience the world and the surroundings through their senses. The sounds of steps, the light that penetrate through the space, the coldness of the concrete walls, scale and proportion are just few ways of how architecture interact with the visitors. This interaction is then strengtened and articualted through the complex interaction of human senses and will be perceived by the visitors as an experience. With this two-way interaction between visitors and architecture, this will lead to the creation of meaningful memory towards the space. It is true that vision is the first connection between human and the world. Most of us, when we are walking through a space or street, are affected in one way or another by the looks of the buildings that we pass, the positions of the objects and the arrangements inside the space. But in architecture, the reliance in the sphere of vision will only made the building existed merely in a surface level which is as an objects of visual expression such as a postcard. Architecture should be able to interact with every human senses because it is a representation or expression of human minds. And the only way to communicate with the mind is by experiencing the world and surrounding through the senses. That is when architecture has moved on to another level. So, by using the modern technology, not only to grasped the visual aesthetics that has became a trends nowadys, but also to craft the experience that has been the nature and value of architecture since the early days. This will affects the human physically and psychologically and will pushed the architecture to the full potential.

Jurassic Park :: essays research papers

Jurassic Park Michael Crichton, in his outstandingly exciting science fiction novel, Jurassic Park, has put together a suspenseful, compelling, riveting, frightening, realistic, thrilling, and scientifically informative world, combining sophisticated biotechnology with prehistoric legend, blending the past, present, and the future, and a terrifying nightmares of science run wild, packed with humans and genetically engineered dinosaurs, including mesmerizing, fast paced action. It is a world where the reader where the reader decides what is happening in the book. If the reader enjoys fast-paced science fiction, the reader will certainly enjoy the fascinating world of Jurassic Park. All of the different characters in this world, share different feelings of action, reactions, thrill, nervousness, and their beliefs. Ian Malcolm, a very knowledgeable mathematician, decides to go to the island of Isla Nublar to observe the biological preserve that a company named In-Gen has created for the world to see at a price. Malcolm always had doubts about this world of total chaos. Everyone thought that the world of Jurassic Park, is a world of new state of the art technology and entertainment. Until everything goes wrong. The electric fences stopped working, and the dinosaurs escaped. Ian Malcolm's opinion of this world is that it won't survive, or the humans won't survive. The world has survived everything until now, it will surely survive the dinosaurs once more. But us, the humans are the ones that may not survive. "Our planet is four and a half billion years old. There has been life on this planet for nearly that long. Three point eight billion. The first bacteria. And later, the first multi-cellular animals, and the first complex creatures, in the sea, on the land†¦. Great dynasties of creatures arising, flourishing, dying away†¦, mountain ranges thrust up and eroded away, cometary impacts, volcanic eruptions, oceans rising and falling, whole continents moving†¦.

Comparing Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Fences by August Wil

Comparing Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Fences by August Wilson Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Fences by August Wilson have similar themes of conflicts between fathers and sons, conflicts between husbands and wives, and the need to focus on a small unit of space in order to achieve success. In the process of developing these themes throughout the two plays, three similar symbolic elements are used including the insecure father figure, the "other woman," and the garden. The fathers in the two plays are comparable because they both have conflicts with their sons as a result of living in the past, and they die in the end. Willy, in Death of a Salesman, is never respected for his occupational status, so he places very high expectations on his son, Biff. Willy lives in the memory of past events to such a large extent that he cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, and he passes this trait onto Biff. Biff says, "How the hell did I ever get the idea I was a salesman there? I even believed myself that I'd been a salesman for him!...We've been talking in a dream for fifteen years. I was a shipping clerk" (1760). Willy's high demands of Biff cause Biff to experience the same difficulties of living in the present and the desire to live in a fantasy world. This conflict is only resolved in Biff's mind when he releases himself from his father's dominance and establishes his own identity. At his father's funeral, Biff has compassion for his father and remembers that "there were a lot of nice days;" his father did have good intentions but "had the wrong dreams" (1778). He realizes the futility of trying to live up to his father's unrealistic expectations, and Cory has the same realization in Fences. ... ...oy learns very late in life when he tries to build a fence around all that he holds valuable. He begins to build the fence only after confessing the truth to Rose; by then it is too late to protect his valuables because he has already lost his most precious one, his relationship with his wife. The similar symbols of the father figure, the "other woman," and the garden, in Death of a Salesman and Fences, are used to develop the similar themes of father-son conflicts, marital conflicts, and the need to leave one's mark of success on the world. The main difference is that while Willy plants seeds by himself to see them grow, Troy's garden is planted by Raynell, his "seed." By bringing Raynell into the world, Troy plants a seed that will grow to live out his dreams; the tragedy is that both Willy and Troy die before having a chance to see their seeds grow.

