Strategic Management & Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic Management & Marketing - Essay Example as the process of dividing consumers or potential buyers, in market into different segments or groups in which customer share same level of interest in the comparable set of needs fulfilled by different marketing plans. Customers always segment themselves and they take no notice how companies segments them. When they choose to buy any competing product or service, they select proposition that suits them better than any other. To capture maximum market share, companies must make sure that their offerings meet the requirement of customers and should offer price that customers perceive as value for money (McDonald and Dunbar 2004). The input of winning proposition provides the detail understanding of customers include who they are and where they are found to be, as this understanding plays a vital role in segmentation process. The purpose of this report is to analyze the market segmentation and target customers of desktops, launched by Dell and it will analyze positioning of the desktop s that Dell is offering to the customers around the world. Micheal Dell founded Dell in 1984 in Texas. He has a different and unique vision of designing, manufacturing, and selling the technology. More than 109,000 employees are working for Dell around world and they are committed to make technology working hard for the customers. Dell have made many efforts to make technology more reachable to the customers and organizations around the globe and more than 120,000 computer systems shipped everyday to more than 180 countries, that is more than one computer in every second. The business of Dell designed in such a way that it caters different needs of organization, small and medium businesses, educational institutes, government bodies, health-care providers and for home users of computer. Dell is number one PC provider to big enterprises of the world and number one public sector customer’s provider in USA. The company does business with more than 95% companies of Fortune 500

Do-Not-Resuscitate in the Operating Room Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Do-Not-Resuscitate in the Operating Room - Essay Example Due to the patient’s sickness, confusion or dilemma, the person may not be in a position to make the decision as per their stand. However, the situation forces them to make the decision. In a case whereby an individual is totally unable to make a decision by themselves, there is involvement of a Surrogate decision maker ( Vetsch, 2002). In the absence of a written document, people close to the patient and familiar with his wishes may be used. The law recognizes a hierarchy of family relationships in determining which family member should be the official "spokesperson," though generally all close family members and significant others should be involved in the discussion and reach some consensus. The hierarchy includes a legal guardian, individuals given power of attorney for health decision making, spouse, handout children, guardians or adult siblings in agreement. The facts about the CNR order is that, it is necessarily important to be filled at this stage. It will show the will of the patient you take risk of the situation, and in case the whole operation process leaves the patient dead, there is no blame as to the cause of their death. The DNR also addresses family issues related to the patient, such as inheritance and next of kin. However, the whole process is approached with mixed emotions. The DNR in an operation room makes the whole operation scaring. Thoughts emerge concerning the limited chances of survival in the operation process. These decisions are mandatory and most of the patients fill these information, as a matter of fact just because that is required of them, but not as per their will. There is a gap in the information provided with the actual and normal situation. This is because the patient’s state of sickness may not allow them to make sound decisions. In the case of a surrogate decision maker, the involved may rarely make

Michael Graves Essay Example for Free

Michael Graves Essay Art Appreciation Michael Graves Michael Graves is a post-modern architect born in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 9th 1934. He graduated from Broad Ripple High School; he then attended and got his bachelor degree at the University of Cincinnati. After getting his bachelors, he went to Harvard where he got his masters in Interior design. After college he started career as an architect, it was in 1968 when he designed and built the Hanselmann House in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He built houses for about 10 years until he started building all kinds of buildings. He built anything from the Dolphin Resort at Disney world from the Denver Public Library. Graves has been designing buildings of all types since 1968 very rapidly, some years designing four or more buildings a year. One of Gravess most famous buildings is the Portland building in Oregon. This building was made in 1980 and is unique because of how he surprised everyone with the exterior design. He used a pair of classical columns that have no structural function. He made these columns stand out by setting them in a reflecting pool. The Portland public says the building is both formal and playful, governor Ivancie says that most big city building were beginning to be built to simple with Just glass outsides. He says the Portland building doesnt lack design features like other big city buildings. Some did criticize the design but most were thrilled by the uniqueness of the new building. People say there is type of humor to his designs and buildings. Graves has become an opponent of modern works who uses humor as an integral part of his architecture (1). Graves uses designs from the past and puts his own twist on them. Graves re-interpreted the rational style that had been introduced by Le Corbusier in the 1920s into a neoclassical style (1). Michael Graves has many building that are very famous, but his design on the Humana Building in Louisville, Kentucky is maybe his best design hes had. His design on this building got him in the time magazine. TIME Magazine listed it as one of the 10 best buildings of the decade (2). The building looks different from every side. Many say it is one of the most unique and distinctive skyscrapers in America. Critics say it is a textbook example of Postmodernism. Graves Humana building is said to have its fair share of flaws but the brilliant design more than counteracts the flaws. While the building has undeniable flaws, they are easily outweighed by its attributes, hich have only grown stronger with time(3). http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/house/ http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/technology_internetcritic/ https://books.google.com.ua/books?id=JwhZCwAAQBAJpg=PA225lpg=PA225dq=http://featuresblogs.