Knowledge Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knowledge Management - Research Paper Example These multinational managers can design their management systems in such a way that they are interlinked and hence whatever information a manager in one part of the globe posts in the system, it can be accessed by other managers in that corporation. This management system should however be coded in order to avoid the information being disclosed to other personnel other than managers without authority from the managers hence maintaining the privacy of the multinational corporation. The organization structures that facilitate knowledge include the worldwide product systems, the matrix structure and also the divisional structure. The global matrix structure however is the most effective because it allows for decentralization of information to the different geographical areas of a multinational organization. This therefore ensures that all the different employees and managers working for the corporation will have access to crucial information about their corporation due to the knowledge management system facilitated by the organizational structure (Claver-Cortes, Pertusa-Ortega and Molina-Azorin, 2012). One of the benefits is the communication effectiveness in all the branches of the multinational company with minimum expenditure. There is also guarantee of inclusiveness and participation by all the employees and managers in the company’s activities and decision making despite the distance and without others being left behind. Effective knowledge management system also ensures synchrony in the company and this fosters achievement of the company’s goals and objectives (Sedera and Gable, 2010). Claver-Cortes, E., Pertusa-Ortega, E. and Molina-Azorin, J. (July, 2012). â€Å"Characteristics of organizational structure relating to hybrid strategy: Implications for performance.† Journal of Business Research, vol. 65 (7), pp.

Negative Effects of Pornography Essay Example for Free

Negative Effects of Pornography Essay According to research by Malumuth, men who fit the rapist’s profile report more sexually coercive behavior in the past and more sexually aggressive intentions for the future than do men who do not fit this profile, Men who fit the rapists profile are also more likely than other men to have high levels of arousal in response to violent pornography. The Family and Pornography -Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives. Wives notice and are upset by the difference. -Pornography use is a pathway to infidelity and divorce, and is frequently a major factor in these family disasters. -Among couples affected by one spouses addiction, two-thirds experience a loss of interest in sexual intercourse. -Both spouses perceive pornography viewing as tantamount to infidelity. -Pornography viewing leads to a loss of interest in good family relations. The Individual and Pornography -Pornography is addictive, and neuroscientists are beginning to map the biological substrate of this addiction. -Users tend to become desensitized to the type of pornography they use, become bored with it, and then seek more perverse forms of pornography. -Men who view pornography regularly have a higher tolerance for abnormal sexuality, including rape, sexual aggression, and sexual promiscuity. -Prolonged consumption of pornography by men produces stronger notions of women as commodities or as sex objects. -Pornography engenders greater sexual permissiveness, which in turn leads to a greater risk of out-of-wedlock births and STDs. These, in turn, lead to still more weaknesses and debilities. Research on the effects of pornography on aggression has found that violent pornography tends to have greater immediate effects on male-to-female aggression that on male-to-male Other effects of pornography -Many adolescents who view pornography initially feel shame, diminished self-confidence, and sexual uncertainty, but these feelings quickly shift to unadulterated enjoyment with regular viewing. -The presence of sexually oriented businesses significantly harms the surrounding community, leading to increases in crime and decreases in property values. -The main defenses against pornography are close family life, a good marriage and good relations between parents and children, coupled with deliberate parental monitoring of Internet use. Traditionally, government has kept a tight lid on sexual traffic and businesses, but in matters of pornography that has waned almost completely, except where child pornography is concerned. Given the massive, deleterious individual, marital, family, and social effects of pornography, it is time for citizens, communities, and government to reconsider their laissez-faire approach. -Research demonstrates that exposure to films containing sexual violence against women results in inaccurate beliefs about rape, less sympathy toward victims of rape, and increased aggression to women. 1. Porn contributes to social and psychological problems within men Anti-pornography activist, Gail Dines, notes that round men who become addicted to porn, â€Å"neglect their schoolwork, spend huge amounts of money they don’t have, become isolated from others, and often suffer depression. Dr. William Struthers, who has a PhD is biopsychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, confirms some of these and adds more, finding that men who use porn become controlling, highly introverted, have high anxiety, narcissistic, curious, have low self-esteem, depressed, dissociative, and distractible. Ironically, while viewing porn creates momentary intensely pleasurable experiences, it ends up leading to several negative lingering psychological experiences. 2. Porn rewires the male brain As men fall deeper into the mental habit of fixating on pornographic images, the exposure to them creates neural pathways. Like a path is created in the woods with each successive hiker, so do the neural paths set the course for the next time an erotic image is viewed. Over time these neural paths become wider as they are repeatedly traveled with each exposure to pornography. They become the automatic pathway through which interactions with women are routed.. They have unknowingly created a neurological circuit that imprisons their ability to see women rightly as created in God’s image. After all, pornography works in the most basic of ways on the brain: It is Pavlovian. An orgasm is one of the biggest reinforcers imaginable. If you associate orgasm with your wife, a kiss, a scent, a body, that is what, over time, will turn you on; if you open your focus to an endless stream of ever-more-transgressive images of cybersex slaves, that is what it will take to turn you on. The ubi quity of sexual images does not free eros but dilutes it. 3. Porn turns sex into masturbation Sex becomes self-serving. It becomes about your pleasure and not the self-giving, mutually reciprocating intimacy that it was designed for. 4. Porn demeans and objectifies women This occurs from hard-core to soft-core pornography. Soft-core pornography has a very negative effect on men as well. The problem with soft-core pornography is that it’s voyeurism teaches men to view women as objects rather than to be in relationships with women as human beings. Pornography gives men the false impression that sex and pleasure are entirely divorced from relationships. In other words, pornography is inherently self-centered – something a man does by himself, for himself, by using another woman as the means to pleasure, as yet another product to consume. One experiment shows that men and women who were exposed to large amounts of pornography were significantly less likely to want daughters than those who had none. Again, it needs to be emphasized, that this is not an effect that only rests upon those who have viewed porn. The massive consumption of porn and the size of the porn industry has hypersexualized the entire culture. Men and women are born into a pornified culture, and women are the biggest losers. By inundating girls and women with the message that their most worthy attribute is their sexual hotness and crowding out other messages, pop culture is grooming them just like an individual perpetrator would. It is slowly chipping away at their self-esteem, stripping them of a sense of themselves as whole human beings, and providing them with an identity that emphasizes sex and de-emphasizes every other human attribute. 5. Porn squashes the beauty of a real naked woman For most of human history, the erotic images have been reflections of, or celebrations of, or substitutes for, real naked women. For the first time in history, the images’ power and allure have supplanted that of them. Today, real naked women are just bad porn. 6. Porn has a numbing effect upon reality It makes real sex and even the real world become boring in comparison. It particularly anesthetizes the emotional life of a man. Pornography leaves men desensitized to both outrage and to excitement, leading to an overall diminishment of feeling and eventually to dissatisfaction with the emotional tugs of everyday life. Eventually they are left with a confusing mix of supersized expectations about sex and numbed emotions about women. When a man gets bored with pornography, both his fantasy and real worlds become imbued with indifference. The real world often gets really boring. 7. Porn lies about what it means to be male and female Pornography tells a false story about men and women. In the story of porn, women are â€Å"one-dimensional† – they never say no, never get pregnant, and can’t wait to have sex with any man and please them in whatever way imaginable (or even unimaginable). On the other hand, the story porn tells about men is that they are â€Å"soulless, unfeeling, amoral life-support systems for erect penises who are entitles to use women in any way they want.† These men demonstrated zero empathy, respect, or love for the women they have sex with.

Buddhism Essay -- essays research papers

Before Buddha had started teaching, many people were ignorant of their feelings and could not understand a lot of their senses. Before Buddha, people suffered without understanding why. Buddha taught people how to release themselves from this daily suffering. They learned that the pathway to self-righteousness was bordered with the release from suffering. Buddha’s way of life has benefited the whole world because now people can choose to understand why we are suffering, and how we can be released from it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the depths of India in C.563 b.c., a child was born. His parents named him Siddartha Guatama, and it was prophesized that he would one day become a universal emperor or teacher. Siddartha’s father was a wealthy ruler of an important tribe called “shakya';1 Young Siddartha spent his early life enclosed within the walls of the palace, where he was sheltered from anything but luxury, and serenity. He was not satisfied with only material possessions. Siddartha felt like he needed something else in his life. So he pleaded to his father that he could become a follower of the polytheistic religion that was at that time the only religion in India. When his father refused, Siddartha stood in one place for days on end, until his father agreed. So Siddartha left his enclosed palace and set out on his own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not long after he started ... Buddhism Essay -- essays research papers Before Buddha had started teaching, many people were ignorant of their feelings and could not understand a lot of their senses. Before Buddha, people suffered without understanding why. Buddha taught people how to release themselves from this daily suffering. They learned that the pathway to self-righteousness was bordered with the release from suffering. Buddha’s way of life has benefited the whole world because now people can choose to understand why we are suffering, and how we can be released from it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the depths of India in C.563 b.c., a child was born. His parents named him Siddartha Guatama, and it was prophesized that he would one day become a universal emperor or teacher. Siddartha’s father was a wealthy ruler of an important tribe called “shakya';1 Young Siddartha spent his early life enclosed within the walls of the palace, where he was sheltered from anything but luxury, and serenity. He was not satisfied with only material possessions. Siddartha felt like he needed something else in his life. So he pleaded to his father that he could become a follower of the polytheistic religion that was at that time the only religion in India. When his father refused, Siddartha stood in one place for days on end, until his father agreed. So Siddartha left his enclosed palace and set out on his own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not long after he started ...