transition services Essays -- essays research papers

The completion of high school is the beginning of adult life. Entitlement to public education ends, and young people and their families are faced with many options and decisions about the future. The most common choices for the future are pursuing vocational training or further academic education, getting a job, and living independently. For students with disabilities, these choices may be more complex and may require a great deal of planning. Planning the transition from school to adult life begins, at the latest, during high school. In fact, transition planning is required, by law, to start once a student reaches 14 years of age, or younger, if appropriate. This transition planning becomes formalized as part of the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Transition services are intended to prepare students to make the transition from the world of school to the world of adulthood. In planning what type of transition services a student needs to prepare for adulthood, the IEP Team considers areas such as postsecondary education or vocational training, employment, independent living, and community participation. The transition services themselves are a coordinated set of activities that are based on the student's needs and that take into account his or her preferences and interests. Transition services can include instruction, community experiences, the development of employment and other post- school adult living objectives, and (if appropriate) the acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational assessment. The student and his or her family are expected to take an active role in preparing the student to take responsibility for his or her own life once school is finished. Where once school provided a centralized source of education, guidance, transportation, and even recreation, after students leave school, they will need to organize their own lives and needs and navigate among an array of adult service providers and federal, state, and local programs. This can be a daunting task one for which the student and his or her family need to be prepared. This Transition Summary provides ideas and information on how students, families, school personnel, service providers, and others can work together to help students make a smooth transition. In particular, this document focuses on creative transition planning and services that use all the res... ...ent agencies (for example, one agency making a phone call to another agency to determine their respective roles and to schedule activities). With cooperation, people look for ways to support and complement one another's transition services. For example, an adult services agency may accept a student's recent test results from his or her school to determine the student's eligibility for services. This would prevent the student from being tested twice and would save the adult services agency time and expense. Collaboration begins with networking, coordination, and cooperation and then requires team members to share decisions, responsibility, and trust. It requires that team members invest time and energy to come up with options and design strategies for carrying out these plans. Because collaboration requires lots of time and energy, it is impossible to make all decisions collaboratively. In some instances, the desired result can be achieved through networking, coordination, or cooperation. Working together, or collaboratively, invites participation of multiple service providers and the use of multiple resources. See the Student Stories below for examples of collaboration in action.

Competitiveness and Inventory Management Essay

To be competitive, many fast-food chains expanded their menus to include a wider range of foods. Although contributing to competitiveness, this has added to the complexity of operations, including inventory management. In what ways did the expansion of menu offerings create a problem for inventory management? One form of inventory is safety stock, which is primarily carried by companies to ensure a variety of products is available at all times. However, safety stock ties up capital and hinders cash flow. Using the Argosy University online library resources and the Internet, research safety stock. Then respond to the following: †¢As a manager, what recommendations could you provide to reduce inventories as it relates to safety stock? †¢What parameters would lead you to believe that (a) large safety stock, (b) small safety stock, and (c) zero safety stock would be advantageous for the organization? Be sure to provide examples and data in support. After your initial post, discuss the following: †¢What are some of the ways in which a company can reduce the need for inventories? †¢How has technology aided inventory management? †¢How have technological improvements in products such as automobiles and computers impacted inventory decisions? Write your initial response in 200 to 300 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. By Saturday, June 28, 2014, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Through Wednesday, July 2, 2014, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. Consider the following in your response: †¢Provide a statement of clarification or a point of view with rationale. †¢Challenge a point of discussion or draw a relationship between one or more points of the discussion.