+chicagotribune.+com/tsource=blots=CwG3pAKd5lsig=5KrPfyo2wN90yu3ZXrsblMPOpewhl=uksa=Xved=0ahUKEwjy0NvQhoPUAhVKD5oKHUzSCe8Q6AEIRDAE#v=onepageq=http%3A%2F%2Ffeaturesblogs.%20chicagotribune.%20com%2Ftf=false https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humana_Building Humana http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Michael_Graves.html

Group work in Primary Schools

Group work in Primary Schools Group work, known to others as collaborative or cooperative learning, is defined as a situation in which, two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together [Wikipedia Contributors, 2010]. This paper focuses on how working collaboratively impacts both teaching and learning in primary schools. It describes the background to the development of collaborative learning and highlights the techniques often employed. The principles to effective group work are explained, with both advantages and disadvantages noted. Collaborative learning is a pedagogical strategy which utilizes a variety of learning activities to enhance a students understanding of a particular topic. This is an improvement to traditional learning models also defined as non-interactive lectures, where knowledge is gained from direct lectures or the reading of books and articles. Traditional learning commands very little interaction or participation from the students, therefore a lot or very little may be learnt depending on the individual. Collaborative learning consequently stands as a constructivist approach to learning, and is identified as originating from a constructivist epistemology, as students are asked to participate and contribute to their own learning and development. The ideas of scholars such as Burner, Kohlberg, Piaget and Vygotsky are used in the development of collaborative learning, which essentially implies that both the student and the environment are actively dynamic entities in the learning process as the student tries to impersonate the lessons. This process requires that knowledge be discovered and translated using language and other learning aides to which the students can actively relate. Lawrence Kohlberg researched the moral decisions made by children. His investigation is such that he developed an interview process offering a number of scenarios, each with a moral dilemma for which he had pre-determined answers. He realized that six stages of moral development existed and that some people are unable to reach most advanced levels of ethical interpretation. He thereby concluded that; the development of moral reasoning happens in a particular sequence, and that each step of the way is a precursor to the next [KidsDevelopment.co.uk, 2010]. Jean Piagets theory of Cognitive Development suggests that individuals go through a series of stages on their way to independent thinking. Piaget states that all knowledge concerning reality results from actions or operations upon it, which makes it change, revealing its stable and variational properties (Piaget, 1980 p222). Lev Vygotsky believed that socialization increases knowledge and often time changes a childs thoughts and behaviours. Vygotsky suggests that learning is achieved in three ways; imitative, instructed and collaborative. Imitative learning involves the student simply copying what was taught and instructed learning involves the student following directions previously given. Vygotskys work was focussed on two important ideas. First being the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD); this describes the level of differentiation between a problem that a student can solve independently and a problem in which a student will require the assistance of others. ZPD is often identified as an individuals level of actual competency relative to their level for potential development. The second idea is known as scaffolding and describes the aspect of support given to students when it is desired. Group work allows students to work together in small teams, combining people with varying backgrounds, experiences, technical and intellectual competencies, towards the attainment of a specific objective. Each member of the team has the responsibility of learning the material for himself, while also helping other members to clearly understand the lesson thus creating an atmosphere of achievement (Palmer, Peters and Streetman. 