Nepalese migration to Japan

Nepal is landlocked between India and China, situated between the Himalayas. With no industrialization worth the name, its mainstay is agriculture. Its major export is labor; most of the rural households have one family member abroad and expect the inward remittances from them month after month for their livelihood. The Nepali migration to Japan is governed by the Labor Act of 1985. The armed conflicts between the forces loyal to the King and Government and Nepal and the Maoist People’s War groups, have created a fear psychology in the Country and encouraged migration. Historical & Structural contexts: The majority of the Nepalese workers in Japan hail from ethnic group designated as ‘martial races’. They are popularly known as ‘Gurkha’ soldiers. They were an important segment of the Indian and British Army. In India, even now, they are the prominent part. Nepal has a long history of migration; Nepalese migrated to the city of Lahore and joined as soldiers in the army of Sikh Ruler, Ranjit Singh. The martial aspect has now taken the form of economic criteria with the fast advancement of the modern materialistic civilization consequent to the industrial and internet revolutions. A new culture of emigration and remittance economy in rural Nepal has taken concrete shape. Migration is, mostly, an economic option now. From the cinders of the II World War, Japan’s industrial structure took an unprecedented leap. Manufacturing and construction industries created a vacuum consequent to shunning of the jobs by the Japanese workers. Economically distressed migrants from countries like Nepal, secure elevated wage levels, and that in turn accelerated the process of migration from Nepal. The subsequent living conditions, isolation, distress and discrimination added to their woes, but the offsetting factor was the financial rewards. As for the women immigrant workers, Japan’s share is 9%. Most of them work in the service sectors or as domestic helps. Push –Pull factors: Economic agents are responsible for the homogenous optimizing behavior as for various theories of migration. In contrast, â€Å"Lipton assumes heterogeneity of group behavior – rich persons optimize whereas poor persons are more reactive than proactive. Hence, the migratory decisions of the rural poor are more likely to be influenced by push factors while pull factors more likely apply to the rural rich.†(Asian, 2000†¦) To some extent the conditions obtaining in the migration scene in Nepal today in relation to Japan, gives credence to Lipton’s hypotheses as for migratory and remitting behavior of both poor and rich families. Socio-economic differentials are one of the important factors for migration determinants. Globalization has worked wonders in all the segments related to human beings. For economies and individuals who possess mobile capital and knowledge, it has proved to be a boon. But the conditions of the less educated workers have remained the same, as their options are limited. The bargaining power of the employers is in tact, if anything it has increased because of their capacity to adopt latest technology, with less labor requirements, outsourcing and moving elsewhere. The labor migration, both short term and long term, to countries like Japan from Nepal has adverse effects on account of this development. Network and social capital: Indian sub-continent was the traditional destination for the migration of the Nepalese labor, but with the passage of Labor Act of 1985, countries like Japan became the much sought after destinations.   The trade unions also began to show interest in the welfare and working conditions of the overseas workers. â€Å"Foreign labor migration from Nepal is still largely a privately organized affair in which individuals make use of their own personal networks or make arrangements through a number of private, government-registered manpower or recruitment agencies.†(Seddon, 2005). As for Southeast Asia, the popular destination at that time was Japan. Immigration then was not legal, the repatriation incidents occurred often, but the reward for the lucky ones who stayed on was high. The wages were 10 times the average wage in Nepal. The remittances from Japan to Nepal recorded a steep increase. This further kindled the curiosity and enthusiasm of the rural folks of Nepal, both men and women to migrate. â€Å"The implications of this situation are far-reaching for Nepal as a whole, for the structure and dynamics of regional and local economy and society, and — perhaps most of all — for households and individuals all over the country, both those directly involved in foreign labor migration and those left behind.†(Seddon, 2005) Labor migration increases unity of the countries of sending and receiving migrants. Migration serves useful purposes for both the countries. It is the twice-blessed concept. It blesses those who receive, and those who give. The reality behind this poetic comparison is that the two ethnic groups have to come to terms for a happy living. Legal citizenship is one thing. The actual assimilation and the willing acceptance from the local society is another thing. The development of commonality is a slow process. To oppress the minority and obliterate the differences is not a welcome procedure and the consequences will be bitter. History has enough examples of such disastrous failures. Historical conditions and the related racial stigma, will not get obliterated easily. References Cited: Article: ASIAN AND PACIFIC MIGRATION JOURNAL, 1999,2000..www.cicred.org/rdr/rdr_uni/revue101-102/101-101-102.html – 26k – Retrieved on October 2, 2007 Seddon, David-Article: Nepal’s Dependence on Exporting Labor, January 2005-Migration Information Source www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=277 – 35k –   Retrieved on October 2, 2007         

“Lolita” by Vladymir Nabokov Essay

The relationship between Humbert Humbert and Lolita, is highly undefined. Many readers who have read Lolita find it to be based on â€Å"lust†, while others find Humbert to truly be in â€Å"love† with his Lolita. However, there is evidence that Humbert’s desire for Lolita is based on some obsessive-compulsive behavior which he cannot control, and therefore keeps returning for her. Humbert’s obsessions can be clearly recognized in his behaviors when looked upon in H. R. Beech’s Obsessional States and Andrew Brink’s Obsession and Culture: A Study of Sexual Obsession in Modern Fiction’s perception of what obsession is. Humbert’s obsessional tendencies are displayed in many passages through his descriptive word choices and his over bearing personality, such as when he describes Lolita after returning from camp to be, â€Å"†¦all rose and honey, ressed in her brightest gingham, with a pattern of little red apples,†¦with s cratches like tiny dotted lines of coagulated rubies, and the ribbed cuffs of her white socks were turned down.† Obsession can be a difficult subject because there is not a finite definition of what obsession really is. Who determines what obsession is? When does deep admiration pass and obsession begin? According to S. Jack Rachman â€Å"an obsession is an intrusive, repetitive thought, image, or impulse that is unacceptable or unwanted and gives rise to subjective resistance† (2). Furthermore, Andrew Brink states that â€Å"†¦the popular meaning of the term obsession, including the new verb ‘to obsess,’ which means to be persistently preoccupied about something, usually in an unsatisfactory relationship† (195). These similar definitions are important when looking at Humbert’s actions because his actions are perceived by these qualities. First, Brink argues that most people have an obsessional defense, and this defense is brought out of men due to their fear of women. More specifically, this defense mechanism is explained as the â€Å"internalization of bipolar impulses to both accept and reject the same attachment object†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (195). He further describes it as â€Å"†¦a defense in which the internalized mother is split into accepting and rejecting aspects by which the person gains quasi-independence from her by identifying with her.† (Nabokov, 112) This conception is demonstrated in Humbert’s relationship with Charolette Haze.  By Humbert describing Charlotte upon there first meeting with â€Å"the poor lady in her middle thirties, she had a shiny forehead, plucked eyebrows and quite simple†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nabokov, 37) Furthermore, Humbert states, â€Å"Had Charlotte been Valaria, I would have known how to handle the situation by merely twisting fat Valechka’s brittle wrist but anything of the sort in regard to Charlotte was unthinkable† (83) as a way of letting the reader understand his sense of fear, his lack of control, and his desperation to regain his feeling of control. In hopes of regaining his lost sense of control Humbert plots to kill Charlotte; with out her in his way Lolita would be his, and he would have full control over her. However, Humbert never went through with his scheme for the mere reason, â€Å"poets never kill† (Nabokov, 88) In accordance to Brink’s definition of obsession, Humbert seems to fall elusively into obsessional defense in the sense that obsessive men’s fear of women also manifests itself as control (196) Humbert’s tendency to be controlling throughout the novel leads the reader to believe he is obsessive. Throughout the novel Humbert remains in control most of the time, not only in control of the characters, but also in control of the readers. For example, Humbert tries to control the reader by making them believe his side of the story to be true: â€Å"Frigid gentlewomen of the jury!†¦I am going to tell you something very strange: it was she who seduced me† (Nabokov, 132). Humbert also tries to influence the therapists, stating, â€Å"I discovered there was an endless source of robust enjoyment in trifling with psychiatrists: cunningly leading them on; never letting them see that you know all the tricks of the trade; inventing for all them elaborate dreams,†¦teasing them with fake â€Å"primal scenes†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  (34). Brink, commenting on this scene stated â€Å"the sadistic, controlling intent of this statement of knowing better than the therapist is typical of obsessional patients†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (102). Humbert has this need to feel he is in complete control. When the control is lost, a desire to retain his sense of dominance can overcome him. This is best presented to the reader as Humbert kills Quilty near the end of the novel. Although previously not taking the opportunity to kill Charlotte, Humbert has already lost his control over Lolita, his love, and therefore finds killing Quilty as a way of having some sort of control recuperated. Walking through Quilty’s house, previous to murdering him,  Humbert locked as many doors as he could, controlling where Quilty could retreat to. (Nabokov, 294) However, after the murder, while swerving back and forth along the road, Humbert is stopped by the police, and at that point gives up full control for insanity. (306-307) And therefore, upon los ing control it is discovered Humbert truly is obsessive. Humbert’s obsessiveness is also conveyed through the words he uses, and the descriptions he gives; his language conveys obsession. For instance, after Humbert’s first sexual encounter with Lolita he describes her as â€Å"brown, naked, frail Lo, her narrow white buttocks to me, her sulky face to a door mirror, stood arms a akimbo, feet (in new slippers with pussy-fur tops) wide apart†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Nabokov, 137-138). By remembering such detail while in jail years after the incident it seems quite clear that Humbert had an obsessive nature. This is also conveyed when he describes Lolita as â€Å"naked, except for one sock and her charm bracelet, a velvet hair ribbon was still clutched in her hand; her honey-brown body, with the white negative image of a rudimentary swimsuit patterned against her tan† (125). Lolita is a very complicated novel to analyze due to the many interpretations made by different individuals. However, it is apparent that Humbert was suffering from some sort of obsessive disorder. It is apparent merely in what Humbert talks about and how he says it. There are few instances in the novel where Humbert is not speaking about Lolita or fascinating about having absolute domination over nymphets.