The Role of Research and Statistics in the Field of Psychology

John B. Watson work on classical behaviorism that paved the way for B. F. Skinner's radical or operant behaviorism which has had a large impact on educational systems. Watson was one of the influential psychologists of the twentieth century. His material is still used in most psychology and educational psychology texts. Watson helped with defining the study of behavior anticipated Skinner's emphasis on operant conditioning and the importance of learning and environmental influences in human development.Watson’s criticized of Sigmund Freud has been given credit for helping to disseminate principles of Freudian psychoanalysis. Watson is known for the Little Albert study and his dozen healthy infants quote. Watson is given credit for popularizing the term behaviorism with the publication of his seminal 1913 article â€Å"Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It. † In the article, Watson argued that psychology had failed in its quest to become a natural science, largely due t o a focus on consciousness and other unseen phenomena.Rather than study these unverifiable ideas, Watson urged the careful scientific study of observable behavior. His view of behaviorism was a reaction to introspection, where each researcher served as their own research subject. The study of consciousness by Freud and Watson believed to be subjective and unscientific. Watson believed that controlled laboratory studies were the most effective way to study learning. In approach manipulation of the learner's environment was the key to fostering development.The approach stands in contrast to techniques that placed the emphasis for learning in the mind of the learner. The 1913 article gives credit for the founding of behaviorism but it had a minor impact after its publication. Watson prepared psychologists and educators for the highly influential work of Skinner and other radical behaviorists in subsequent decades. B. F. Skinner was one of the most influential theorists in modern psycho logy. His work was very important and has been studied by many for years. His theories have helped mankind in many ways.He studied the behavior patterns of many living organisms. His most important work was the study of behaviorism. John B. Watson, behaviorism is one of the most widely studied theories today; Influence in Psychology. B. F. Skinner was one of the most famous of the American psychologists. Skinner was responsible for experiments such as the â€Å"Skinner box†. He wrote some very famous books. One of them was â€Å"The Behavior of Organisms†. This book describes the basic points of his system. Another was Walden Two. This book describes a utopian society that functions on positive reinforcement.Behaviorism is a school of thought in psychology that is interested in observable behavior. Skinner said, â€Å"Behaviorism is not the science of human behavior; it is the philosophy of that science. † There are various types of behavior, such as innate beha vior. Innate behaviors are certain behaviors. B. F. Skinner, in his novel Walden Two, presents many arguments about how he foresees a positive change in the world through manipulation of behavior on the personal level. B. F. Skinner's entire system is based on operant conditioning. This organism is the process of operating on the environment.This operating the organism encounters a special kind of stimulus called a reinforcing stimulus or reinforcer. The special stimulus have the effect of increasing the operant which is the behavior occurring. Operant conditioning the behavior is followed by a consequence or the nature of the consequence modifies the organisms’ tendency to repeat the behavior in the future. Example; you have a cat and the cat just playing around with a ball and when you throw the ball at the cat and the cat catches it and you give him a treat. The cat is starts to catch the ball as you throw it in the air .The operant is the behavior prior to. The cat will s top the trick which you’re were enjoying. This is called extinction of the operant behavior. If you were to start showing the dog treats then likely the cat with start doing the tricks again and more quickly than the cat learned at first. This is because the return of the reinforcer takes place in a reinforcement history that goes all the way back to the first time the cat was reinforced for doing the tricks. Freud and Skinner agree that human behavior is the result of outside barriers that hinder the ideal of free ill. Skinner believes that humans in good environment can live happy while Freud understands that humans are design to live in some degree of anguish or discontent. Skinner uses the example of Walden Two to illustrate his ideas of how human behavior should be formed. Skinner’s argues on how to eliminate what he knows as problematic rests on his prescription of dismissing the notion of individual freedom. Skinner does not only say that the ideal of individual freedom is farce. He takes further and states that the search for it is where society has gone wrong.He wants no part in the quest for individual freedom. If we give up this illusion, says Skinner, we can condition everyone to act in acceptable ways. Skinner has a specific prescription for creating this utopian society. He believe that all that is necessary is to change the conditions which surround man. He believe that by controlling what a person's environment is it is possible to craft a man to behave in any way. Skinner wants to use this notion to create a world without pain and suffering. In Walden Two, he describes what conditions are necessary to create a world of happiness.Skinner proposes that to create his perfect society