2008). Students thereby gain both knowledge and social skills. The use of group discussions helps students to explain concepts and ideas by providing immediate feedbacks. Students learn how to troubleshoot cooperatively in order to find the best solution to a problem. When students formulate their own solutions in this manner, they are truly thinking critically (Davis, Mahler Noddings, 1990). Swortzel expresses that there are two major theoretical approaches to group work Motivational and Cognitive (Swortzel, 1997). Group work is seen as motivational because students recognize that their success or failure in the attainment of the specified goal is dependent on them being able to work together as a team. They thereby encourage each other to get the assigned tasks done properly and on time, in so doing cooperative learning increases students motivation to do academic work (Johnson, Johnson Holubec, 1986). The cognitive approach suggests that through group work students become more critical with their thinking. Students are stimulated to think outside the box, thus acquiring increased levels of perception, awareness, and reasoning and judgment abilities. Group discussions are very interactive with each individual expressing their viewpoint. Within a diverse group, there will be undoubtedly varying opinions consequently highlighting approaches to the same topic. A collaborative framework must first be established before the implementation of collaborative learning techniques. The teacher should research collaborative learning and observer other teachers who have already implement the use of group work. The teacher should grasp a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages to group work and must develop a keen appreciation for the technique of scaffolding. The teacher then needs to decide if collaborative learning is ideal for the subject being taught, the type of students and take into account classroom restrictions, if any. Teachers implementing collaborative learning are expected to be competent in the following areas: Specifying instructional objectives Determining group size and assign students to groups Determining Group Size and Assign Students to Groups Classroom arrangement Planning instructional materials to promote Interdependence Assigning group roles Assigning tasks Structuring positive interdependence and accountability Explaining the criteria for success Specifying desired behaviours Before implementing collaborative learning the teacher should explain to the students their decision for the use of group work and explain the advantages and disadvantages. The determination of group sizes may vary depending on the nature of the task and the workload. Groups can be homogeneous or heterogeneous, grouping students with similar interests and strengths or they may be totally randomly selected. Once groups are established they usually do not change very often, so as to allow students to develop a constructive working relationship with each other. It is important that the furniture in the classroom be organized in a way which allows the students to work as a unit, preferably facing each other, whilst allowing for their flexible movements. Teachers should take into account the existing resources needed for successful task completion and ensure that they are readily accessible by the groups. The instructions and materials a teacher chooses for a group should ensure that each member of the group makes a meaningful contribution and that individual assignments within the group will be evenly distributed. Teachers should structure positive interdependence and accountability by regularly testing both the groups and the members of the group for understanding of the subject matter. Members should be encouraged to be able to actively defend the stance of the group and their own. The criteria for success of the group should be clearly communicated and measures put into place to evaluate the groups performance as a unit as well as the individual performances of the members. Once the groups have been established, teachers need to monitor the behaviour of the students and assist with needs while monitoring. In so doing, teachers may assist with the answering of questions and provide and alternate point of view or opinion. Teachers may also provide feedback on the work completed or the progress made. Should conflicts arise within the groups, teachers should intervene to ensure that such conflicts are quickly resolved and explain the implications of undesirable behaviours. It is also very important that teachers provide approbation and, or motivation where it is deserved. Students play the most important role in the art of collaborative learning. Their roles include and are not limited to, working together, actively listening to each other, keeping records of work and progress, questioning each other, assuming personal responsibility and completing the assigned task. An article written by Dillenbourg and Schneider states that there are a few mechanisms to collaborative learning: Conflict or Disagreement, suggesting that when peer to peer conflicts arise, social factors cause learners to ignore the disagreement and to some extent forces them to find a feasible solution to the problem. One aspect of this theory states that diverging viewpoints usually lead to academic gains, while the other states that when conflicts are not verbalized they do not predict positive outcomes (Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995). This article draws two conclusions relative to this mechanism one being that slight misunderstandings can be as efficient as a clear conflict between two agents who respectively believe P and not P and the second being that verbal interactions generated to solve conflict are related to learning outcomes (Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995). Alternative Proposal also referred to as the confirmation biases by Dillenbourg and Schneider (1995). In so doing students actively develop ideas that support their suggestions and completely disregard ideas that do not. They often times cannot abandon their idea or suggestion because another suggestion may not be forthcoming; however other group members make alternate suggestions. (Self-) explanation; the Self-Explanation effect, as it is in known in many cognitive science literature, describes that in a situation where one student is more knowledge that the other, the latter will automatically learn from the form, and also that the former will grasp a better understanding of the topic being explained as he endeavours to translate into to terms to with the latter student can actively relate. Having successfully explained the more knowledgeable student would have improved upon his skills to interrelate and gained improved confidence. Had there been any uncertainties in the explanation, someone even more knowledgeable might be able to clarify. Internalization; the