Information Systems Consoltancy skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Information Systems Consoltancy skills - Essay Example They act as the catalyst between the consultants or the clients and the developers of the solution on the other. Dispensing with their services would invite disaster. Whitman Price Consulting (WPC) is a Consultancy firm that provides industry-focussed solutions with the objective of enhancing their value and helps it clients to face a variety of challenges. They advise on how to create value for sustaining business, negotiating deals, improving business performance, managing assets, crisis and people. They educate the corporations to adapt to global requirements and standards as well as how to manage risks and respond to changes brought about these activities. They also counsel on regulatory and governance compliance requirements. For offering these value additions to their clients they have divided their own functions into six divisions. They are (1) Audit and Assurance, (2) Crisis Management, (3) Human Resources, (4) Performance Improvements, (5) Tax and (6) Transactions. However there are bound to be overlaps between them in order to give appropriate services to resolve complex problems of their clients and assist them to advance their business. Since collaboration is the foundation of any good consultancy these departments often cooperate and combine their efforts to meet deadlines. Communications between them is of extreme importance both for speed and delivery of quality of service. Accurate and up to date availability of information is another area that needs that has to be addressed. Over a period of time the actual work for the client has shifted from the WPC headquarter to the client place and this has added to additional pressure on the system. Lately the Consultants at WPC as well as the employees of the various clients have become more mobile and in order to save time need to access their colleagues, counterparts, clients and head offices from remote locations to access and deliver information. Recently the executives at

Identify a research topic in your area of expertise( eg, warming of Essay

Identify a research topic in your area of expertise( eg, warming of neonates) and identify a middle range theory that would be applicable to support the research topic in your specialty area - Essay Example However, comfort is idiosyncratic and best identified by the patient (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). Kolcaba’s comfort theory would assist in this research by identifying the comfort desires, measures, health seeking patient conduct, comfort, intervening variables and institutional integrity (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). This theory acknowledges that the comfort needs of patients emanate from stressful health care conditions. Therefore, this theory would also guide in designing measures to satisfy the comfort needs (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). This would be achieved through patient factors that influence the discernment of comfort identified by the theory such as the age, attitude, past experience, support system, emotional state and finances. Additionally, the theory of comfort acknowledges that the comfort is an experience offered in the environmental, psychospiritual, sociocultural and physical contexts (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). The research would identify these contexts of life through applying this theory’s taxonomic structure. Additionally, this theory would assist in the research by defining the three types of comfort that can be offered to patients. The theory of comfort identifies such as relief, ease and

Definition of International Human Resource Management (IHRM)