Human Rights and Refugees essay

Human Rights and Refugees essay Human Rights and Refugees essay Human Rights and Refugees essayThe current research proposal focuses on the analysis of the current situation in the refugee policy in Brazil compared to the general policies and practices applied to refugees internationally. The research proposal aims at the revelation of specificities of policies conducted by Brazil in relation to refugees and the integration of refugees into local communities in Brazil2 Objectives of the local integration projectThe major objectives of the local integration project is the integration of refugees arriving to the country, namely Brazil, into local communities, where they can start their normal social life.Local integration as a durable solution combines three dimensions:Firstly, it is a legal process, whereby refugees attain a wider range of rights in the host state.Secondly, it is an economic process of establishing sustainable livelihoods and a standard of living comparable to the host community.Thirdly, it is a social and cultural process of adap tation and acceptance that enables the refugees to contribute to the social life of the host country and live without fear of discrimination3 MethodologyThe current study will involve experts and professionals working in Brazilian government agencies, especially those responsible for immigration policies in Brazil. Experts involved in the study should have profound knowledge and understanding of refugee policies and practices at the international and local level, preferably with the experience of working in Brazil. Professionals working in government agencies should also be qualified and have sufficient experience to provide the competent information on the current refugee policies conducted by Brazil.4 General observations in relation to integration of refugees in Brazil  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.1 National integration policy and international cooperationThe national integration policy is crucial for the integration of refugees into local communities. Countries are normally expected to int egrate refugees, who are seeking asylum on their territories. The international cooperation is essential for effective refugees policies because refugees have to move internationally and, even if the target country refuses from providing them with the refugee status, the country should not expose their life and health or those of their relatives to threat extraditing them to their home countries.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.2 Respect of refugees’ rights and access to informationThe country conducting refugee policies should respect refugees’ rights and provide them with the access to information on their rights and liberties.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.3 Language skillsAs a rule, refugees have poor language skills and may need the assistance of interpreter to maintain their communication with the authorities. The further integration of refugees normally involves language courses and development of basic language skills to facilitate the integration of refugees into local communities.     Ã‚  Ã‚   4.4 Resettlement needsRefugees face urgent resettlement needs because, as a rule, they arrive to the country, where they seek asylum without property and little, if any, money. In such a situation, the government or NGOs should provide refugees with assistance to help them resettle and start a new life in the new country.5 Country specific analysis and recommendations to Brazil  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.1 IntroductionAt the moment, Brazil is one of the target destinations for refugees in Latin America. A large part of refugees arriving to Brazil are of Latin America origin as they flee from wars, political prosecutions, and violation of their basic human rights in their home countries. However, as a rule, refugees flee to Brazil in search of asylum to save their life and health or those of their family members. Refugees also arrive from Africa and Asia.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.2 Legislation and documentsRefugees should have travelling visas to travel to Brazil, where they can claim f or asylum, while the decision on their status and further extradition or providing them with the refugee status is taken by the local authorities.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.3 Educational qualifications of refugeesAs a rule, the educational qualification of refugees arriving to Brazil is low. They are either semi- or low-qualified employees working in agricultural sector mainly, although there are cases when well-qualified refugees may flee to Brazil, especially in case of political repressions in their home countries.5.4 Employment and employment servicesEmployment is a challenge for refugees in Brazil. As they have the low qualification they face the tight competition from the part of local employees. In addition, they may have poor language skills that deteriorates their competitive position in the labor market. Cultural differences between refugees and local communities can cause communication gaps. Therefore, they may have difficulties with employment and they need the assistance of emp loyment services in Brazil.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.5 HousingRefugees face the housing problem because they have no real estate in Brazil and they do not have money to purchase or even hire dwelling. Hence, either the government or NGOs should provide them with the assistance to support for certain period until they get an opportunity to hire or buy their own dwelling.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.6 Social benefits and pensionsOften, refugees are deprived of social benefits and pensions that Brazilian citizens can benefit from. In such situation, the government assistance and support from the part of NGOs becomes crucial for them.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.7 HealthSimilarly to social benefits, health care services are also costly and often unavailable to refugees because they cannot cover costs of health care services. Therefore they rely heavily on the government support and NGOs, which can assist them providing them with basic health care services.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.8 Legal counseling and capacity of NGOs As refugees seek for asylum in Brazil, they arrive to the country being unaware of specificities of the local legislation, especially refugee and immigration legislation. They are even unaware of their basic human rights and liberties, which they can exercise in Brazil. Hence, they need legal counseling and NGOs often provide them with such services.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.9 Naturalization procedures/ citizenshipThe naturalization procedures and obtaining of citizenship in Brazil is complex but easier compared to well-developed countries, such as the US or Canada, for instance. On the other hand, Brazil cannot always afford providing asylum for refugees because of the lack of financial resources and funding of refugee programs.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.10 Local community relationsRefugees in Brazil may face problems with local communities because they are outsiders and they need time and efforts to adapt to the life in the new socio-cultural environment, while many local community members view refugees as rivals in gaining social benefits granted by the government and rivals in the local labor market. In addition, the lack of language competence and cultural differences may create communication gaps but the local population is basically tolerant to refugees and immigrants.6 ConclusionThe current situation in Brazil needs the detailed study of refugee policies because refugees have multiple needs, which the local authorities and NGOs cannot always meet.

3 Major Changes Happening in Retail in 5 Years

3 Major Changes Happening in Retail in 5 Years Are you currently employed in a retail position or looking to find one? If so, and you’re in it for the long haul, you can expect to encounter some big changes across the industry in the next several years. This is due to a variety of factors- from technological innovation that’s reshaping how consumers purchase products, to changes in the global economy and individual spending habits. 1. Basic Industry TrendsHere are some of the basic trends that are expected in retail over the next several years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:Retail employment is projected to grow at a rate of 2 percent. This is slower than average, but opportunities will be available, largely due to the high employment turnover that’s characteristic of the industry.The greatest concentration of retail employment will be on the east and west coasts of the United States; the states with the highest employment levels will likely be California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois. Places with the highest annual mean retail wages will likely be the District of Columbia, Washington, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.Industries with the highest levels of retail employment will likely be general merchandising stores, clothing stores, building supplies dealers, sporting goods and hobby shops, and car dealerships.2. Changes in Hiring ProceduresDo your memories regarding the retail positions you’ve held throughout your career involve walking into various stores, completing paper applications, and submitting it to an employee or manager? If so, then you can expect to notice a change in how hiring is done over the next few years. Expect the slow, old â€Å"paper and pen† application process, which often meant weeks of waiting for a response while mountains of applications were reviewed, to be replaced by a more computerized and efficient hiring process- from applying to onboarding and everything in between.Many of the components of hiring are b eing automated and shifting to computers, allowing for a faster turnaround time. Savvy and progressive-minded companies are realizing that satisfied and well-adjusted employees (from day one, when they’re still candidates) are crucial to their success, and are focusing on improving the â€Å"candidate experience,† which means making the hiring process as easy, transparent, and confusion-free as possible. Some are even embracing artificial intelligence (AI) tools to screen candidates and keep them updated throughout the hiring process faster and better than ever before. The ultimate goal here is for companies to attract and retain the best available talent to staff their teams, which will ultimately benefit their bottom lines and long-term success.3. Growth in E-CommerceThe shift in consumer purchasing and spending habits from brick and mortar stores to online shopping is undeniable- and has impacted every aspect of the retail sector, including job opportunities. As mor e people choose to shop online, expect to see less of a need for physical stores to connect with customers. As a result, we can expect to see a portion of the retail staffing needs of companies shift from in-store employment to online positions, including customer support, warehousing and inventory tasks, and more.Therefore, tech-savvy candidates with computer skills under their belts will likely have the best chances of obtaining the retail jobs of the future. If this sounds like you then you should be in good shape, but if your computer skills need some work then it might be a worthwhile investment to get them up to speed.There it is- a glimpse at some of the changes that you can expect to see in retail hiring and employment over the next 5 years. Use this information to help you prepare for the retail world of the future, and avoid any big surprises. Good luck!

A Look at Shakespeares 154 Sonnets

A Look at Shakespeare's 154 Sonnets Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, which were collected and published posthumously in 1609. Many critics segment the sonnets into three groups: The Fair Youth Sonnets (Sonnets 1 – 126)The first group of sonnets are addressed to a young man with whom the poet has a deep friendship.The Dark Lady Sonnets (Sonnets 127 – 152)In the second sequence, the poet becomes infatuated with a mysterious woman. Her relationship with the young man is unclear.The Greek Sonnets (Sonnets 153 and 154)The final two sonnets are very different and draw upon the Roman myth of Cupid, to whom the poet has already compared his muses. Other Groupings Other scholars lump the Greek Sonnets with the Dark Lady Sonnets  and call out a different cluster (Nos. 78 to 86) as the Rival Poet Sonnets. This approach treats the subjects of the sonnets as characters  and invites ongoing questions among scholars about the degree to which the sonnets may or may not have been autobiographical. Controversies Although its generally accepted that Shakespeare wrote the sonnets, historians question certain aspects of how the sonnets came to print. In 1609, Thomas Thorpe published  Shakes-Peares Sonnets; the book, however, contains a dedication by T.T. (presumably Thorpe) that confounds scholars as to the identity of whom the book was dedicated, and whether the Mr. W.H. in the dedication may be the muse for the Fair Youth Sonnets. The dedication in Thorpes book, if it had been written by the publisher, may imply that Shakespeare himself did not authorize their publication. If this theory is true, its possible that the 154 sonnets we know today dont constitute the totality of Shakespeares work.

Female delinquency in sociology and criminology Essay

Female delinquency in sociology and criminology - Essay Example The women's movement has caused assertiveness and was said to encourage young women to adopt certain "male behaviors" such as drinking, stealing, and fighting. The social and environmental risk factors also contributed to the increase in female delinquency. The study by Lind & Shelden in 1998, as cited by Weiler revealed that the interaction of social class, race, ethnicity, and culture cause young women to behave violently (65). The research showed that girls from low-income families seek recognition by adopting a "bad girl" image because of their disappointment of not being able to attain a college degree. Furthermore, in a study by Artz, he showed that a girl’s poor school performance increases their risk of violence and delinquency, more than boys (66). In the same study, Art also found out that women jailed for crimes as compared with their male counterparts, usually are victims of previous sexual or physical abuse. In conclusion, although there is an increase in female d elinquency over the past few years, one can still say that in general, girls are still less delinquent than boys because of their nurturing qualities. It can be observed however, that social and environmental factors contribute a lot to female delinquency.