article explains this mechanism as one in which students explain or justify their suggestions to each other, the verbalization of such impacts all involved and that the concepts communicated are integrated into the listeners reasoning. Thinking is viewed a discussion that one has with oneself and which develops on the basis of discussions we had with others (Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995). The article also states that for this mechanism to be effective a few conditions must be met, One condition is that subjects can only assimilate concepts which are within their zone of proximal development, i.e. within the neighbourhood of the current cognitive level. Another condition is that the less able peer is not left as a passive listener, but participates into the joint problem solving strategy (Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995) Appropriation, this is explained as one student observing the ideas or explanations of another and taking those ideas or explanations and building on it to make their own. Learning is two-fold as the first student reinterprets his actions relative to that of the second, and the second student got a sound foundation on which to build. Shared Cognitive Load, this involves the distribution of tasks which will come together to achieve the overall objective of the group. When the workload is even shared between students, each student can work meticulously on the assigned task, thereby eliminating redundancies and improving the efficiency of the group. Mutual Regulation, by employing any of or a combination of the mechanisms previously described, students often have to regulate the actions of each other to ensure that the stipulated guidelines are adhered to for the attainment of their goals. Social Grounding, described lucidly by Dillenbourg and Schneider as the mechanism by which an individual attempts to maintain the belief that his partner has understood what he meant, at least to an extent which is sufficient to carry out the task at hand (Dillenbourg and Schneider, 1995). This mechanism requires the speaker to check for understanding, and where misunderstand is visible to clarify, thereby building a share understanding of the problem. George W. Gagnon. Jr., and Michelle Collay developed another design for collaborative learning and in this model teachers develop a series of steps that their teaching structure follows as listed below: They develop a situation for the students to explain (Gagnon and Collay, 2004) They select a process for groupings of materials and students (Gagnon and Collay, 2004) They build a bridge between what students already know and what the teachers want them to learn (Gagnon and Collay,2004) They anticipate questions to ask and answer without giving away an explanation (Gagnon and Collay, 2004) They encourage students to exhibit a record of their thinking by sharing it with others (Gagnon and Collay, 2004), and They solicit students reflections about their learning (Gagnon and Collay, 2004). A comparison of there collaborative techniques, is illustrated in Appendix 1. Johnson, Johnson, and Smith (1991) highlights three key tasks teachers should follow for the evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness after there group work is completed. Firstly, teachers should provide a closure through summarization. That is, to summarize the lessons important points or to have each group explain their work and the points they found of most significance. Secondly is to evaluate the students learning, by assessing how they have attained or failed to attain the desired outcome and providing the feedback required, allowing students to improve on their ability to work as a group and hence personal development. Thirdly, teachers should make note of the techniques that worked and why they worked and if necessary adjust their lessons. A popular definition of constructivism is that Constructivism is a theory of knowledge which claims that knowledge is not passively received but actively constructed by the learner, and that the function of cognition is adaptive, serving to organise experience, rather than discover reality(online, 2010) Group work has academic, social and physiological benefits to both students and teachers. Academic benefits include: the development of critical thinking and the active involvement of students in the learning process. The social benefits include: the development of social learning systems for students and builds diversity understanding among students and teachers. The physiological benefits include: increased self-esteem through peer-to-peer instructions and it reduces the anxiety of students. Although collaborative learning seems to be dependent on the actions and willingness to learn, which should for many be a natural process, there are many disadvantages as there are advantages to is implementation. A few of the obstacles faced are; some students prefer to work competitively rather that collaboratively, teachers lack the ability to readily assess the work produced, teachers sometimes do not know how to measure the effectiveness of their teachings in a collaborative setting, sometimes the assigned tasks are not applicable to a students goals or abilities, and sometimes the tasks are not difficult enough to challenge but not so difficult as to stonewall a conversation. Some groups may be comprised of slow learners who may be viewed as others as invaluable, thereby promoting superior behaviour by the fast learners. Table 1, Appendix 2, illustrated various group structures and the advantages and disadvantages to these groups. Nigel Hastings and Karen Chantrey-Wood from Nottingham Trent University explores the many strategies teachers utilize in group work activities, many of which are strongly endorsed by a committee known as the Plowden Committee. By spending time with groups of children, teachers could adjust their teaching to the needs of the individuals of that group to a greater extent than when working with an entire class of students as a whole. This also ensures