Definition of International Human Resource Management (IHRM) International Human Resource Management includes the firms work systems and its employment practices. It embraces both individual and collective aspects of people management. It is not restricted to any one style or ideology. It engages the energies of both line and specialist managers (where the latter exists) and typically entails a range of messages for a variety of workforce groups. (Boxhall, P. and Purcell, J. 2008). HRM responsibilities include: Recruitment and selection Training and development Human resource planning Assessing performance of employees Payment and reward systems Initiatives to align employee developments to corporate strategies. International Human Resource Management (IHRM) Boxall, P. (1992) defined International Human Resource Management (IHRM) as concerned with the human resource problems of multinational firms in foreign subsidiaries (such as expatriate management) or more broadly, with the unfolding HRM issues that are associated with the various stages of the internationalisation process. (Boxhall, P. 1992). Mark Mendenhall (2000) sought to be more specific by outlining a number of criteria relevant to a definition of IHRM: IHRM is concerned with HRM issues that cross national boundaries or are conducted in locations other than the home country headquarters. IHRM is concerned with the relationships between the HRM activities of organisations and the foreign environments in which the organisations operate. IHRM includes comparative HRM studies; e.g. differences in how companies in Japan, Thailand, Austria and Switzerland plan for upgrading of employee skills and so on. What IHRM is not IHRM does not include studies that are focused on issues outside the traditional activities inherent in the HRM function. E.g. leadership style is not IHRM, unless specifically linked to an HRM function; developing a selection programme to measure and select global leaders would arguably lie within the domain of organisational behaviour. IHRM does not include studies of HRM activities in single countries. E.g. a study of personnel selection practices in Saudi Arabia, whether undertaken by an English, German or Canadian researcher, is still a study about domestic HRM in Saudi Arabia. Though such studies may have interest to those who work in international HRM issues, they are essentially examples of domestic HRM research. IHRM approaches Ethnocentric: key positions filled by nationals of parent company Polycentric: host country nationals recruited to manage subsidiary in their own country Geocentric: best people recruited, whatever their nationality Regiocentric: best people recruited within region in which the subsidiary operates (e.g. EU, USA). IHRM solutions Choice of IHRM approach depends upon: Degree and type of internationalisation Type of industry and markets served Characteristics of staff Cultural preferences. Advantages and disadvantages of a decentralised approach to IHRM Advantages Groups within the subsidiary can gain in status Groups within the subsidiary become more cohesive, fostering group identity IHRM takes place within a culture appropriate to the local workforce and customers Disadvantages Tendency to become exclusive Loss of central control, higher administrative costs as HRM function is sent down the line Loss of organisational control and organisational identity Work and Islamic culture Latifi (1997) identified the following work-related values of Islamic culture: Equality before God Individual responsibility within a framework of cooperation with others A view that people in positions of power should treat subordinates kindly, as if their subordinates are brothers or sisters Fatalism, but also a recognition of personal choice Encouragement of consultation at all levels of decision-making, from family to the wider community. IHRM and training and development Training and development increases in complexity as MNEs move abroad. Types of training and development depends on a number of factors: The degree to which management is centralised. The types of workers employed in subsidiaries or joint ventures. The importance of branding, and the extent to which employees are expected to reflect the brand. The cultural expectations of training. In a global company, the training may well be centralised so that suppliers, employees and distributors are aware of the brand image that needs to be communicated. E.g. in Ford training programmes are set up centrally, and then translated and delivered to all main suppliers, subsidiaries and distributors. If, however, a more polycentric approach is taken, then the training may well be far more local, and more in line with the local culture Cross-cultural awareness Support provided for employees moving to overseas subsidiaries: Environmental briefings Cultural orientation Cultural assimilation Language training Sensitivity training Field experience. IHRM and reward strategies To design an appropriate reward strategy for employees taking up an international position, may require a number of factors to be considered, including: A knowledge of the laws, customs, environment, and employment practices of the foreign countries. Familiarity with currency relationships and the effect of inflation on compensation. An understanding of the allowances appropriate to particular countries, etc. For example, awareness of employment related legislation in the country of operation is vital to an appropriate international reward structure. India has as many as 45 labour laws at national level and close to four times that at the level of state governments (Kaushik 2006). The main method of drawing up a compensation package is known as the balance sheet approach. This approach is, according to Reynolds (1986): a system designed to equalise the purchasing power of employees at comparable position levels living overseas and in the home country, and to provide incentives to offset qualitative differences between assignment locations. IHRM and Balance Sheet reward strategy In order to achieve balance in reward structure, the organisation must take into account: Income taxes incurred in both home and host country Housing allowances (which might range from financial assistance to employees to providing company housing) Cost-of-living allowances (to adjust differences between home and abroad) Contributions to savings, pension schemes, etc. while abroad Relocation allowances (including the moving, shipping and storage of personal and household items and temporary living expenses) Education allowances for expatriates children (e.g. language tuition and enrollment fees in the host country or boarding school fees in the home country) Medical, emergency and security cover. Appraisal Identifies individuals strengths and weaknesses Reveals organisational obstacles blocking progress Provides feedback to improve human resource planning Improves communication. Cultural variations: performance appraisals Dimension general USA low context Saudi Arabia high context Japan high context Objective of performance appraisal Fairness, employee development Placement Direction of company/employee development Who does appraisal? Supervisor Manager several levels up. Appraiser has to know employee well Mentor and supervisor. Appraiser has to know employee well Authority of appraiser Presumed in supervisory role or position. Supervisor takes slight lead Reputation important (prestige is determined by nationality, sex, family, tribe, title, education). Authority of appraiser important Respect accorded by employee to supervisor or appraiser. Done co-equally How often? Once a year Once a year Developmental or periodically once a month. Evaluation appraisal after first 12 years