Journal Project (Art and the Unconcious) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Journal Project (Art and the Unconcious) - Essay Example The message has a deep meaning and most of the times, it carries a warning for a person who is dreaming. According to Sigmund Freud, dreams are the creation of the unconscious mind and it is through the dreams that the unconscious mind tries to tell the person that there is some important aspect about the life that he is not dealing with (Gamwell, 2000, p.19). Hence, dreams and nightmares are wake up calls from the unconscious asking the human being not to suppress the reality, but to face it by expressing it. I remember a time in my life when I was haunted by a dream sequence regularly. It was a struggling period of my life. I was going through a problem in my personal relationship and was not taking a decision. The relationship was working negatively for me and was causing immense stress and misery in all aspects of my life. Even after suggestions from my friends to get out the relationship, I was somehow avoiding the decision. The nightmares I had were regular. My dream sequence was very confusing and still, very vivid. I dreamt that I was in a deserted building. There was a open lift hanging loosely and to get to the ground floor, I had to get into it and then go down. Also, the lift was little far from the podium. The lift was moving and the lift doors had no handles. But somehow I got into the lift by jumping into it and with lot of efforts, balanced myself. The lift was huge and was moving from left to right. The lift started going to the ground floor. It was going fine but suddenly the lift stopped and started swinging from left to right violently. I was scared and in that moment a pair long hands(kind of a super hero) came in from somewhere and hugged me and the next thing

Amadeus the Film Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Amadeus the Film - Movie Review Example The atrocities of the royal couple in France are well - known. Marie apparently influenced Joseph to keep a strict control on any art and culture developments in Austria, which might turn subversive. These facts seep casually into the narrative through Joseph II's dialogues. An otherwise liberal man, Joseph had an Italian triumvirate to advise him on 'proper' entertainment. Salieri was part of this trio. The handful of musicians and artists who enjoyed royal patronage stayed on the right side of royalty and composed pieces in Italian that very few understood, eschewed ballet as debauched and favored themes that would offend no one and cause no one to think. The film shows this beautifully, through skillfully chosen characters, their pompous stance and carefully cultivated expressions. It was in this atmosphere that Wolfgang arrived in Vienna, freshly banished by the Archbishop at Salzburg. Unrepentant and arrogant, he did not believe he had any rivals. He was simply the best while others composed rubbish. Mozart is the polar opposite of a serious composer. The audacious Amadeus and his artless wife giggled their way through mindless entertainment, were very bad debtors and yet had a strange dignity about them; there was self belief and belief in each other. Constanza took in her stride her husband's lack of practical sense, gently coaxed and cajoled him into doing things to earn money, was ready to trade her body for a night to buy him a tutorship to royalty, but was impractical enough to estrange a concerned and well-heeled father in law. Of course, the movie has taken liberties with facts, for instance, Mozart's sister Nannerl, who was actually quite an influence on him is completely done away with, as are the many children that Mozart and Constanza had. Retain ing them in the story would have underscored the pathos of his isolation and gradual slide into drunken desperation. However, none of this prevents him from composing brilliantly. One of his first commissions was to write the score for an opera - a Turkish folk story set in a harem (Mozart's choice of subject) in German (the emperor's choice of language). The turca-allegro form uses sopranos for the fun element and a heavily textured orchestra. This was the first of many deviations that Mozart would insist on. The film, which opens with one of his famous tutti with a signature tremolo and a heavy orchestra scores, is peppered with snatches of his work -the conventional chamber music to entertain the royal family, writing Masses and so on. They are rightly not mentioned prominently because of their huge numbers; but they are representative of Mozart's style of playing upon a single note or phrase before launching into symphony. The movie gives music lovers and aficionados a delicious slice of the music of the classical era through Mozart's pieces. Both the sonata allegro and the sonata rondo are in evidence. The Marriage of Figaro is trademark Mozart - rich in notes, too much for the untutored Viennese public to take. The emperor famously remarked that it had too many notes to which Mozart had made the equally famous reply that it had not one note too many and had gone on to audaciously ask -which would you have me remove, superbly establishing himself as the master of his craft . Figaro, with it risqu Italian intrigue was originally rejected as subject (apparently it had caused unrest against the royalty in France) but later allowed. The same fate met the ballet in the marriage

Art history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art history - Essay Example According to Hamilton, Richard Foster and Martin (35), pop art became so dominant and popular in London and New York in the mid 50s, the same time Richard made this painting. Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait (Northern Renaissance) on the other hand, is a proof of the coming and birth of contemporary fashion as suggested by the woman in the portrait who is holding high her brightly colored dress. â€Å"The Arnolfini is filled with complex symbolism and interesting details,† (Seidel and Linda 21). Evidently, Jan’s painting is a Flemish painting from the bright colors used as it is commonly associated with the renaissance, which usually means re-birth. Re-birth was started in Florence and Italy, the same place where the particular painting is based on. The painting was done in 1434 by Jan van Eyck as one of the pioneers of oil painting. In Italy there are a lot of details of wealth from the same place like the rare species of the dog present in the painting, the wealthy clothes and the gleaming brass chandelier on the wall. The ornate Latin signature on the wall near the clock also has some resemblance of the modern day graffiti, which proves more of the birth of contemporary culture. There are several differences between Richard’s painting, â€Å"just what is it that makes today’s homes so appealing?† and Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait in that, Richards painting is a true depiction of modern pop art with modern true day to day life among people like the free and liberal partnership between man and woman as depicted in the picture .Richard’s painting also narrows down the difference between fine and contemporary art while Jan’s painting depicts marriage, fidelity ,and wealth of the fourteenth century as mentioned by Bedaux and Ben( 43) These paintings are similar in style, in that they are bold, colorful interesting to look at and catchy. However, Richard’s

Real GDP Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Real GDP - Coursework Example The overall macroeconomic picture of United Kingdom looks quite bright as the country remained successful in increasing the real GDP growth until 2008 recession which hit the country hard and after almost two decades, the country experienced negative growth in terms of real GDP. Before this recent negative growth rate in GDP, the country in question experienced negative growth in real GDP in 1991 once again due to economic recessionary period. The above chart shows the performance of real GDP of United Kingdom. As it can be seen quite clearly that the country managed a sustainable increase in the real GDP especially experience high growth in the period of 1980-90, but the real GDP showed disappointing results just after 90’s. After the 1993, the country again started to climb highly in terms of real GDP till 2008 recession. Since 2008 recession, the country’s real GDP growth is the slowest in the past 40 years.  Ã‚  Real GDP per capita of United Kingdom has also remai ned increasingly stable even though the population of United Kingdom has also increased. But the country has managed to cover the effect of population increase as well as increased the real GDP alone. In a nutshell, the real GDP per capita of United Kingdom increased in almost in the same manner as that of total real GDP even though the real GDP per capita also incorporated the increasing impact of population. The above chart represents the overall performance of real GDP per capita of United Kingdom. It can be noticed that there are slight downfalls in the curve but the overall curve possesses an increasing trend until the 2008 recessionary period. Since then, the real GDP per capita is on a declining trend mainly due to decrease in the total real GDP supported by the increase in the population. The percentage growth rates for real GDP and real GDP per capita have also been calculated. It can also be observed that growth rate of real GDP has experienced an increasing trend in the p eriod of 1970 – 2009 with the exceptions of initial few year of 70’s, 1991 and lastly 2008. In those mentioned years the macroeconomic growth of United Kingdom remained negative due to the economic depression all around the world. Similar patterns can also be observed with real GDP per capita of United Kingdom in the period in question. Real GDP per capita seems to track its origin i.e. real GDP and followed it almost every year. It can be summarized the United Kingdom has been well above the positive real GDP in the past 40 years which is a good indicator of its overall macroeconomic progress.

Who represents us Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Who represents us - Research Paper Example This would end any need for private insurance to cater for medical expenses. The national system would be funded by the taxpayer, meaning that Americans will collectively ensure a functional medical system to all citizens alike. The healthcare system will not be expensive as it may be seen from the outset. As it is, the system will eliminate the private insurance companies that currently offer medical insurance, which means the companies’ administrative overheads and the overall cost of healthcare will reduce significantly. This will enable that everyone in the United States will have access to any medical services he or she needs with much ease. This is good news to everyone alike since there will be no more constraints as they are now experienced especially by the poor who are unable to access quality medical care whenever they need it. I believe the right to access medical care is fundamental and no one should be denied. It is in line with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that should be enjoyed by all within the American territory. My elected official in the House of Representatives at the federal level supports the bill. He has been a champion for health care reform in the house for quite some time now. He is a member of the house committee on health and has, therefore, dealt with many matters that concern health care in the United States. Even though he supports the bill, he is of the opinion that it should be modified further to remove some of the clauses and include others. Even then, he agrees that the bill will reform the healthcare system in the United States, since the proposed system of health care in the bill is better than the current system. Talking about the current system, the representative views the current system as overly inefficient and burdensome to persons with low income who cannot afford the medical insurance. The representative prefers the bill over the other

Real GDP Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Real GDP - Coursework Example The overall macroeconomic picture of United Kingdom looks quite bright as the country remained successful in increasing the real GDP growth until 2008 recession which hit the country hard and after almost two decades, the country experienced negative growth in terms of real GDP. Before this recent negative growth rate in GDP, the country in question experienced negative growth in real GDP in 1991 once again due to economic recessionary period. The above chart shows the performance of real GDP of United Kingdom. As it can be seen quite clearly that the country managed a sustainable increase in the real GDP especially experience high growth in the period of 1980-90, but the real GDP showed disappointing results just after 90’s. After the 1993, the country again started to climb highly in terms of real GDP till 2008 recession. Since 2008 recession, the country’s real GDP growth is the slowest in the past 40 years.  Ã‚  Real GDP per capita of United Kingdom has also remai ned increasingly stable even though the population of United Kingdom has also increased. But the country has managed to cover the effect of population increase as well as increased the real GDP alone. In a nutshell, the real GDP per capita of United Kingdom increased in almost in the same manner as that of total real GDP even though the real GDP per capita also incorporated the increasing impact of population. The above chart represents the overall performance of real GDP per capita of United Kingdom. It can be noticed that there are slight downfalls in the curve but the overall curve possesses an increasing trend until the 2008 recessionary period. Since then, the real GDP per capita is on a declining trend mainly due to decrease in the total real GDP supported by the increase in the population. The percentage growth rates for real GDP and real GDP per capita have also been calculated. It can also be observed that growth rate of real GDP has experienced an increasing trend in the p eriod of 1970 – 2009 with the exceptions of initial few year of 70’s, 1991 and lastly 2008. In those mentioned years the macroeconomic growth of United Kingdom remained negative due to the economic depression all around the world. Similar patterns can also be observed with real GDP per capita of United Kingdom in the period in question. Real GDP per capita seems to track its origin i.e. real GDP and followed it almost every year. It can be summarized the United Kingdom has been well above the positive real GDP in the past 40 years which is a good indicator of its overall macroeconomic progress.