that all children have a reasonable amount of direct contact with their teacher regardless of the fact that they are working in groups [Hastings Wood, 2002]. This suggests that collaborative learning enhances the occurrence of individualized attention given to students, by introducing one-on-one interactions between students and peers and students and teachers. The article also illustrates that classroom arrangement is very important in ensuring that collaborative learning is efficient and effective. It shows that collaborative learning in widely accepted and very commonly practiced across the globe; In primary classrooms throughout the UK, it is standard practice for children to sit around grouped tables usually with four to six children in each group. Such arrangements are also common in primary schools in other English-speaking countries, Australia and USA for example. Precisely because this configuration is so normal and so well established in our schools, it is unusual to ask about its rationale or to question its appropriateness [Hastings Wood, 2002]. An abstract written from an experiment conducted by Gillies and Ashman, One hundred and ninety-two Grade 6 children participated in a study which compared the effects on behavioural interactions and achievement of (a) cooperative learning in which group members were trained to collaborate to facilitate each others learning, and (b) cooperative learning in which members were not trained but were merely told to help each other. Stratified random assignment of participants occurred so that each gender-balanced group consisted of one high-, two medium-, and one low-ability studentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(Gillies Ashman, 1999). The observations showed that the students who worked in the Trained groups where more responsive and helpful to each other, giving explanations where necessary to assist as they worked together. It showed that students in the untrained groups were a lot less helpful towards or cooperative with each other. From the results it was also concluded that the children in the trai ned groups exercised more autonomy with their learning and obtained higher learning outcomes than untrained peers (Gillies Ashman, 1999). This study is one of the many to attest to the success of group work. Despite some drawbacks Collaborative learning has numerous benefits, as is explained, ranging from academic to physiological and it implementation in primary schools is quite a positive move. Students at the primary school level are quite impressionable and there is no better time for them to develop the very valuable competences that working in a group has to offer. At the primary school level they are mature enough to have an understanding of what group work requires. Many of the studies conducted were centralized around childhood developments. Students who can successfully work in groups from the primary school level are usually better equipped for when entering higher level learning institutions. They would have learnt to comfortably relate with peers and adults, such as teachers or other authority figures, they would have learnt the value of self-expression and self-explanation, actively listen and respect the views of others. These students realize that as individuals we have d ifferent backgrounds, experiences and traditions and as such may have diverging approaches to the same problem. These students will also be better able to differentiate between the need to work collaborative and the need to work competitively and in so doing will know when best to apply the respective approaches. This research has revealed that both the teachers and the students play a pivotal role in the success of collaborative learning. Teachers are not expected to only assign tasks and sit back while the students work on their own. Teachers must play an active role throughout the process. They must plan for the assignment with clearly structured tasks that will promote collaborative interactions, promote interdependency and stimulate cognitive thinking among students. Teacher must monitor the process providing ongoing feedback and be readily able to resolve conflicts should they arise. Teachers should be able to actively scaffold their students, knowing when their support is needed and that it should gradually be withdraw. Students in order to successfully achieve their objectives in groups must appreciate the benefits of group work. They must have a clear understanding of the desired objective and the sub-task requirement to successfully achieve the objective. They must be able to actively and reflectively listen to each other and utilize creativity and objectivity to work positively together. In so doing they will learn to foster positive work attitudes with others, thereby improving on their interpersonal skills as they prepare for the work world. Appendix 1 Three Constructivist Design Models [1] 1. The Learning Cycle 2. The Learning Step developed by George W. Gagnon. Jr. and Michelle Collay 3. The Information Construction (ICON) model created by Robert O. McClintock and John B. Black, and is very similar to Dillenbourg and Schneider. Appendix 2 Table 1: Forms of Cooperative Groups[2] NAME OF GROUP WHAT IS THIS? WORKS BEST FOR BENEFITS DRAWBACKS Pair-share 2 students with one problem share their ideas or questions. Each person speaks, listens, gives feedback. Content that requires discussion, reflection, or explanation. Increased engagement time, Helps those who are shy Fewer perspectives and solutions Jigsaw Each member of the small group researches one part of the question /content for a certain amount of time. The members of the group come back together. Each member teaches his/her part to the rest of the group. Content with four or five parts to research. Students gain teaching and research skills Some students feel pressured by a time limit Split-class discussion The class is split into half. Each side discusses /debates their knowledge /beliefs, etc. Debates or discussions Students may change their opinion or develop a different