James Fenimore Cooper :: Essays Papers

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper was born in Burlington, New Jersey on September 15, 1789 to William and Elizabeth Cooper. He was born the eleventh of twelve children. When James was one year old the family moved to the frontier of Lake Otsego, New York, and his father established the settlement of Cooperstown at the head of the Susquehanna River. Cooper attended a private prep school in Albany, New York, and was then admitted to Yale in 1803. He was expelled during his junior year because of a prank. His family allowed him to join the navy, but he soon found that more discipline was present in the Navy than at Yale. In 1810 Cooper took a furlough, and never returned to active duty. James Fenimore Cooper married Susan De Lancy in 1811, and for the next ten years he lived as a country gentleman. However, after the death of all five of his elder brothers he became responsible for supporting their widows and paying their debts. He then found out that his father's estate had not been worth as much as originally thought. In 1820 Cooper published his first fiction, Precaution, on a challenge from his wife. This novel was largely unsuccessful. In 1821 he published his second book, The Spy, which was modeled after Sir Walter Scott's "Waverly" novels, except it was set during the American Revolution. The Spy brought Cooper international fame and a certain amount of wealth. Cooper's third book, The Pioneers, was the first of five novels that made up the Leatherstocking Tales. These were immensely popular frontier novels featuring a frontiersman by the name of Natty Bumpo, or Hawkeye. The Pioneers is generally considered to be the first truly American novel. The five novels of the series were not written in their narrative order, and were produced over a period of eighteen years. Cooper and his wife had five children, and they lived in Europe from 1826 until 1833 for the education of their children. When Cooper returned to America in 1833 he found he was rather unpopular due to his works Notions of the Americans and Letter to General Lafayette, which he had written while living in Europe.

How to manage your time effectively Essay

Ever come up short on schedule for something that should have been finished? On the off chance that you addressed yes, maybe you experienced difficulty dealing with your time legitimately. Time administration can show you how to take advantage of your time. Time management is one of the most important skills for university students. You should be very busy with your studies while, at the same time, balancing it with an on-campus social life. You have been admitted to the school of your choice, with hopes of meeting new friends and finding success in your classes. Getting into college is the easy part, but the hard part would be finishing it in one piece. College can be fun but at the same time frustrating, especially if your professors are being difficult or too strict. You may have thought some of these things when you first visited your university’s campus: †¢ I am overwhelmed. This is too much. †¢ The campus is so big, how will I ever find my way around? †¢ Okay, now I am a college student. Now, what happens? Surviving college is not just about how intelligent you are. It is not about how high you scored on standardized tests or admissions exams, and it is not entirely about classes and studying. People need to socialize; it’s part of their human nature. College does allow you to interact, but you must also study. It is important that you balance your time between studying and socializing. Some college students study themselves to the point of fatigue, but then some of them do not pass their classes due to stress. Other college students think of the university as one endless party. Some students do not appreciate the importance of socialization, and others do not value the importance of their education. You may be an intellect but it is not the only key to success in college. What is the secret to collegiate success? Time management is vital. College requires you to balance your life. You have to manage everything, such as class preparation, studying, campus organization activities, spending time with friends, eating healthy, exercising, and sleeping. Time management is not solely about studying, but also the attentiveness on relieving the stress of college life. Here are some ways that you can effectively manage your precious time: †¢ Learn to prioritize. Once you are focused on the goals you wish to achieve, you must prioritize the activities required to reach the goal. That will help you determine what particular task needs to be accomplished first and what tasks can be reserved for the future. To accomplish your goals more efficiently, try to mark deadlines on your calendar. †¢ Try to set goals. Know what you want to achieve and make those achievements your priority. That could be anything, whether you want to achieve the goal in a day, a week, a month, or a semester. Determine what your academic goal should be. Making goals could make it simpler for you to concentrate; instead of juggling subjects that you think are easy, it could be very stressful and often results in failing to achieve your goal. If you have more than one goal, it is wise to separate them into more manageable sections. Make a list of what you want to achieve for one week and for following weeks. †¢ Use extra time constructively. As an example, instead of doing nothing before class while waiting for the professor to arrive, try to think of the latest class assignment. If you are assigned to write an essay or research paper, use the time to think of a good topic for it. It is a fantastic way to portion your time into manageable pieces, and great time saver. It also allows you more time to spend time with your friends. When it comes to finishing tasks, sooner is always better than later. †¢ Time management planning is available for you to use to your advantage. Do not squander the resources and methods or available to you. The key to time management planning is carrying out the plans. Some college students get easily swayed by friends to attend a party while the student should be studying or otherwise in the process of achieving the established goals. Oftentimes, students think that they can put off the agenda until tomorrow. Doing so often results in too many things to do the next day, resulting in stress and frustration. You may have thought that each day is too short for you to finish all your work, and you may wish that there were more hours in a day. Those wishes are impossible. Therefore, the best course of action is to make use of what little time you do have.