Find a Frame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Find a Frame - Essay Example In the last few days, people from around the country gathered in SANFORD city like migrant birds to witness the verdict. Although, the majority believed Zimmerman was guilty and were expecting a justice through his prosecution, they were also aware of the lack of evidences in the case that could be sufficient to prove that Zimmerman was guilty. So, after the verdict was announced, the protesters outside the courtyard were stunned in silence but were not surprised. Since then, several protest march and rallies are being held all around the country including the New York City. Known figures from different backgrounds in the country are coming up with their reactions including the president of United States, Barack Obama. The president of NAACP, Benjamin Todd Jealous have started a petition appealing for Federal charges. The five week trial of Zimmerman was held in Florida, the same city where Trayvon was killed. More than 50 witnesses were testified during the trial and every moment of the final day was nationally televised and reported by media. Under Florida law, jurors were asked to decide whether Zimmerman had justified reasons to use the deadly force in a circumstance that could bring him death or other heavy bodily harm. With the lack of proper evidences and poor deliveries of the witnesses, Zimmerman was acquitted from the charge based on the ground of self defense in extreme situation. Over the three weeks of testimony jurors received several conflicting evidences that caused the case drawing everyone’s concern towards it. On the rainy night of February 2012, Zimmerman spotted Martin approaching toward his townhouse when Zimmerman did not recognize him and started following him despite his neighboring officers’ advice to stay in his vehicle and that they were coming. There was a physical clash between the two and the fight ended with Zimmerman shooting a bullet through Martin’s heart who was visiting the place of his father’s f iancee coming from Florida (Ford, 2013; Alcindor, 2013; Schneider, 2013). About the Media outlets In measuring the perceptions of media bias in the final series of poll, Associate press is perceived as being tilted to the left while reporting the news. Sonoma State University in their new study reveals that a widespread bias is observed in their news reports, which reflects favor towards the US government positions. The associated press is a cooperative news wire service, which is non profit in nature. The AP has worldwide 242 bureaus with its 3700 employees. It delivers reports 24 hours a day in 5 languages including English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish and in 121 countries. AP reaches over a billion people everyday via print, radio or television. AP is an institutionalized bureaucracy, which is massive and shares news stories to almost every radio/TV station and newspapers in the United States. Because of their huge size the down to top control of a single news story is impo ssible practically. However several researches clearly imply a built-in bias of the Associate Press for the US government officials. These biases are absorbed by American people and they make their political decisions standing on the skewed understanding of politics. The democracy might face a dismal future if the media systems do not provide critical, fair and accurate reporting (Phillips, 2006). The Democrat perceptions regarding the CNN news outlet is high while the Republican perception about them

Coursework in Arts Essay Example for Free

Coursework in Arts Essay 1. In Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun’s painting of the Queen of France, Marie-Antoinette, in the late 18th century, the queen is shown sitting with her three children in a formal gown at the edge of the Hall of Mirrors. Colors that were used can be described as basically feminine—shades of ruby, cherry, velvet, scarlet, and salmon; yet darker colors were used in the crib of the eldest son to portray his death. From the colors of the painting, the queen appears to be sitting on a shiny spot, but around her is a darker, gloomier color that may portray danger to her and her children. Textures, on the other hand, appear to be soft and feathery, which shows wealth and comfort. The lines in the background are parallel and horizontal, which points to her straight, firm position in her seat. The position of the queen and her two children beside her form a straight cross beside the crib that looks like a cave. The eldest son alive who points to the crib may appear like the angel beside the cave where Jesus was buried. The son was like saying, ‘You’re looking for my brother? He’s not here anymore but has gone up to the Father. ’ On the other hand, the eldest son alive stands firmly alone, which shows independence and strength†¦even at an early age. The stairs in the background may mean political fame, but it was portrayed to be darker and more shadowy above, so that it would be best for the queen to be where she is—with her children and her home (please see painting in the appendix). Formal elements show that this good queen is a devoted mother—full of quiet dignity—by the way the colors, the textures, the lines, the shapes, and the space interact with one another. The whole scene portrays quietness, peacefulness, as well as acceptance—things that picture her as a good and pleasant being. There is also the hint of wealth and extravagance, especially the portrayal of the Hall of Mirrors. In the overall, the painting is meant to give her a positive, submissive, and motherly aura. 2. John Singleton Copley’s painting of Paul Revere in 1768 is an example of a Rococo painting. The Rococo style, which emerged in France, characterizes opulence, grace, and lightness, as seen in the painting (Figure 2 in the appendix). Copley used contrasting colors like black (as the background) and white (as Revere’s shirt) to put more emphasis on the main object. The lines, colors, and objects are all simple. Lines, especially in the head and in the table, are all parallel, which may point to neutralism and evenhandedness. It was said that Revere was â€Å"uninterested in politics; he wanted only to be neutral, which was not possible† (Artchive, 2007). The eyes, on the other hand, portray innocence, knowledge, and fairness. The textures used are all smooth and shiny, which may also reflect opulence. It focuses on ‘carefree aristocratic life’, with direct reference on Revere’s being a silversmith—with a piece of silverware on his hand. He was portrayed with such extravagance, as shown in the linen cloth, which at that time was not yet available in America and could only be imported to the land†¦ as well as the golden buttons that lay on his vest. However, the portrayal of ‘flowing linen’ could point—not to the linens of England—but to the production of a hundred ells of linen in America during that time, which for Revere was something to be proud of. However, it is said that the painting is a sort of a ‘balancing act’ conducted by painter Copley (Artchive, 2007), especially that he is about to marry one of the Clarkes who were owners of â€Å"the notorious tea concession† (Artchive, 2007). The silver teapot appears to be a large issue then, since only their enemies—the Tories—drank tea (the Whigs drank the Boston tea, which was a punch). Revere is shown as a neutral person who wears rich linen clothing, but which comes from his own land. He is holding a silverware teapot, which is one of his expertise, but points to the character of the enemies and to the business of the Clarkes with which Copley is about to share his life with. Therefore, Revere is neutral, as he is open to all.

Effects Of Cramming For Examinations Education Essay

Effects Of Cramming For Examinations Education Essay Cramming is an ineffective learning strategy adopted by a majority of students in higher educational institutes because it causes negative psychological and physical effects. R.Sommer (1968) defined cramming as a period of neglect of study followed by a concentrated burst of studying immediately before an exam (p. 104). In this definition, concentrated burst of studying refers to a study strategy which involve studying for consecutive hours with or without short rest on the eve of examinations. Cramming or massed practice is, therefore, an intensive and quick study of subject contents for the sole purpose of passing examinations. Students who procrastinate by habits are more likely to delay tests preparation and indulge in valueless cramming. The purpose of this paper is to address the widespread practice of cramming and its ineffectiveness with regards to its negative effects on students. Researchers in the field of psychology and education have argued for decades on the goals of education and students learning experiences. In todays complex and challenging environments, change is imperative. P. Ramsden (1998) argued that learning is interpreting and understanding of reality in a different way to facilitate a student to comprehend the world by reinterpreting knowledge. Learning by students should be viewed as a constructive, self-regulated and goal-oriented individual process so that they can construct meanings from knowledge (de Corte, 2000, p. 254). Towards this end, graduate students are expected to have developed a fair expertise in critical thinking skills to help them adapt to participate in economic, political and scientific issues of the world. Educational pedagogy must enable students to analyze, theorize and intellectually engage with each other and with the world around them. Despite teachers repeated intervention to teach students appropriate learning stra tegies, most students still widely adopt surface learning approaches to learning in contrast to deep learning approach. P.Ramsden in his book, Learning to Lead in Higher Education (1998), has described surface approaches lead at best to the ability to retain unrelated details, often for a short period. They are related to lower levels of academic performance and more limited development of generic skills (p. 48). Such kind of approach entails the use of rote-memorization, chunking of factual knowledge, an inability to understand context from a deeper perspective, learning to achieve a minimal pass in the examinations and most importantly, students are driven by extrinsic motivation to achieve passing grades and obtain qualifications. The question arises: why do educational psychologists and teachers encourage students to take up a deep learning approach for examination purpose? The next part of this paper contains a discussion of the question and highlights the negative effects of c ramming for examinations. Todays observation of societies around the world reflects a dearth of intellectual persons with true and acquired individuality. The societies around us reflect individuals who are not faithful or devoted to their administrative tasks whether as public servants or politicians of a country. Harold E.Gorst in his book, The Curse of Education (1901), implicitly stated that progress means development of ideas and mediocre individuals do not engage in such ideas which are progressive to a country. He further states that as long as education is synonymous with cramming on an organized plan, it will continue to produce mediocrity (p. 6). Gorsts statement resonates the fact that cramming or the vast accumulation of factual and superficial knowledge, which has been forced upon the students, are partly the results of improper teaching, learning and assessment methods (examinations) of educational systems and partly the results of students learning strategies. Consequently, the achievement outc ome of such educational systems which crams students to follow rigid pedagogical approach is at a higher level but it produces the biggest ill effect of this type of cramming system of education: the failure of adequate personality and intellectual development of students who are capable of thinking for themselves as well graduates who regard the goal of learning as a process in itself and an end product. Such students outshine in the knowledge domain only, but their cognitive domains (intellectual reasoning) along with his affective domains (concepts of self esteem, emotional development) are rapidly halted. In order to understand what is learning, it is very important to view learning in its specific contexts. For example, in the early systems of Japan and Hong Kong, learning was viewed as a process to attain knowledge and then an assessment of the knowledge. With an end to the learning process, the whole ensured meaning of learning was lost. In these countries, educational systems were dictated by higher authorities as a means to deliver fast paced teaching and to prepare students for higher education entrance examinations. The result was that competitive examinations were seen by junior and high school students as a measure to show their knowledge, memory and problem-solving skills rather than their intellectual reasoning and capacity building skills. However, still today, most parents and students in Taiwan still believe cram schooling have positive effects on students learning achievement (Chen, S.Y. Lu, L. 2009). But the same study concludes that the time spent in cram schools neg atively affected the psychological well being of students and made them prone to depressive symptoms. The next part of the paper concentrates on the negative impacts of cramming on those students who cram by choice rather than necessity. Students who cram out of choice and habits are usually adept at the art of cramming and often pass their examinations. They have come to envisage the purpose of education to attain knowledge through learning of subject content. The aim is targeted towards attaining only extrinsic rewards: achieving good grades and qualifications. Driven by extrinsic motivation, with a surface approach to memorizing factual knowledge in the spurt of hours before examinations, these students are putting themselves into states of sleep deprivation and stress disorders. Students claim that they recall materials better when learnt hours prior to examinations and feel less stressed. But, according to a research published in the newsletter, Monitor on Psychology (2001) of American Psychological Association, lack of sufficient sleep is a widespread problem among teens and adolescents are at high risk for cognitive and emotional difficulties, poor school performance, accidents and psychopathology. Several sci entific researches has also concluded that young people need adequate amount of sleep and resting periods to allow regeneration of the brain cells called neurons. Continued exertion of the brain leads to lesser regeneration of new memories and decreased brain activities in the cerebral cortex, the part of brain responsible for cognitive functioning. Limited cognitive abilities lead to poor memory retention, concentration and attention to details (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2007). From these evidences, lack of sleep and intense brain activities without rest causes fatigue and stress in these students. Stress can produce a long term effect which causes many students to develop further psychological and behavioural disorders ranging from anxiety, guilt and attention deficit disorders to patterns of irritability and aggression. Contrary to these research findings, students who cram often become adept at it, and use these strategies over again with few changes in their habits. Therefore, it is very crucial to raise awareness of the negative effects of massed practice on sleep patterns, stress and physiological derangement in the forms of chronic diabetes, obesity and hormones disturbance. Moreover, psychologists are in agreement, that spaced or distributed practice over consecutive days to achieve learning is more beneficial in terms of the physical and psychological well being of students. Conclusion The preceding parts of the paper have provided evidences of the negative effects of cramming on students. The goal of education and learning is in complete contrast to the outcomes produced by cramming practice. It is fair to assume that students, who adopt surface learning strategies with a cynical view of education, cannot get far in terms of longevity since his intellectual and psychological development is incomplete. Being equipped with an extrinsic motivation to performance, the need of todays times is for graduates to learn continuously with intrinsically driven motives. In view of the ill-effects of cramming, it can be fairly said that cramming is an ineffective learning strategy, and produces mediocre individuals.