perspective Some students may speak less with such a large group. Random groups of 3 Class is split into groups of 3. The groups discuss the topic. Predicting what will happen, responding to a situation. Receive a variety of feedback, group members are accountable Easy to leave out or team up against a shy student or one who has a different opinion Ability/Interest/Friendship Group Students are divided into groups based on some quality that they all have in common. Creating plays/skits or an activity in which students must work together outside of class. Students can work at a pace that best suits them, students are rarely bored and often motivated It is unrealistic to find a completely homogeneous group, weaker or unpopular students may be excluded. Diversity Groups Students are formed into groups where they come from a wide variety of backgrounds, interests, etc. Exploring geography, history, and diverse lifestyles. There are many opportunities to gain different perspectives Minorities may become alienated Multi-aged groups Students are divided into groups in which there are a mixture of ages Older students teaching younger students (i.e. science experiments). Older students- there is less pressure to compete with peers, Younger students fell important that an older person is spending time with them Older students may be a bad influence; Older students may not know how to work with a younger child or an at risk student Peer-led Conferences Students prepare and lead a discussion of material with parents, instructors, students, etc. A major project in which students set up stations for several intelligences. Students get the opportunity to authentically teach, students learn self confidence. Students whose parents are inactive in the school may be alienated from those whose parents participate; some students may not be involved in interactions. Notes: These diagrams were obtained from: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/implementation_sub1.html This table was obtained from: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Cooperative_Learning#Frequently_Asked_Questions_about_Cooperative_Learning

Aaron Feuerstein Essay -- Essays Papers

Aaron Feuerstein In this paper I will discuss Aaron Feuerstein, the third-generation president and CEO of Malden Mills Industries, Inc., who leads the Lawrence, Massachusetts business with his father’s and grandfather’s values: kindness, justice and charity. He does this through his charismatic leadership and vision, which binds his employees together into realizing and achieving the same goal. I will show exactly what makes him a leader in the modern business setting and explain why a leader’s vision is important in defining a true innovator, effective manager and charismatic leader. Feuerstein and Malden Mills had a history of taking care of its employees. Workers’ salaries average $12.50 an hour compared with the textile industry’s average of $9.50. And in the 1950s, when other New England textile manufacturers fled to the South for cheaper labor, Malden Mills stayed. Although Feuerstein’s hands-on management style has always been admired by his employees, what set him apart as a true leader was a near disaster in the winter of 1996. While celebrating his 70th birthday, Feuerstein received word that his 130 year old family owned textile company in Lawrence, Massachusetts was burning to the ground. Three of its manufacturing factories that produce the popular high-end outdoor apparel knits, Polartec ® and Polarfleece ®, were reduced to charred metal and brick. While watching the fire, Feuerstein decided that he must come up with a plan to not only save his company from financial ruin, but decide the fate of over 3,100 employees th at would soon be without a job. He chose to rebuild the plant in Lawrence. He also decided that if he was to continue providing a quality product to consumers, he would have to take care of the skilled laborers who made the product. Feuerstein kept more than 1,000 jobless employees at full pay and medical benefits for three months until the factories were up and running again. What kept Feuerstein’s company at the top was his strong managing skills. A top management position requires motivation to achieve, but this motivation may be directed to achieving personal, rather than organization goals. Feuerstein believed the role to top management should be to â€Å"manage† and the most important resource they must manage is the people that work at all levels of an organization. Their role should not be "to rule", but "... .... Reduced to its essence, that means superior technology and superior employees. Reduced still further, as Aaron Feuerstein can tell you, it means superior employees. Feuerstein has laid off people for the reasons stated above, but all of these employees have been given generous severance packages that included three months of paid medical benefits as well as job training Feuerstein admits that, as owner, he has a great advantage over leaders of public firms because he answers only to himself. "But I would like to think," he says, "that the average CEO - even though they're reporting to the public and the so-called shareholder -also feels that there's a moral imperative that they must answer to as well." Bibliography: The Christian Science Monitor, ‘Corporate Decency’ Prevails at Malden Mills, Shelly Donald Coolidge, March 28, 1996 Parade, by Michael Ryan, September 6, 1996, p.4-5 Life Magazine, Josh Simon, May 5, 1997 L. Larwood, C. M. Falke, M.P. Kriger, and P. Miesing. Structure and meaning of organizational vision. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 1995, pp.740-769 Fortune, Not a Fool, Not a Saint, Thomas Teal, November 11, 1996, p.201

Essay on Earths Holocaust and The Birthmark -- Birthmark Essays