Art and Literature in Augustan Rome Essay

The beginning of this time period comes with the death of Julius Caesar and the rise to power of his nephew, Octavius. He was in the Second Triumvirate that was formed to maintain order in Rome. Octavian, Marcus Lepidus, and Marc Antony ruled formally unlike the informal triumvirate of Julius Caesar. The triumvirate set out to execute members of the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. In 42 BC, Brutus and Cassius were finally defeated. In the following years the triumvirate diminished. In 36 BC, Lepidus retired. Marc Antony began to have affairs with Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. These affairs briefly came to a pause when Antony married Octavian’s sister Octavia. Marc Antony later returns to Egypt and marries Cleopatra. This causes Octavian and Antony to break out into war. He then takes his great-uncles name of Augustus and claims his leadership over Rome by defeating Mark Antony. Much art and literature was dedicated to the support of Augustus, which helped to bring together his empire. The Aeneid is an example of such propaganda in favor of Augustus, which people often find parallels between Aeneas and Augustus. In order for Augustus to maintain his newly gained power he uses such art and literature to influence his people. This form of media, which propaganda was a key part, plays an important role in his plan to maintain power. Augustus, known first to history as Gaius Octavius, was born in 63 BC. His relation to Julius Caesar comes from his grandmother Julia, who was Caesar’s sister. His great-uncle encourages him, for he sees talent in him, and even puts him in his will as his successor, along with three quarters of his estate. In 44 BC Caesar is assassinated and Augustus heads to Rome to pay his respects and to take his throne. He has to battle against Mark Antony, who was one of Caesar’s most trusted lieutenants. After ultimately causing Antony and his second wife Cleopatra to commit suicide, Augustus returns to Rome as the undisputed master of both east and west. Augustus ruled by patronage, military power, and accumulation of the offices. He was a sole ruler of Rome, which in result became known as the Roman Empire. The Senate became docile to Augustus and allowed him to have control. He gained the people’s support by funding various poets and artisans, who in exchange  glorified him in their work. This use of the arts, is example to Augustus’ use of political propaganda through art and literature. The writer of the Aeneid, Virgil, was a part of the circle of artists and poets supported by the wealthy patron Maecenas, who was close to Augustus. This gave him the freedom to spend most of his time writing. Since Virgil was writing under a patron close to the emperor, his stories had an element of political propaganda. He tied the life of Aeneas in the Aeneid, to that of Augustus, legitimizing the position of monarch and pleasing the emperor. This story was extremely popular in Rome and Aeneas was seen as the model citizen, so you can see why the connection to Augustus could work as a sort of propaganda. The Aeneid is interpreted by some, to validate the â€Å"golden age† and the restoration of the republic that Augustus had claimed to have done. It is a form of positive propaganda for Augustus, portraying him in a positive light for all of Rome to read. The most obvious connection between Aeneas and Augustus was their roles as founders. Aeneas founded the Roman Empire in the Aeneid and Augustus re-founded the empire after it had begun to fall apart after Caesar’s assassination and the subsequent battle for total power. In Book Six, Aeneas is shown a prophecy of the coming greatness of Rome, in a clear reference to Augustus’ rule. Another example is that the poem also served in Augustus’s attempts to re-introduce Roman values into Roman society, including reverence for the gods. Aeneas continually showed reverence to the gods, just as he did when he left Dido because it was the god’s will. The poem continues to reflect these ideals by portraying Aeneas not as a man motivated by personal gain, but a man motivated by his love and loyalty to his country, people and gods. For Romans the Aeneid is seen as something mystical, which it may be, but for Augustus it is just another example of his use of literature and art as propaganda. Augustus also united the Empire through his use of the arts as a form of self-promotion and to promote the themes of his administration, such as peace, allegiance to Rome, and respect for tradition. He visually improved the city by constructing new buildings that were worthy of the powerful Empire. He made art into the materialization of Roman government which was an idea continued by his descendants and was declared a god. He knew that he  had to portray his greatness in all the aspects of his subjects’ lives, including the arts. Three examples of such art are the Ara Pacis, the Temple of Mars, and the Res Gestae Divi Augustus. The Ara Pacis was made to honor the triumphal return from Spain and Gaul of Augustus and to celebrate the peace established by his victories. The Temple of Mars was constructed in Rome, to give thanks to the god for his victory over the assassins of his adoptive father, Gaius Julius Caesar. The Res Gestae Divi Augustus, is the first-person record of Augustus’ life and accomplishments. It is to show the greatness of Augustus and how he wanted it to be portrayed to his Roman people. These three pieces of art were very important in helping Augustus maintaining his power. Augustus’ use of art and literature as propaganda to influence his people was his way of keeping hold of his power. He was aware, as example of his great-uncle, that keeping power as a Roman Leader wasn’t easy. Even from the very beginning of his climb to power, when he had to fight for his throne against Mark Antony, he realized that his reign would come with some struggle. Which is why once he obtained complete control he used the works of artisans and poets to pay homage to himself and to influence the people of Rome to see Augustus in a favorable light. Just as Virgil’s epic, the Aeneid was extremely influential, not only to the people of the time of Augustan Rome, but also to many generations afterward. Augustus’ support created a â€Å"golden age† of literature even if much of it was a sort of propaganda. It is easy to understand why many other monarchs would strive to be like Augustus and to immortalize themselves in the arts and literature of their time as he once did. For he was an outstanding military leader, an excellent overseer of many public works, as well as being the leader during the longest period of peace and prosperity that Rome has ever experienced. Not only did he do all of this, but he also was extremely successful in his use of art and literature propaganda to influence the people around him. It not only gained him the support of the people of Rome, but it helped to unite his empire, as well as allowing him to live forever, not in a human body, but in the threads and strokes of all the works dedicated to him.