Educational Article Reviews :: Article Review

Smart Classroom Professional Development Framework consists of three levels of ICT qualifications that teachers can hold, they are the ICT Certificate, the Digital Pedagogy Licence and the Digital Pedagogy Licence Advanced. As a group we discussed what understandings we would need and the benefits for completing the framework, we discovered that we would need to understand that ICT could be used to enhance and benefit both the learners and teachers through integration into all KLA’S. As a pre service teacher undertaking the certificate our group discussion impacts on my classroom teaching by pushing for me to use more technology in my teaching to enhance the children’s learning. Reading 2 was on a Science-Sose unit about dinosaurs and discovering where they went. During a group discussion we all agreed that the teacher that wrote this unit was meticulous in planning and had thought hard as to the length to which she wanted technologies involved. We all found this to be a good example of a technological unit. I learnt from the group discussion as well as the reading that there is a range of different ways technology can be incorporated into a classroom unit of work. This new knowledge of more hands on activities is something that I would like to incorporate into my future classroom or practical classroom this semester. Reading 3 covers practical ideas for teachers in years 4-9. The group all agreed that theses activities were creative and fun and ideas that we would and could include into our future senior school classrooms. There is twenty eight activities included in this reading all that could be taught anywhere from grades 4-9 and some that could be taught past this to grade 12. Some of these helpful lesson ideas will be integrated into my future classrooms. The final reading for week one was practical ideas for teachers p-3, this text contained twenty eight technological activities. When discussing we all came to the same view as that of reading three that the activities were educational, fun and easily incorporated into our junior school classrooms. This article proves that learning can be fun by incorporating technology into general lessons, it also gives ideas on just how to do this. By using this reading’s examples of lessons it will make ICT apart of most if not all of my lessons. WEEK 2 Those who Understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching Is an article about the way teaching used to be prior to and up to the year 1986.

Money management Essay

Ever since trading began, money existed, thus, it can be said that money and trading co-exists. The earliest form of money is actually very different from what we are using nowadays in this modern world. The history of money begins around 2500 years ago. Money is any clearly identifiable object of value that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts within a market or which is legal tender within a country. Barter Barter is a system of exchange in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and services. No money is needed in barter system as it does not involve the process of buying and selling. Although there is no evidence pointing towards a society or economy relies solely on barter system, it is believed that barter basically dominated the pre-historical world and at that time, people would just exchange things according to necessity. Thus, barter system can be said to be a primitive form of money as it contributes towards the birth of money. There are several complications of barter system : Absence of common measure of value: In a monetary economy, money plays the role of a measure of value of all goods, so their values can be measured against each other; this role may be absent in a barter economy. Indivisibility of certain goods: If a person wants to buy a certain amount of another’s goods, but only has for payment one indivisible unit of another good which is worth more than what the person wants to obtain, a barter transaction cannot occur. Lack of standards for deferred payments: This is related to the absence of a common measure of value, although if the debt is denominated in units of the good that will eventually be used in payment, it is not a problem. Difficulty in storing wealth: If a society relies exclusively on perishable goods, storing wealth for the future may be impractical. However, some barter economies rely on durable goods like pigs or cattle for this purpose. Adapted from Wikipedia Statement of the problem It was discovered that only a small portion among university students actually know how to manage their money well. Most of university students are still struggling with basic money management. They do not have enough of a handle on their cash flow to spend less than they get from their loans. In other words, poor money management such as overspending is the main cause of this problem among the university students. Purpose The purposes of the study is to investigate money management of the students in UniSZA. Objectives 1) To investigate the way of the students in UniSZA spend their money 2) To determine the main cause of monetary problem for students in UniSZA. 3) To suggest the ways to solve monetary problems faced by students in UniSZA by providing them with the best money management plan. Research questions 1) How do the students in UniSZA spend their money? 2) What is the main cause of monetary problem for students in UniSZA 3) How can the problems faced by students in UniSZA be solved? Significance of the Study It is an undeniable fact that university life and normal daily life do have differences when it comes to money management. The author of the article wrote that university students should be taught the value of money as they will be earning their own very soon. This is true. University is a boundary that separates us from the real world, the working world. Without proper management of wealth, especially for students, it could spell disaster. Not only there would be butterflies flying out the purse and holes being burnt in the wallet, bank account could also stumble to single digit and finally naught. Things might get worst when they enter the society without knowing concerning money management and if this situation occurs, their bright future might be at stake and this could jeopardize their chances to succeed in life. Thus, financial management should start early, when there’s still money in the bank account for one to manage. For students in UniSZA like us, we might often be bothered by monetary problems. We don’t know where our money went to. Well, they do not just disappear into the thin air, nor would they escape from our wallet, thus, we must know where we spent our money on so that we can cut down on expenses and inculcate proper financial management. As university students, there’re a few money management skills that should be practiced and here are some explanations that may provide some insight or clues for one to properly manage his or her money so as to get the most out of one’s money. #1 Have a plan for it There’s a saying goes, those who fail to plan, plans to fail. Thus, proper money management starts with a plan for our money. For the study loan such as PTPTN, bursary or JPA scholarship received each semester, we should have a plan for it so that everything would go on smoothly. Knowing the debits and credits is equally important here and tracking our own expenses is surely a must as we can track all the unneeded stuff we bought by keeping the receipt of the things we’ve bought and later revise on our spending to cut down expenditure. Getting ourselves organized and preparing and jotter to jot down our expenditure is also a brilliant idea. #2 Understand our financial aid and financial status As university students, one of the best steps towards proper financial management may be to add up all our income and also the money we’ll need to fork out. Income includes the money allowance given by the governments, student loan, scholarships, bursaries etc. Bursaries, on the other hand offers RM 2550 for bursary recipients. Bursary is actually money given to students as a kind of financial aid. In this content, bursary is eligible for students who got 9A+ and above in their SPM. Besides, we can also look out for scholarships such as JPA. By being aware of our financial status, we can look into every nook and cranny of our daily life to save money. Take ATM machines for example, it may charge card holder of other banks some additional fee whenever transaction is made, thus, by being aware of this, we can take the measurements needed and save money. We should also be cautious towards burglary as that is the worst possible way for one to lose  money. #3 Use the available tools towards our benefit We should also use the benefits meant for students to our advantage. When buying books, going for a movie and buying food, for example, we can produce discount cards exclusive for students in order to enjoy discounts. Though it’s not a whole lot of money we’re saving, it could sum up to a considerable amount of money over time. For example, Kad siswa which was launched a few years ago provides card holders with a plethora of discounts in almost anything. Besides, 1 Malaysia book voucher is another tool available that would be of great help in our money management. Scope of Study The report will cover the methodology for money management of students in UniSZA. Survey and research will be done in order to get the results before discussion about the findings. The main points of the report will be summed up as the conclusion and some suggestions for solving monetary problems faced by students in UniSZA will be found.