Essay on Earth's Holocaust and The Birthmark Hawthorne knew that all men are defective. Earth's Holocaust is his most striking statement of the theme, but every story and novel is based on that premise. Those who ignore human imperfection in their planning become, like Aylmer of The Birthmark, destroyers rather than creators. From his knowledge of universal depravity came and not as paradoxically as it may seem a humility and a sense of social solidarity too often lacking in our young critics of society. The society with which he was concerned was a wider society. As we have noted, his people are often ''saved'' through love for one other person. The heart is touched by love, bringing warmth, or ''reality." But the saved one does not then withdraw with his loved one in a society of the elect; he does not join a Brook Farm or a commune. He returns to the larger society, to what Lewis calls "the tribe." He is defective and incomplete-as it is defective and incomplete; he needs it as it needs him. Thus love unites Phoebe and Holgr ave, but also serves the larger social purpose of uniting two warring families, displacing hate by love and "cleansing'' a cursed house. Love for Clifford brings Hepzibah out of destructive pride and isolation into intercourse with the world. Hester is saved at the end not by the "consecration of its own" she once thought blessed her union with Dimmesdale, not by escape into ... ...ch somehow we all bear complicity, and with both joy and trouble intensifed by love, linking us to others who share in the human condition. With such distinctions, we can hardly call Hawthorne a true and complete hippie. Neither can we deny that he shared the hippies' aversions and the most essential of their desires. We can see him as relevant the word is useful if overworked even to the hippie generation. To do so we need those qualities in which he was strongest: humility to accept as equals and as like ourselves people of all classes, ages, and times, and historical imagination to see essential likeness of one time to another beneath their superficial differences. Essay on Earth's Holocaust and The Birthmark -- Birthmark Essays Essay on Earth's Holocaust and The Birthmark Hawthorne knew that all men are defective. Earth's Holocaust is his most striking statement of the theme, but every story and novel is based on that premise. Those who ignore human imperfection in their planning become, like Aylmer of The Birthmark, destroyers rather than creators. From his knowledge of universal depravity came and not as paradoxically as it may seem a humility and a sense of social solidarity too often lacking in our young critics of society. The society with which he was concerned was a wider society. As we have noted, his people are often ''saved'' through love for one other person. The heart is touched by love, bringing warmth, or ''reality." But the saved one does not then withdraw with his loved one in a society of the elect; he does not join a Brook Farm or a commune. He returns to the larger society, to what Lewis calls "the tribe." He is defective and incomplete-as it is defective and incomplete; he needs it as it needs him. Thus love unites Phoebe and Holgr ave, but also serves the larger social purpose of uniting two warring families, displacing hate by love and "cleansing'' a cursed house. Love for Clifford brings Hepzibah out of destructive pride and isolation into intercourse with the world. Hester is saved at the end not by the "consecration of its own" she once thought blessed her union with Dimmesdale, not by escape into ... ...ch somehow we all bear complicity, and with both joy and trouble intensifed by love, linking us to others who share in the human condition. With such distinctions, we can hardly call Hawthorne a true and complete hippie. Neither can we deny that he shared the hippies' aversions and the most essential of their desires. We can see him as relevant the word is useful if overworked even to the hippie generation. To do so we need those qualities in which he was strongest: humility to accept as equals and as like ourselves people of all classes, ages, and times, and historical imagination to see essential likeness of one time to another beneath their superficial differences.

Is There a Purpose of Life? Essay

Introduction Between ages, humans have metamorphosed to a different level with plethora of inventions and individual realizations, yet a universally acceptable answer to a prime question like ‘whether there is a purpose of life’ still remains as elusive as it had always been. Even the scientists too evade this question by saying â€Å"science can only answer ‘how’ rather than ‘why'† (Meaning, 2008). This state of affairs has divided three schools of thought – one, who says there is no purpose of life, two, who refutes the claims of the former and the third, who stays away from this debate. Thus this essay explores the views of the first and second schools of thought before coming to its own conclusion. There is No purpose of life. People who believe there is no purpose of life stress on objective evidence to build their premise. Since there is no concrete evidence of why life manifests in so many forms or procreates, it usually generates the inference that there is no purpose of life. There is no point in underestimating the collective intellect of the majority who find themselves clueless about what it could be the meaning and purpose of life mostly because they don’t find any. Even the in-depth analysis of life could only determine the processes, but not a valid reason behind it. After an exhaustive analysis of the question, NASA came to the conclusion that â€Å"life, all life, is the attribute of any system that is a) capable of replication, b) capable of every conversion in order to offset entropy and c) subject to the process of evolution†(Requadt, 2006) The prey-predator cycle ultimately turns to a level playing field where each living component shows its purpose as if either to utilize others or to be utilized by others. This cannot serve any clue as to why this game is going on, as the entire game is based on molecular activity at various levels, involving uncountable elements and processes under various time frames. Thus this enormity of the process itself defies any set principle to hint about any purpose behind all these. There is no tangible or