Free Essays on Framework Makes The Picture

Framework Makes the Picture The way in which an author conceptualizes a concept is unique to him- self. An author’s conceptualization is his thought process, his perceptions, and his general view of the concept. Also, something that may be less thought about is the author’s idea of how his audience may prefer him to write. One very important aspect of writing an author must consider is framework. Framework doesn’t apply solely to an entire book, a single concept or chapter, or even to a single paragraph. In Freedom in Fulani Social Life, author Paul Riesman uses various methods of framing his concepts. Riesman’s framework and conceptualization is not only unique for the entire book but also for different chapters. In his introduction Riesman discusses two different ethnological methods. The first method he refers to as â€Å"classic ethnography,† which, as Riesman says, â€Å"seeks to record the life of a society by fitting its practices, artifacts, and beliefs into a set of rubrics (e.g., â€Å"kinship,† â€Å"religion,† â€Å"economy†) established in the traditions of the discipline† (Reisman, 1). This method simply consists of listing facts and observations in an orderly manner so that the reader may gain a more informed perspective of the concept. I perceive the classic ethnologic method to be more of a historian’s concerns with a specific culture, comprised almost entirely of fact and accompanied by very little voice of the researcher/author. The second method Riesman discusses is one he says he uses in the field and, â€Å"whose basic principle was never to lose sight of society as a whole.† (Riesman, 1). This method would involve le ss fact and more of the author discussing observations and conclusions based on these observations. Riesman himself states that his second part, â€Å"life as lived,† is â€Å"quite artificial† (Riesman, 1). The latter method can be perceived as digging deeper into a person or cult... Free Essays on Framework Makes The Picture Free Essays on Framework Makes The Picture Framework Makes the Picture The way in which an author conceptualizes a concept is unique to him- self. An author’s conceptualization is his thought process, his perceptions, and his general view of the concept. Also, something that may be less thought about is the author’s idea of how his audience may prefer him to write. One very important aspect of writing an author must consider is framework. Framework doesn’t apply solely to an entire book, a single concept or chapter, or even to a single paragraph. In Freedom in Fulani Social Life, author Paul Riesman uses various methods of framing his concepts. Riesman’s framework and conceptualization is not only unique for the entire book but also for different chapters. In his introduction Riesman discusses two different ethnological methods. The first method he refers to as â€Å"classic ethnography,† which, as Riesman says, â€Å"seeks to record the life of a society by fitting its practices, artifacts, and beliefs into a set of rubrics (e.g., â€Å"kinship,† â€Å"religion,† â€Å"economy†) established in the traditions of the discipline† (Reisman, 1). This method simply consists of listing facts and observations in an orderly manner so that the reader may gain a more informed perspective of the concept. I perceive the classic ethnologic method to be more of a historian’s concerns with a specific culture, comprised almost entirely of fact and accompanied by very little voice of the researcher/author. The second method Riesman discusses is one he says he uses in the field and, â€Å"whose basic principle was never to lose sight of society as a whole.† (Riesman, 1). This method would involve le ss fact and more of the author discussing observations and conclusions based on these observations. Riesman himself states that his second part, â€Å"life as lived,† is â€Å"quite artificial† (Riesman, 1). The latter method can be perceived as digging deeper into a person or cult...