Learning Organizations Essay

In the 1990, Peter Senge published a book called The Fifth Discipline that created a flurry of change within management thinking, or at least that is what people say has happened as they avidly quote him. In the September/October 1999 issue of the Journal of Business Strategy, he was named a â€Å"Strategist of the Century†; one of 24 men and women who have â€Å"had the greatest impact on the way we conduct business today. † (Smith 2001) In recent book reviews on amazon. com he is still lauded and his work touches the international business community as evidenced by reviews from UAE and India: (The emphasis within the reviews has been added by the author) Amazon. com Peter Senge, founder of the Center for Organizational Learning at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, experienced an epiphany while meditating one morning back in the fall of 1987. That was the day he first saw the possibilities of a â€Å"learning organization† that used â€Å"systems thinking† as the primary tenet of a revolutionary management philosophy. He advanced the concept into this primer, originally released in 1990, written for those interested in integrating his philosophy into their corporate culture. The Fifth Discipline has turned many readers into true believers; it remains the ideal introduction to Senge’s carefully integrated corporate framework, which is structured around â€Å"personal mastery,† â€Å"mental models,† â€Å"shared vision,† and â€Å"team learning. † Using ideas that originate in fields from science to spirituality, Senge explains why the learning organization matters, provides an unvanished summary of his management principals, offers some basic tools for practicing it, and shows what it’s like to operate under this system. The book’s concepts remain stimulating and relevant as ever. –Howard Rothman [pic]The Book that began a fad, January 26, 2003 | |Reviewer: ggxl from Bangalore, India |This book was written quite a long time ago (in 1990) and shifted the boundaries of management from concentrating on silos (marketing, HR, finance, production) to looking at organizations as open systems which interact with outside systems and put into motion forces that may not be easily understood using traditional systems to assessment. This ability of Systems Thinking Senge called the â€Å"Fifth Discipline†, the other four being: 1) Building Shared Vision 2) Mental models 3) Team Learning 4) Personal Mastery The field of Systems Thinking was developed in MIT under Prof Jay W. Forrester, but Senge gave it the ‘managerial’ flavour, cross-fertilising [sic] it with folk beliefs, spirituality and scientific thought from around the world. The belief being, once an organization has mastery of all the five disciplines, the organization can become ‘a learning organization’. This book, therefore triggered the craze and fad on part of organizations to become ‘learning organizations’ and the rise of the ‘knowledge economy’ was perfect timing for it. Now when the hoopla has settled, it is time again to revisit the true essence of Senge’s work and what he REALLY means. [pic]An inspiration†¦ , February 7, 2002 | |Reviewer: la-layl from Dubai, UAE | The Learning Organization remains one of the most talked-of management concepts in today’s business world, and nobody is as capable of explaining exactly what is a Learning Organization or what are the requirements for such an elusive concept than Peter Senge. Senge’s five disciplines are common concepts in many corporate offices. Often quoted in the management literature, he is considered by many to be the founder of the concept of the learning organization. Thirteen years later, the buzz has died down, and while Senge is still quoted, have the principles of the learning organization been implemented? Are organizations learning? A search of the term â€Å"learning organization† produces 133,000 hits on google. com, so people still embrace the concepts. This paper will endeavor to examine the literature on the learning organization in an attempt to define it and review some of the theories about it. It will also provide examples of the attempt to experiment with the concepts of the learning organization in two organizations. The first, an education department of a church undergoing transformation and the second, the training department of a large managed healthcare network provider. What does it take to become a learning organization? Are organizations by nature, learning entities? This paper is an attempt to answer these questions. Defining the Learning Organization Learning organization, organizational learning, organizational development, knowledge management†¦ these are key terms to differentiate at the beginning of the journey of this discovery process. These are my definitions: Organizational development is a defined methodology of looking at an organization from a holistic perspective with the intention of improving it. Organizational learning is what happens as an organization matures and improves; in essence, recognizing and changing the widget-making/serving process it is involved with to build a better widget maker/server. The learning organization is an organization that takes a step back to look at the big picture of how it benefits from new ideas and errors with the intention of continuous improvement. It is a deliberate process,  and one component of organizational development. Knowledge management is the storage and retrieval of the tacit and implicit information contained within an organization, whether it is procedural or content oriented. Knowledge management makes information that is within individuals available and externalizes it for the availability of the organization. Others define these differently and have written much about them. In the research literature, there does not appear to be a common, well accepted definition of these terms, though they are used frequently. The next section will explore the theories and definitions of others. From the Experts Peter Senge In the opening (page 3) of Senge’s flagship book, The Fifth Discipline, he defines the learning organization as â€Å"†¦organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. † (Senge 1990) As mentioned earlier, he defines the core of learning organization work based on five â€Å"learning disciplines†. To expand on them, in Senge’s words they are Personal Mastery Learning to expand our personal capacity to create the results we most desire, and creating an organizational environment which encourages all its members to develop themselves toward the goals and purposes they choose. Mental Models Reflecting upon, continually clarifying, and improving our internal pictures of the world, and seeing how they shape our actions and decisions. Shared Vision Building a sense of commitment in a group, by developing shared images of the future we seek to create, and the principles and guiding practices by which we hope to get there. Team Learning Transforming conversational and collective thinking skills, so that groups of people can reliably develop intelligence and ability greater than the sum of individual members’ talents. Systems Thinking A way of thinking about, and a language for describing and understanding, the forces and the interrelationships that shape the behavior of systems. This discipline helps us to see how to change systems more effectively, and to act more in tune with the larger processes of the natural and economic world. (Senge, Roberts et al. 1994) Senge believes that â€Å"the learning organization exists primarily as a vision in our collective experience and imagination. † ( p5, 1994) He also believes that the impact of practices, principles and essences are highly influential. Practices are â€Å"what you do†. Principles are â€Å"guiding ideas and insights,† and essence is â€Å"the state of being those with high levels of mastery in the discipline. † (Senge, 1990, p 373) He looks at leaders as teachers, stewards and designers—quite a different metaphor than the traditional business practices of the time. It is the leaders who must pave the way to the creation of the learning organization, and they must also model the process. The authors of the companion work The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook (1994) see the learning organization as something that develops within a team, and is part of a â€Å"deep learning cycle† where team members develop new skills and abilities, which in turn create new awareness and sensibilities, which it turn creates new attitudes and beliefs. These new attitudes are the things that can change the deep beliefs and assumptions inherent in an organization and product transformation. Within the learning organization a sense of trust and safety are established and the members are willing to reveal uncertainties and make and acknowledge mistakes. This cycle provides a â€Å"domain of enduring change† within the organization. The architecture of a learning organization is considered a â€Å"domain of action† and consists of guiding ideas, innovations in infrastructure, and theory, methods and tools. The guiding ideas include the vision, values and purpose of the organization. They have philosophical depth and are seen as ongoing. They include the philosophy of the whole, the community nature of the self and the generative power of language. The development of tools and methods test these theories and cause them to be shaped and refined, and bring about the cyclical nature of this domain of action. These changes create infrastructure innovations and â€Å"enable people to develop capabilities like systems thinking and collaborative inquiry within the context of their jobs. † (1994, p34) Senge’s philosophy has been graphically illustrated using the domain of enduring change as a circle and the domain of action as a triangle (Figure 1). It is the interaction between the two that creates the dynamic of the learning organization. [pic] Figure 1 Adapted from Senge, et al, 1994, p42 It is difficult to assess the results in this type of a system because â€Å"deeper learning often does not produce tangible evidence for considerable time. † (p. 45) The core concepts contained in this model are: â€Å"At its essence, every organization is a product of how its members think and interact†¦Learning in organizations means the continuous testing of experience, and the transformation of that experience into knowledge—accessible to the whole organization, and relevant to its core purpose. † (p 48-49) The creation of this type of learning organization comes from establishing a group that learns new ways to work together: discussing priorities, working through divergent thinking, clarification, then convergent thinking to come to conclusions and implementation of the solution. The learning organization discovers how to best work with individual styles, allowing for reflection and other individual needs. It becomes a safe place to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from the results. The learning organization also works through the five disciplines of 1) building shared vision, 2) creating mental models 3) reinforcing team learning, 4) developing personal mastery and 5) understanding systems thinking. Much of what occurs is the creation of shared vocabulary to produce common understandings. Learning about systems thinking concepts of links, reinforcing and balancing loops helps to define problem issues. Following the publication of The Fifth Discipline, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook (Senge, Roberts et al. 1994) and The Dance of Change (Senge, Kleiner et al. 1999) were released with exercises to assist in the organizational development process and support the changes it created. Both contain resources helpful in the implementation process. To summarize, Senge’s model is based on the interaction and the learning that goes on between individuals in an organization. It is an intangible process, but one that can be enhanced by taking certain measures to foster development. Peter Kline Peter Kline’s work on learning organizations, Ten Steps to a Learning Organization (Kline and Saunders 1998) focuses primarily on cultural change. He believes â€Å"to have a Learning Organization, you must begin by having an organization of learners, then show them how to function in such a way that the organization as a whole can learn. † (p8) He differentiates how individuals learn versus how organizations learn: The most obvious difference between the way organization and individuals learn is that individuals have memories, which are essential to learning, while organizations don’t†¦The main difference between a learning individual and a Learning Organization is in the information storage process. Individuals store their learning primarily in their memories, augmented by libraries, notes and other aids to memory. Organizations store it primarily in their cultures, with a secondary backup in documentation that is useful only if the culture is committed to making use of it†¦In simple terms, individuals learn through the activation and updating of their memories while organizations learn through change in the culture. (p24) Kline discusses the difficulties of creating change in the organization, realizing that people in general are resistant to change. He defines ten conditions to build a learning organization, allowing people to be able to cope with the ambiguity of the change process. These conditions are: 1) Assess the current learning culture to create a benchmark, Then have: 2) Positive expectation that dilemmas can be resolved. 3) Support for the learning process itself. 4) Willingness to delay closure long enough to arrive at significant Gestalts rather than forced and trivial ones. 5) Communication processes that bring people together to consider in a friendly and noncompetitive atmosphere many different perceptions, templates, habits of thought and possible solutions, from which the most useful may then be chosen. 6) A cultural habit that encourages exploring apparently meaningless ambiguities with the expectation that meaning can be found in them—as an expression of both a personal and organizational commitment to learning over the long haul. 7) The establishment of contexts within which meaning for new possibilities can be found as they emerge. 8) A set of modeling skills, strategies and techniques or mechanisms that allows people more easily to construct meaning out of apparent chaos. 9) A cultural understanding which is shared throughout management of the systemic interactions that will inevitably be present as complex Gestalts are formed. 