one need only to come up with the characteristics of what man should be. Edward Chace Tolman was a modern cognitive psychology. He showed that animals in learning mazes acquire organized spatial and temporal information about the maze and about the conse quences of various alternative behaviors. He was combating the dominant views of his time which emphasized the acquisition of conditioned reflexes rather than knowledge about environmental events. Although several short biographies or reviews of Tolman's contributions are (Crutchfield, 1961; Crutchfield et al. 1960; Hilgard, 1980; Innes, 1999, 2000; McFarland, 1993; Ritchie, 1964; Tolman, 1952), it is appropriate that one be included in an encyclopedia of learning and memory because workers in this field today are using ideas that were initiated and developed by Tolman. Tolman's findings and ideal have helped to shape modern understanding of learning, memory and cognition. Tolman was similar to the behaviorists in his ideals on objectivity and measurement. He did not believe reinforcement was necessary for learning to occur. Tolman (1932) proposed five types of learning: pproach learning, escape learning, avoidance learning, choice-point learning, and latent learning. All forms of l earning depend upon means-end readiness, goal-oriented behavior, mediated by expectations, perceptions, representations, and other internal or environmental variables But the problems with his work were that he poorly defined many terms that he used in his fundamental theories, and that is difficult to make predictions from a point of view because of lack of determining the nature and strength of expectations before hand and when or how expectations may change.There are different ways to think about humans and their behaviors. In modern psychology provide researchers a way to approach problems and find ways to explain and predict human behavior. Develop new treatment for problem with behaviors. All three men contributes to psychology even to psychologist are still using their methods in studies. Several area of the human’s behavior is accomplished by Skinner, Watson and Tolman that stand today in modern psychology.These men did not agree on every thing but made a caramel grou nd in studying the human behavior. Also they was studied of animal compare with the human’s behavior which many theory still exist today. These three men remain widely accepted, but all have contributed tremendously to our understanding of human thought and behaviors. The field of psychology has come a long way and these are three men that help paved the way for modern psychology for researchers and student who studied field pertaining to psychology. The Role of Research and Statistics in the Field of Psychology The Role of Research and Statistics in the Field of Psychology Abstract Research and statistics are essential elements within the field of Psychology. Through the evolution of technology, the task of conducting adequate research and statistics methods have become abundant in methodology. Because of such, research collection and experimentation approaches of researchers and Psychologists, greatly vary in specificity. However, one method reigns true and consistent, and that is the Scientific Method; of which will be further explored.This paper will discuss and make sense of the roles in which both research and statistics play in the field of Psychology, and the procedures in which such methods are conducted will be defined. This will include explanations of the validity, importance, and relevance of the above stated procedures, as such are referenced for study. The Role of Research and Statistics in the Field of Psychology Research and statistics play a crucial role in the field of psy chology, both of which are used to ascertain and examine informational data. Such methods are used to greatly increase the effectiveness and success of an organization or field of study.Scientific or logical informational data is typically established through the use of the scientific method. Over the course of research history and study, the scientific method has become known to be the most reliable and consistent method of obtaining dependable knowledge. Such knowledge is then kept and utilized by researchers, either for their own study (primary data), or by a secondary party referencing said data (secondary data). Essentially, the field of Psychology is geared towards ascertaining the truth about people, the mental process, and behaviors that follow.The truth can only truly be found through the above methods. The Scientific Method For as long as the human mind has had thought, human beings have, in one way or another, questioned, observed, and analyzed the world we live in and th e way we proceed to live within it. These human beings, the thinkers, the observers, the analyzers have always been and still remain the scholars of their time period. The phrase â€Å"method of scholars† is an alternative title for the scientific method, for it is the absolute best set of methods in finding the truth, and of course the scholars would know. It has often been said that the greatest discovery in science was the discovery of the scientific method of discovery†: (Feibleman, 1972). This method is an investigation in which a problem is initially identified. With this, observations, experiments, and other relevant data (provided by research) are then used to create or test hypotheses that lead to conclusions about the original problem. The steps involved in this process include: 1) Forming a testable hypothesis. 2) Devising a research plan and method of application. 3) Collecting data and researching. 