Free Essays on Seven World Wonders

Seven Wonders of the World, works of art and architecture regarded by ancient Greek and Roman observers as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity. The listing of ancient wonders probably began in ancient Greece in around the 2nd century BC, but the Seven Wonders that were most commonly referred to were listed some time after that. All built in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East area, some time from around 2600 BC up to about AD 476, the Wonders are: (1) The Pyramids of Egypt, at Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders and the only ones remaining intact today. (2) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, near Baghdad, were a mountain-like series of planted terraces. (3) The Statue of Zeus was the central feature of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece. (4) The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Greece was a huge, elaborate temple to the goddess Artemis. (5) The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, a monumental marble tomb in Asia Minor, exists only in fragmentary form today. (6) The Colossus of Rhodes was a bronze statue of the Greek sun god Helios erected at Rhodes harbour. (7) The Pharos of Alexandria, on an island off Alexandria, Egypt, was a famous ancient lighthouse. THE PYRAMIDS Pyramids of Egypt, pyramid complex at Giza, on the west bank of the Nile, Egypt, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is said to be the only pyramid regarded as one of the Seven Wonders, although some historians class all three famous large pyramids (of the ten pyramids at Giza) as the Wonder. Built some time during the 26th century bc, the pyramids are the oldest and only remaining Wonders to have survived almost completely intact today. Large Egyptian pyramids were built (on a king’s instructions) to protect tombs, each holding the mummified body of a king (see Embalming). It was believed that entombment in a pyramid would ensure a person’s soul would live forever. A chamber at the heart of the pyramid, or underneath it... Free Essays on Seven World Wonders Free Essays on Seven World Wonders Seven Wonders of the World, works of art and architecture regarded by ancient Greek and Roman observers as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity. The listing of ancient wonders probably began in ancient Greece in around the 2nd century BC, but the Seven Wonders that were most commonly referred to were listed some time after that. All built in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East area, some time from around 2600 BC up to about AD 476, the Wonders are: (1) The Pyramids of Egypt, at Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders and the only ones remaining intact today. (2) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, near Baghdad, were a mountain-like series of planted terraces. (3) The Statue of Zeus was the central feature of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece. (4) The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Greece was a huge, elaborate temple to the goddess Artemis. (5) The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, a monumental marble tomb in Asia Minor, exists only in fragmentary form today. (6) The Colossus of Rhodes was a bronze statue of the Greek sun god Helios erected at Rhodes harbour. (7) The Pharos of Alexandria, on an island off Alexandria, Egypt, was a famous ancient lighthouse. THE PYRAMIDS Pyramids of Egypt, pyramid complex at Giza, on the west bank of the Nile, Egypt, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is said to be the only pyramid regarded as one of the Seven Wonders, although some historians class all three famous large pyramids (of the ten pyramids at Giza) as the Wonder. Built some time during the 26th century bc, the pyramids are the oldest and only remaining Wonders to have survived almost completely intact today. Large Egyptian pyramids were built (on a king’s instructions) to protect tombs, each holding the mummified body of a king (see Embalming). It was believed that entombment in a pyramid would ensure a person’s soul would live forever. A chamber at the heart of the pyramid, or underneath it...