10) An intuitive feeling for how complex interactions will be likely to occur. (p32) Kline’s third point is one of the key elements of creative thinking—learning to continue to look for solutions rather than just accepting the first one that fits as best. His fourth point is similar to Senge’s concept of the team learning to work together in new ways, and incorporates convergent and divergent thinking. Kline presents his change model as â€Å"The Great Game of Business,† with three elements: 1) know the rules, 2) keep score, and 3) have a stake in the action. (p 35) Knowing the rules is working to choose rules that emerge from self-organizing systems to select the ones that lead to the most productive behavior. Keeping score is about measurement, and having a stake in the action is about employee buy-in. He encourages that one of the rules must be the breaking down the cultural barriers between managers and workers. Rules should also include integrative learning, (the restoration of the natural learning of early life), strategic micromanagement tools for decision making, communication and problem solving, generally originating from the people who use them; and expanding the scoring system beyond financial reports. (p 38-39) Kline also acknowledges that the most valued asset of the organization is people, and the development of relationships between them if highly important so they can work together well. In the end of his book, Kline equates business to a theatre metaphor, by â€Å"getting the show on the road. † He speaks of improvisation, ensemble work, and creativity; then continues the metaphor making workers the actors and leaders the directors. He emphasizes the need for continuous improvement and awareness of what everyone is doing while excelling in one’s individual role as would occur in a theatrical production. He begins the process with an assessment of the culture from an institutional perspective: to learn what everyone thinks, then from an individual perspective: take responsibility for what you think and what you do. He stresses looking for fear, which can be disabling to an organization. Kline has created an assessment to look at the culture of the organization. It is designed to be filled out by the members of the organization, and discussed as a group to explore differences. The assessment may be scored by averaging the rating numbers for each question to provide an overall score of the conditions for creating a learning organization, or the individual scores may be entered in a matrix, which assigns the different questions to one of the ten steps of his later plan. Using the matrix, scores are obtained for each of the ten areas, providing a more specific idea of which areas the organization needs the most work in. In filling out the form within an organization, it is anticipated that different groups within the establishment will have different perceptions of the organization itself. He recommends creating an overall report for the organization and asking the members to voice agreement or disagreement with the results. He also encourages that at this stage, the ideal state of the organization is discussed to determine where it would like to be at the end of the process. A large portion of the learning comes from the discussions and the decisions for direction that follow afterwards. This is a similar pattern to DiBella’s model of assessment. After the assessment is completed, the organization is instructed to work through steps two through ten. Kline provides numerous activities that focus on a variety of thinking skills, working to change attitudes and behaviors of individuals. Learning to reframe things in a positive way by â€Å"looking in two directions at once: at the current reality and the positive outcome that can be developed from it† (p 70) is just one of the many ideas given for step two. He deals with learning styles, mind mapping, and teaches people how to listen to one another. He creates safe ways for people to take risks. Unlike some of the more theoretical books on Learning Organizations, Kline’s book contains practical steps for developing a group to become a Learning Organization. Working through the ten steps as a team would do remarkable things within the group as they learn to learn together. Chris Argyris/Donald Schon Argyris is best known for his concepts of single and double-loop learning. In a book written with Donald Schon (1974), they believe that organizations learn through individuals acting as agents. Organization learning is the detection and correction of error. Their key concepts revolve around single- and double-loop learning. Single-loop learning results in the organization continuing in the existing policies while remedying the situation at hand, while double-loop learning examines and modifies norms, policies and objectives as necessary. There are needs for both types of learning. Argyris’ model is much earlier than most of the other organizational learning literature, and he is revered as a founding father by others and like Senge, often quoted in discussions on the learning organization. As a side note, Argyris was one of Senge’s influential teachers: Despite having read much of his writing, I was unprepared for what I learned when I first saw Chris Argyris practice his approach in an informal workshop†¦ Ostensibly an academic presentation of Argyris’s methods, it quickly evolved into a powerful demonstration of what action science practitioners call ‘reflection in action’†¦. Within a matter of minutes, I watched the level of alertness and ‘presentness’ of the entire group rise ten notches – thanks not so much to Argyris’s personal charisma, but to his skilful practice of drawing out†¦ generalizations. As the afternoon moved on, all of us were led to see (sometimes for he first time in our lives) subtle patterns of reasoning which underlay our behaviour; and how those patterns continually got us into trouble. I had never had such a dramatic demonstration of own mental models in action†¦ But even more interesting, it became clear that, with proper training, I could become much more aware of my mental models and how they operated. This was exciting. (Senge 1990, p. 182-183) In the December 2002 issue of Reflections, the Society of Organizational Learning Journal on Knowledge, Learning, and Change, Argyris’ article on Teaching Smart People How to Learn is reprinted as a â€Å"classic. † In this article, he references single- and double-loop learning, but discusses the need for â€Å"managers and employees [to] look inward. They need to reflect critically on their own behavior, identify the ways they often inadvertently contribute to the organization’s problems, and then change how they act. † He makes the observation that the individuals in leadership in an organization are not accustomed to failing, therefore they â€Å"have never learned to learn from failure†¦they become defensive, screen out criticism, and put the ‘blame’ on anyone and everyone but themselves. In short, their ability to learn shuts down precisely at the moment they need it the most. † He sees the learning from mistakes something that must become a â€Å"focus of organization learning† and part of the continuous improvement programs within an organization. He discusses how often individuals â€Å"turn the focus away from their own behavior to that of others [which] brings learning to a grinding halt. † This type of behavior creates what he calls the â€Å"doom loop† where people do not follow the theories they espouse, acting inconsistently. He calls what they do as behaviors that apply â€Å"theories-in-use. † This type of behavior without examination creates repetition without reflection, and doesn’t promote improvement. His first recommendation is to step back and examine what is occurring, and challenging it beginning with the uppermost strata of the organization. Argyris and Schon’s model involves governing variables, action strategies, and consequences. The governing values are the individual’s theories-in-use, and the action strategies are what keeps their behavior within the boundaries created by the theories-in-use. The resulting actions are the consequences. The interaction between these concepts is illustrated in Figure 2. [pic] Figure 2 from (Smith 2001) When the consequences of the action strategy used are what the person anticipated, the theory-in-use is confirmed because there is a match between intention and outcome. There also may be a mismatch between intention and outcome. Sometimes, however, the consequences may be unintended or not match, or work against the person’s governing values. This is where double-loop learning needs to be applied and processes and concepts revised. When only the action is corrected, Argyris refers to this as single-loop learning. (figure 3) [pic] Figure 3 (from Smith, 2001) Anthony DiBella DiBella defines organizational learning as â€Å"the capacity (or processes) within an organization to maintain or improve performance based on experience. This activity involves knowledge acquisition (the development or creation of skills, insights, relationships), knowledge sharing (the dissemination to others of what has been acquired by some), and knowledge utilization (integration of the learning so that it is assimilated, broadly available, and can also be generalized to new situations. )† (DiBella, Nevis et al. 1996) DiBella’s work in How Organizations Learn (DiBella and Nevis 1998), overviews the Learning Organization literature of that time, and classifies the writing into three categories: the normative, the developmental and the capability perspectives. In the normative perspective, the â€Å"learning organization presumes that learning as a collective activity only takes place under certain conditions or circumstances†¦The role of organizational leaders is to create the conditions essential for learning to take place† (DiBella 1995) Senge’s model fits this category. In the developmental perspective, the learning organization is a stage in the development of a maturing organization or in parallel, the development phase of the organization determines its learning styles and character. The third perspective, capability, identifies that organizations develop and learn as they mature or by strategic choice, and that â€Å"all organizations have embedded learning processes. † Rather than ascribing to perspectives one or two, DiBella and his colleagues believe that all organizations have learning capabilities. These seven areas are labeled â€Å"learning orientations† and each runs on a continuum of opposites. For example, the knowledge source may be internal or external. These seven orientations and their descriptors are: Seven Learning Orientations. |Orientation |Spectrum |Description | |Knowledge source |Internal/External |Where does the organization get information from? Primarily | | | |from the inside or outside world? | |Content-Process focus |Content/Process |Which is more important: the content of the information, or | | | |the process of doing it? | |Knowledge Reserve |Personal/Public |Where is information stored? Is it accessible to all, or in | | | |the heads of individuals? | |Dissemination Mode |Formal/Informal |How is information given out in the organization? Through | | | |informal conversations, or in official meetings or written | | | |communication? | |Learning Scope |Incremental/Transformative |When learning occurs, are the changes little by little or | | | |dramatic ones? | |Value-Chain Focus |Design-Make/Market-Deliver |Is the focus more on how something is created and made, or | | | |promoted to the customer? | |Learning Focus |Individual/Group |Is intentional learning geared toward individuals, or | | | |groups? | Figure 4 These orientations are facilitated by ten factors called Facilitating Factors. These factors enhance certain orientations, and increase the likelihood of the organization functioning as a learning organization. Facilitating Factors |Facilitating Factor |Description | |Scanning Imperative |Gathering of information on best practices and conditions outside of the organization | |Performance Gap |Shared perception in the organization between the current and desired performance | |Concern for Measurement |Desire to measure key factors and discussion about the statistics | |Organizational Curiosity |Interest in creative ideas and technology, with support for experimentation | |Climate of Openness |Sharing of lessons learned, open communication about all areas at all levels | |Continuous Education |Commitment to quality resources for learning | |Operational Variety |Valuing different methods; appreciation of diversity | |Multiple Advocates | New ideas can be advanced by anyone in the organization; multiple champions for learning exist | | |throughout | |Involved Leadership |Management is personally involved in the learning and perpetuation of the learning organization | |Systems Perspective |Recognition of interdependence among organizational units and groups; awareness of the time delay | | |between actions and their outcomes | Figure 5, adapted from DiBella In the analysis process utilizing DiBella’s methods, the organization determines its current status and desired status using the learning orientations and facilitating factors. There is an interrelationship between the ten facilitating factors and the seven orientations, and focusing on specific factors can help an organization become a better learning organization. In an article written with DiBella, Edwin Nevis calls learning â€Å"a systems-level phenomenon because it stays within the organization, even if individuals change†¦Organizations learn as they produce. Learning is as much a task as the production and delivery of goods and services. † (Nevis, DiBella et al. 1995) Nevis et al sees â€Å"three learning-related factors important to an organization’s success: 1. Well developed core competencies that serve as launch points for new products and services 2. An attitude that supports continuous improvement in the business’s value-added chain. 3. The ability to fundamentally renew or revitalize. † They see these factors as â€Å"some of the qualities of an effective learning organization that diligently pursues a constantly enhanced knowledge base. † There is also an assumption made about the learning process following three stages: knowledge acquisition, sharing and utilization. There is the belief that all organizations are learning systems, that learning conforms to culture, there are stylistic variations between learning systems and that generic processes facilitate learning. The model supporting all this is comprised of the learning orientations and facilitating factors. Other perspectives Consultants online define the learning organization in similar ways. From the UK, David Skyrme (Farago and Skyrme 1995) quotes several other theorists on his website: â€Å"The essence of organisational learning is the organization’s ability to use the amazing mental capacity of all its members to create the kind of processes that will improve its own† (Nancy Dixon 1994) â€Å"A Learning Company is an organization that facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself† (M. Pedler, J. Burgoyne and Tom Boydell, 1991) â€Å"Organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to learn together† (Peter Senge, 1990). Fargo and Skyrme use these thoughts to create their own definition: â€Å"Learning organizations are those that have in place systems, mechanisms and processes, that are used to continually enhance their capabilities and those who work with it or for it, to achieve sustainable objectives – for themselves and the communities in which they participate. † They speak of four elements that create learning organizations: learning culture, processes, tools and techniques and skills and motivation. They define these as: Learning Culture – an organizational climate that nurtures learning. There is a strong similarity with those characteristics associated with innovation. Processes – processes that encourage interaction across boundaries. These are infrastructure, development and management processes, as opposed to business operational processes (the typical focus of many BPR initiatives). Tools and Techniques – methods that aid individual and group learning, such as creativity and problem solving techniques. Skills and Motivation – to learn and adapt. They also define things that inhibit learning organizations: †¢ operational/fire fighting preoccupation – not creating time to sit back and think strategically †¢ too focused on systems and process (e. g. ISO9000) to exclusion of other factors (bureaucratic vs. thinking) †¢ reluctance to train (or invest in training), other than for obvious immediate needs †¢ too many hidden personal agendas. †¢ too top-down driven, overtight supervision = lack of real empowerment Fredrick Simon and Ketsara Rugchart define a learning organization as â€Å"one that is continually enhancing its ability to get the results it truly wants. † (Simon and Rugchart 2003) They see organizational learning as â€Å"facilitative of knowledge management by first aligning common vision reduces competitiveness†¦allowing for greater demand for the shared knowledge (the information retrieval side of the equation)†¦ The greatest learning takes place in failure, when things don’t go as expected†¦[sharing] leads to a willingness to be open and to risk vulnerability by sharing the learning from failure (the input side of the equation. ) †¦Organizational learning does not replace knowledge management tools, but can provide a substantial accelerator to the KM effort. † DaeYeon Cho looks at the connectio.