4) Analyzing the data and reaching possible conclusions abo ut the study. ) Report findings. This research can be characterized as an activity of creative work that is carried out in a systematic way in an effort to increase knowledge and truth. In the field of psychology, this refers to the knowledge of the human mind, human behavior, cultures, and societies. In order to fully understand how researchers, scientists, psychologists, scholars, and students alike reach such conclusions, one needs to recognize the importance of the research process and measures that are applied when conducting the various types of psychological research.With this knowledge, one will not only understand what is involved in reaching conclusions about psychology, but also how to do so oneself. (McLeod, 2008) Primary and Secondary Data. Primary and secondary data are both key components in any piece of information. These two types of data are used within many avenues of life, not just research and science. They can be published or unpublished and in any media presen tation, from print to electronic. Therefore, since Primary and secondary data are quite abundant, yet perhaps undistinguishable from the uneducated eye†¦ What exactly are the differences and characteristics of such?The distinct difference between primary and secondary data is the method of research in which the data was found. While primary data is both researched and utilized by the same source, secondary data comes from the research of a combination of external or secondary sources. An accurate example of primary data is that of personal vital statistics records, for such are accounts that have been personally witnessed and recorded by the source, and then kept by public institutions, as well as the source. Specific examples of personal records would include but are not limited to: birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage licenses.Such examples are vital to the functioning of an individual and the organization (country) of which that individual resides. Additional ly, such documents can be used in genealogical research, and other research projects related to society, culture, and psychology. One stepped removed from the original source of data, would be data that is secondary. A prime example of such would be information found in textbooks and historical documents, which are comprised of information that was borrowed from multiple primary sources.Case in point, when a history book includes computed data regarding a regions birth and death rates for a specific time period, the birth and death certificates would have originally been considered primary data, but when utilized and calculated by an outside source for the purpose of a study shown in the book, that data then becomes secondary. (McLeod, 2008) Statistics in Research. Statistics are a crucial part of research. Without, statistics, it is nearly impossible to attain a definitive conclusion and/or compute data in any research study.Being that the study of statistics is the science of coll ecting, analyzing, and making inferences from data, it quite literally communicates research findings in an effort to give credibility to the research itself. Obviously, it is imperative that researchers understand statistics, however, it is also important that the general population has at least a basic understanding of such. For not only researchers, but the entire population is bombarded by statistics every day, and in one way or another, everyone performs research.Whether the research is nominal, such as comparing prices, or significant, such as proving a ground breaking psychological theory, the point remains that it is all research and all research is comprised of statistics (Aron & Coups, 2009). Conclusion. Arthur Schopenhauer once said, â€Å"Just as the largest library, badly arranged, is not so useful as a very moderate one that is well arranged, so the greatest amount of knowledge, if not elaborated by our own thoughts, is worth much less than a far smaller volume that h as been abundantly and repeatedly thought over. Schopenhauer’s quote is an excellent representation of the importance of research, the scientific method, primary data, secondary data, and the role of statistics in research. Essentially, an abundance of information is only influential and valuable when it has been analyzed and brought to purposeful point. Through the understanding and proper use of the above explored topics, one can surely make a positive impact upon the field of Psychology and research alike. References Aron, A. , Aron, E. N. , & Coups, E. J. (2009). Statistics for psychology (5th ed. ).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Darwin, Charles. (1859). On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 428. Retrieved from http://todayinsci. com/QuotationsCategories/P_Cat/Psychology-Quotations. htm Feibleman, Dr. James. (1972). The Scientific Method. Retrieved from http://www. scientificmethod. com/index2. html McLeod, S. A. (2008). Psychology as a S cience. Retrieved from http://www. simplypsychology. org/science-psychology. html Reiff, Harwood, Phillipson. (2002). â€Å"A scientific method based upon research scientists' conceptions of scientific inquiry. (Presentation). Presented at the Annual International Conference of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science. Retrieved from http://cires. colorado. edu/education/outreach/rescipe/collection/inquirystandards. html Sage, Nicole. (2001). â€Å"Steps of the Scientific Method†. Introduction to Research. Retrieved from http://finntrack. co. uk/learners/research. htm Figures The Scientific Method based on Research Scientists’ Conceptions of Scientific Inquiry (Reiff, Harwood, Phillipson , 2002) Standard Steps of the Scientific Method (Sage, 2001)