Why Was the ACT Called the American College Test

Why Was the ACT Called the American College Test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Three little letters, one big test. Wondering what the letters ACT actually stand for? The answer reveals a lot about the history of the test as well as its goals. Read on to learn about the name of the ACT and why that matters. How Did the ACT Come to Be? The SAT has been around in some form or another since 1901, and was made by the College Board (itself founded in 1899). Beginning in 1925, when it was named the â€Å"Scholastic Aptitude Test,† the SAT aimed to measure scholastic skill through logical reasoning, as opposed to explicitly testing subjects learned in school. As the only college admissions test for the first half of the twentieth century, the SAT had a monopoly on the market. For students who struggled with the SAT, they had no other options. An education professor named Everett Lindquist at the University of Iowa disliked this. He also particularly disliked the SAT’s emphasis on logical â€Å"aptitude† as opposed to acquired knowledge. He wanted a test to more accurately judge how students of different backgrounds would do in college. This was because college enrollment patterns in the U.S. were changing, and more and more students wanted to enroll. While the SAT was particularly popular in the Northeast, and especially among elite schools, educators in the Midwest and beyond wanted a test that would judge what students had learned, as opposed to innate â€Å"aptitude.† The University of Iowa, where the ACT was created. In 1959, the professor created the â€Å"American College Test,† or A.C.T., that judged students on what they had learned in school, not logical reasoning skills. The test quickly grew in popularity, with over a million students per year taking the test by the 1970s. It became a well-known alternative to the ACT, and today, all colleges accept both the ACT and SAT for admission. What Is the ACT Known as Today? As of September 1996, The American College Test became just the ACT, with the initials no longer standing for anything. But why would the ACT no longer want to be called the "American College Test"? Isn’t it a fairly innocuous name? After all, the test is designed for admission to American colleges. Dropping the meaning â€Å"American College Test† helps the ACT brand be more flexible, especially in the twenty-first century. There are several reasons being called the ACT as opposed to the â€Å"American College Test† is a smart move. 1. It helps the ACT remain level with the SAT, so the two tests can no longer be easily categorized and compared. The SAT also dropped its original meaning (â€Å"Scholastic Aptitude Test†) and is only known by its initials. As both of the tests are widely used nationally and as of 2007 all colleges accept both, the ACT probably wanted to look like an equal alternative to the SAT, as opposed to a more niche option. 2. Dropping the name broadens the test's scope. The ACT is now a part of regular testing in many states. If it were called a â€Å"college† test it would be a harder sell as a test for school district progress. Furthermore, the ACT now has other products and services. It has expanded into elementary and middle school testing, through Aspire. It also creates test preparation products. In short, it’s no longer a company that just makes a college admission test, so dropping "college" from the name is helpful. 3. The ACT can now compete internationally. By getting rid of â€Å"American† in its name, it’s easier to sell the ACT abroad as an alternative to the SAT. As ACT participation grows worldwide, it doesn't make sense to keep calling it an American test. Does This Change How You Should Study for the ACT? The ACT was created in response to the SAT, and thus will always want to make itself seem like the more student-friendly option. Its more straightforward name – American College Test as opposed to Scholastic Aptitude Test – reveals its more straightforward mission, to test content students learn in school, rather than test reasoning ability or logic. Although the ACT has changed so it now tests broader skills like scientific reasoning (and the SAT in turn has worked to become more â€Å"relevant† and to stop testing obscure words, among other changes), it still is generally seen as the more straightforward counterpart to the SAT. Comparing the ACT and SAT can often feel like comparing apples and oranges. If you’re deciding between the two tests, take the ACT’s history and goals into consideration. Most students tend to do better on one test or the other. What’s Next? So how can you decide for sure whether you should take the ACT or the SAT? Use our fool-proof method to discover the test you’ll be best at. Learn more about the ACT – how it’s scored, how long it is, and get a guide to each section (English, Math, Reading, Science). So how long should you study for the ACT? Learn how to maximize your score here. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Buyer's Attitude & Marketing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Buyer's Attitude & Marketing Strategies - Essay Example Country of origin (CoO) cues influence the buyer’s purchasing behaviour. This is recognized in the cognitive mediation process. It is based on the argument that beliefs about a product’s features or attributes are directly influenced by the product’s country of origin information. These influenced beliefs mediate changes in attitude toward the product. Strategically speaking, the country of origin cues is used to promote the products of one country in another. Japan literally spent billions of dollars in the United States to overcome the poor image that its products had in the United States after World War II. Although total Japanese success cannot possibly be attributed to successful of country of origin cues, they certainly played an important role. In fact, the cues or their variations are still playing a critical role in Japan’s success in United States Markets. Managing Country of Origin Perception Buyer attitudes toward certain countries can change, and this has important implications for global competitors. Both Japan and South Korea saw their products rise in esteem over a relatively short period of time. Now Japanese products score higher than U.S. or German products in some countries, including China and Saudi Arabia (Onkvisit, 2005). In recent years, a number of countries, including Portugal, Estonia, and Poland, have employed branding experts to help them project a better image. Finland even undertook a campaign to enhance its image as a center of high tech innovation, hoping that a better national image would help its high-tech companies in the U.S market. But countries must realize branding is more than hype, it must be backed by reality. Consequently, major changes in country brand image can take 20 years to achieve (Czinkota, 2007). Firms that suffer from a negative country of origin commonly settle for lower prices to offset perceptions of lower quality. However, there are a number of strategies that can improve buye r perception of the quality of products that suffer from a negative country of origin effect; A negative country of origin bias may be offset by using a channel that distributes already accepted complementary goods. Communication, marketing and persistence can eventually pay off. Production may be moved to a country with a positive country of origin effect. If it’s too difficult, key parts can be sourced from such countries. The country of origin effect does extend further. For example, the stereotyping relates just as much too developed countries (Gilligan,  2004). For example, there are strong associations between countries and the products that they are known for: Italy and pizza and Germany and Machine tools. Overcoming these stereotypes is often the first challenge for international marketers who must prove that their product does not reinforce negative stereotypes. This is particularly important as customers become more knowledgeable (Cateora, 2002). For example, many new car buyers know where their can has been designed and manufactured as well as the country of origin of the brand. Increasing, of course, the MNE’s headquarters, the brands perceived home, the location of product design and places of manufacture may all be in different countries. Many MNE’s such as Nike are marketing, not manufacturing companies and source products from many countries (Muhlbacher,  2006). Their brand becomes the ‘badge of quality’