universally acceptable proof that life stems from a single condensed form of power (as God or any superpower) that exists on and on even after the death of a living being. Thus the concepts like God creates living beings with a specific purpose or purposes are mere hypotheses backed by belief. Belief cannot be cited as evidence and therefore theories involving God as the creator of life also gets eliminated. The arguments placed by this school of thought clearly show that it does not allow any room to the individual human realizations regarding the purpose of life, as all humans do not certify such realization as commonplace experience substantiating the purpose of life on earth. This brings up one point to the fore – that the difference among humans in cognitive plane prevents them to achieve or align same kind of realization or understanding about life or its purpose and thus this school of thought indemnifies only the findings on the objective level. However, this seems too one-sided, because the significance of subjectivity in this issue is extremely important. There is Purpose of Life The other school of thought that admits about life having some purpose chooses to define it as something beyond ordinary comprehension and is â€Å"far greater than personal fulfillment† (Warren, 2004). This school relies on the model of superpower having its own purpose running behind creation and maintenance of the flow of life on earth. This school of thought recognizes individual experiences on cognitive plane and uses that to substantiate their claim while arguing about the limitation of humans or other living beings to capture the ‘big picture’ from objective angle. It is true that there is no dearth of instances that defies earthly logic, as for example, some accurate predictions done by individuals or someone claiming to receive some idea in dream or experiencing strange feelings that indicates the existence of a superpower. Discussion Since it is admitted that there are evidences regarding human inability to explain all the happenings on earth, it would be fair to say that if an issue (purpose of life) remains unresolved for so long, then it definitely hints at the inadequacy of knowledge that tries to define it. There is a distinct difference in analyzing a subject with limited range of knowledge (which is usually considered as rationality) and discovering or realizing something on cognitive plane. As for example, the purpose of life from the biological perspective is explicit; that it wants to maintain the identity of the form it takes (Luisi, 2008), though gradually metamorphosing to the tune of evolution. While this trait also takes place on the temporal plane of humans it cannot be explicit like its counterpart, as this development is intangible, where an individual reaches a new plane of realization on his/her own. While it is true that the individual account of any realization cannot be taken as a proof of the idea it presents, it cannot be ignored either. Then that would defy the process of development, which is evidenced by numerous human inventions that were initially considered as wild imagination of the individuals. However, individual account of any new experience on the cognitive plane is hard to inject into another individual to get the same result, mostly because of the difference in cognitive ability and consequently the great divide among individual perception on anything persists all along. Therefore, sporadic individual accounts of certain realization about the possible purpose of life, such as the accounts of some acknowledged great human beings who repeatedly told about a unique of discovery of our life’s connection with one supreme power, cannot settle the issue for once and all. As for example if someone says â€Å"the purpose of life is to recreate yourself anew in the highest version of the grandest vision you ever had about yourself† (Walsch, 1996), some will believe it, some will refute it and some will refrain from commenting on it. However, â€Å"not believing that there is a purpose of life will not prevent one from discovering it† (How to, 2008). Conclusion Primarily the question of whether there is any purpose of life commands the answer from the depth of perception about life. The above discussion clearly shows that the difference in cognitive abilities prevents humans to align their ideas about the purpose of life. While that seems disappointing, the increasing trend of overall temporal refinement among humans shows promise to settle this issue someday, as imagination and realization both command higher processing ability of   all possible inputs including he ones that even defy the reference frame of the living beings of the earth – that is, the reference frame of light. Over all it seems the discovery of the purpose of life depends on further manifestation of consciousness among humans or among the major part of them to establish it as a proven conclusion. References â€Å"Is there a real meaning and purpose to life?† Web document. Retrieved 2 April 2008,   Ã‚   from http://guide.gospelcom.net/resources/meaning.php â€Å"How to discover your life purpose in about 20 minutes†. Web document. Retrieved 2 April 2008, from http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/01/how-to-discover-your-life-purpose-in-about-20-minutes/ Luisi, L. P. (2008). â€Å"Does Science See A Purpose In Life?† Web article. Retrieved 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   April 2008, from http://www.cts.cuni.cz/conf98/luisi.htm Requadt, W.E. 2006. â€Å"The Meaning of Life†. Book excerpt. Retrieved 2 April,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008, from http://www.rationality.net/meaning.htm Walsch, N. D. (1996).   Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue. Putnam Adult,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1st edition. Warren, R. (2004). â€Å"Purpose Driven Life†. Zondervan Michigan, USA. Book excerpt.      Retrieved 2 April 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://pddocs.purposedriven.com:8088/docs/pdl/samplechapters/woeaihf.pdf