Air Force community Essay

America is a country with diverse population groups that continue to increase every year. The medical community must keep up with the changing times and adapt their treatment practices to meet the demand of providing overall quality health care. There are many facets in which cultural differences come into play and especially during the patient provider relationship. It is important for the medical community and staff members to be prepared. In this paper, a discussion of the results from the assignment entitled the quality and culture quiz will be accomplished along with exploring and expanding on the answers that were incorrect. In areas that were answered incorrectly, responses will be proposed with situations that could improve the patient outcome in the future. (MSH, n. d. ). . The quality and culture quiz was taken twice, with an initial score of 14 and the second time was a 16 out of a total of 23 questions. Both times taking this quiz I felt I scored lower than expected. The quiz was taken twice because the initial score was so low. I was sure I could score better the second time, but the outcome was about the same before reading the correct answers. Even though I have been a medical assistant and an emergency medical technician for over 20 years it seemed to not have much of an impact when taking this quiz. In the Air Force community and further more in the medical community, diversity is touched upon but is not emphasized very much. In the clinic, we have patient rights and pamphlets available in Spanish but that is about it. I know we also have an interpreter listing for the base in case one is needed. I attribute my low score to not being exposed to many patients with diverse backgrounds and cultures and not having the training that so important in today’s society. As health care workers in the military, I believe we are sheltered to the outside happenings because we do not see or hear about community events outside of the base in our everyday work environment. (MSH, n. d. ). The areas that I did well in were: understanding that there could be cross-cultural confusion when explaining various medical information and procedures by the patient, patient’s may not report adequate health information because they cannot communicate well or the provider may misunderstand the particular symptom, as a provider being aware of personal biases and giving the proper treatment for the condition, ask direct and open-ended questions from the patient, practice creating a nonjudgmental atmosphere where the patient feels comfortable to try the medical advice of the provider, being aware that there could be underlying circumstances when not adhering to suggest medical treatment, and knowing that utilizing designated interpreters during patient encounters is ideal as compared to involving the family members because they can be often times they are too emotionally involved to tell an accurate story. (MSH, n. d. ). The areas where I need improvement and further comprehension are the impact of cultural competency on clinical outcomes, communicating and working with an interpreter, including the patient’s family during medical visits, being aware that some patient’s will seek customary healing measures before giving in to Western medicine and being aware of mannerisms from different culture groups. (MSH, n. d. ). Maintaining cultural competence in the positive and negative areas is a constant work in progress. There are changes every day that we as future health educators must work towards. It is a matter of continuing to read, research and apply what we have learned to every patient encounter and to always treat the patient as a loved one would want to be treated. It can only result in a positive result for all involved. (MSH, n. d. & MSH, 2009) References: Airhihenbuwa, C. O. (1995). Health and culture: Beyond the Western Paradigm. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Retrieved on March 15, 2010. Management Sciences for Health. (n. d. ). The Provider’s Guide to Quality and Culture. Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://erc. msh. org/mainpage. cfm? file=1. 0. htm&module=provider&language=English&ggroup=&mgroup= Management Sciences for Health. (2009). Stronger health systems. Greater health impact. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://www. msh. org/.

Genesis and Oedipus Rex Essay

As if peering into a glass of time, Genesis and Oedipus Rex seemed to have made me travel back through realization to make me reassess how I understood these early texts. Initially, the two texts seem to have nothing in common. Genesis, as the term implies, talks about the beginning, focusing on the creation myth and proceeding to the stories about the first people of the world inclusive of its genealogy and progress towards becoming a nation. Oedipus Rex, on the other hand, presents a snippet of a King’s life including his musings, fears, decision-making and actions. One seems to be solely about Theology and the other about politics. I realized later though that both are actually part of a bigger picture – the culture of Western Civilization. Women’s role in Western Civilization is generally limited to home, maternal and family life. Sarai, for instance, has the right to command her home. This was shown in the part where Abraham told Sarai â€Å"Your maid is in your power. Do to her whatever you please. † (Gen. 16: 6). Similarly, Jocasta’s entrance in Oedipus started as a manner of putting order in the house. During this time, Creon and Oedipus were arguing because of Creon’s assumptive claims on the misfortune of their land and the solutions. Women’s role as wife was emphasized in Sarai’s inability to conceive. Stressing this, accounts for another aspect – the importance of children in a family. It is apparent that women should bear children for their husbands and perhaps it is this tragedy that pushed Sarai to suggest for Abraham to take Hagar, her maid, and have children through her. There were also numerous instances where Abraham asked God when Sarai would conceive a child proving further how important children are not only for the â€Å"order of things† but also for the family. If you’ll also follow, when Hagar, pregnant of Ishmael, was sent away by Sarai, an angel advised Hagar to return. Later, when Abraham sent both Hagar and Ishmael away, God did not only provide and help Hagar and Ishmael survive the desert but as promised to Abraham, blessed Ishmael’s generations. God’s participation in this picture further asserts the value of children in â€Å"His design. † For Jocasta, another aspect of a woman’s role as wife was highlighted. Her’s focuses on enlightening, empowering and giving advise to her husband at the time of extreme doubt. This was shown at the time Oedipus was worried and earlier – when she gave up the baby Oedipus – to prevent her husband’s fate. Women also have a role in politics, but this is limited to their symbolic purposes. Jocasta is queen to both King Lauis and Oedipus, symbolizing her continuous devotion to her land, to serve as mother of the kingdom, rather than co-ruler. Much in the same way as Sarai is called â€Å"mother of all nations,† for she is the wife of Abraham, and from her, will spring the roots and generations to come. Men, on the other hand, have a critical role in Western Civilization. During this time, society was highly patriarchal and men, through the characters, Abraham and Oedipus, reflect not only the culture of their times, but also, the thoughts and patterns of morality and humanity. First instance was how men treats women. Twice within the sample text of Genesis did Abraham introduce Sarai as his sister for fear of being killed due to Sarai’s beauty. From this we can assume that one’s wife can be claimed by killing her husband, that a woman can be â€Å"won† or â€Å"taken† by force, else the occurrence and/or rampancy of adulterous relationships. Perhaps it is for this reason that adultery is called a sin and that anyone who commits such will receive misfortune – just like what happened to the land of Egypt and the land of Gerar when the rulers took Sarai as their queen/wife. It is a bit different in Oedipus because here, it is depicted that women can be passed from one king to another, for Jocasta was the dead Lauis queen and was queen to Oedipus, the present king. Although there are other factors involved, fact remains that women can be passed on, as it appears fit. Second instance was how men treats their nation. In the story of Sodom and Gommorah, Abraham considered the welfare of the people that he took the courage to technically, bargain with Yahweh – that the city must have some goodness left in it, that it cannot be destroyed with the faithful in it. From fifty people, he was able to ask God to spare Sodom if there are 10 faithful people – and sad to say, there wasn’t. Oedipus form of atonement in consideration of the welfare of his land is in a way like this. He has chosen to blind and banish himself from the land which he has done injustice to – killing its ruler and sleeping with his own mother. Third instance is in the way men carries out their decisions. As leaders, both Abraham and Oedipus consider civility and reason before acting upon it. Abraham, for instance, took into account the fact that his and Lot’s herdsmen cannot live together and so decided to separate with his brother so that Lot and his herdsmen can pursue their own future as he goes to the opposite direction. Much in the same way when Oedipus confronted Creon and in spite of his suspicions and doubt, set aside his fears and objectively pursued the issue Creon told him. He has called upon all the links mentioned upon him, the slave, shepherd and messenger and carefully inquired details about what happened. He did not inject ideas but rather, took the facts they offer and connected the events in a string, used his reason and acquired the truth of the matter – even if it means the realization of his fears. It is quite noticeable though that the fatalistic and monotheistic belief patters are evident in both texts. Abraham follows the will of Yahweh while Oedipus yields to Apollo. Both also take part in atonement of mistakes, Jocasta’s suicide and Oedipus’ decision to blind and banish himself is an example. Offering sacrifices is another. There is one difference though. In Genesis, Abraham is able to talk to Yahweh and He answers him directly. Apollo has no voice in Oedipus except through the mouths of the oracle or the seers. Conversation with divinities was possible in Genesis while it is not in Oedipus. Emphasis on human nature is also clear in both texts. Abraham, although a man of faith, has always been free to choose on what to do. Such with sleeping with Hagar and accepting the consequences of his actions, such with separating with Lot and bargaining with Yahweh to save Sodom and Gommorah, such with traveling and moving on forward to various lands, even if it means pretending to be a brother to Sarai, or if it means having to sacrifice his only son for his God. Much in the same way as Oedipus, who has been played by fate, yes, but wittingly, listened and pursued truth as it was told by â€Å"witnesses† – living proofs of people’s actions. He has admitted that it was his own decision – not moved by any God – to strike Lauis for he was at a raging disappointment, much in the same way as it his own decision to blind and banish himself from his land – to punish himself for his crime and for causing his kingdom, misfortune for his actions or his curse. Similarly, Jocasta’s action to commit suicide, as punishment of her mistakes. A simple truth and belief carried across times, even today, that such assessment or review can make me think like this†¦ good only begets good. And in the end, no matter how impossible, or how human and unlikely, Justice prevails. Time teaches souls that wander barren of moments but that of voices from the past read through the lips of beings like me. References: Catholic Biblical Association of America (1971). The New American Bible. Washington: Catholic Publishers Inc. Pickering, James H. & Hoeper, Jeffrey (1990). King Oedipus by Sophocles, translated by William Butler Yeats. Literature. New York: Macmillan

Year 12 stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Year 12 stress - Essay Example In causing one’s death, the methods being used today are different but the intent and motivation are more or less the same. One of the frequently used methods involves trains and railroad tracks. Most of the suicide incidents reported in Japan these days involve students who flunked, or knew they would flunk, a high-stakes college admission test administered uniformly to graduating high school students nationwide. Japanese students have been raised to believe that their very lives and future ride on this battery of tests such that failure to pass it could mean the end of the world for them. That means abasement and dishonor to the proud Japanese. In the psychology of suicides, however, it is said that it is not enough that one’s sense of pride and honor is wounded to want to end it all. A strong instigating factor is stress which, psychologists say, comes from feeling out of control. So if an individual is in control of his senses, he might still seek ways to redeem his fallen honor and thus vindicate himself. Suicide thus becomes an attractive path only for people stressed out by the prospects of failure, which could be the reason for the alarming incidence of such cases among Japanese students. The same thing could be happening to Australian students in the past few years. A pressure-packed series of tests for pre-college students similar to Japan’s college admission tests has since the 1960s created the same sort of problem for public health and safety in Australia. Like the Japanese exams, a great deal of importance had been attached to the tests for Australia’s Higher School Certificate (HSC) that passing it has become a do-or-die proposition for the students involved. Too much is expected from students going through this examination that flunking it is considered out of the question. The HSC is