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research - Essay Example It may for example compromise doctrines of justice and beneficence in a research (Lo, 2012). Research with vulnerable and protected groups is another ethical dilemma. It arises from the doctrine of justice that established the need for protecting the participants. The rules however restrict a researcher’s freedom to explore a research problem from a systematic approach and therefore tempt the researcher to breach the rules. The use of self as a research subject is another ethical dilemma in qualitative research. This is because of associated self-interest in the research together with increased chances of biasness that arises from the subjective nature of a qualitative research, factors that undermine potential advantages of the approach to research such as a researcher’s rich experiences as a cheap and readily available source of data (Krishnaswamy, Sivakumar and Mathirajan, 2009). The scope of my study that involves exploration of human experiences is susceptible to e thical issues such as â€Å"autonomy, beneficence, and justice† (Academic Conference, 2010). Developing a research methodology and proposed methods for implementing a research is one of the fundamentals to a successful research. Ensuring an ethical research by providing for ethical considerations and implementing the considerations in a research process is however a challenge. This is because the ethical requirements restrict a researcher and scope of a research. I have therefore realized that the need to conduct a thorough research may force a qualitative researcher to compromise ethical

Paranormal Activity 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paranormal Activity 3 - Essay Example I think that he is not married to Julie because he is two young and he does not belief that marriage itself can reinforce the relationship between the people. He might see proof of that on his work. Toby is the main antagonist of the movie, so to speak. To begin with one should point out that it is a ghost – this is what defines his nature. In addition to that, it manifests itself is a poltergeist which means that it is responsible for creating disturbances in the house of the main characters. Keeping in mind some cruel actions that were done by him, one might conclude that he is also a demon. The reason why it plays trick on people is because it haunts them in order to scare (Montell 140). There is one point when it scratches Randi, a friend of Dennis, and this wound is clearly supernatural as it can not be explained logically. The movie does not say a lot about biological father of the girls; however, I think that he does not call them because his wife and their grandmother killed him. Speaking of the latter, her name is Lois. She wants her daughter Julie to have a son since that is the part of the system of beliefs of the witch coven that she is a part of (Ehrenreich and English 44). At the end of the movie, one might see that Grandma Lois allows Toby to kill her daughter and marry her granddaughter – that is who devoted to the coven she is. Considering the reasons why Toby stalks the babysitter, one might point out that it saw her as an obstacle that could damage its plans, so it was ready to scare her away. The reason why it put on the sheet is largely focused on the fact that prior to that scene, the babysitter put on the sheet too, pretending to be a ghost, so Toby was kind of ironic. There is no particular explanation why it appears to be roughly three feet in height, though Kristi, the only person who

Homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 46

Homework - Essay Example This implies that a trainee needs to be careful when executing tasks and possess the highest mental strength to tackle difficult situations. Similarly, sociability trait is the ability to accommodate divergent views from others while extroversion enables one to be sociable. Sincerity to experience is the sensible and creative nature of an individual to come up with new strategies. The problems that occur in organizations due to a self-enhancement phenomenon include making of poor decisions and being overconfident in all situations. This implies that employees can overestimate the possibilities of attaining their ideas because of the positive elements and strengths they possess. In this regard, organizational leaders should ensure that their employees understand their weaknesses instead of focusing on the positive attributes only. Value congruence is relevant regarding organizational against professional values in that it eliminates confusion and conflicts of interests. This implies that a professional shares similar values and objectives to those of the organizational missions. It can also contribute to higher job satisfaction, allegiance and organizational citizenship because a professional is able to execute his skills without conflicts or problems with the management. High power distance and collectivism are cross-cultural components that illustrate the nature in which individuals in a certain society accept unequal power distribution. The implications of this information are that employees value submission to authority and are comfortable getting commands from their bosses without deliberations. As a result, when a senior executive visits another country, he or she will not face resistance from employees who observe a different

PRIORITIZING PROJECTS AT D. D. WILLIAMSON Essay - 1

PRIORITIZING PROJECTS AT D. D. WILLIAMSON - Essay Example As a means of understanding Williamson’s model, the core components of his prioritization will be understood as: 1) establishing the criteria for prioritizing, 2) weighting the criteria, 3) refining the project lists as a result of steps one and two 4)developing shareholder buy in based upon the results that the weighting has generated. Due to the fact that such a complex layer of decision must be made on a daily basis with regards to prioritization, it is D. D. Williamson’s belief that such a process itself should not be left to a type of change (Segal 1999). Rather, to define, categorize, and formalize the approach to how work tasks are completed is something that should be both transparent and a bit formulaic; so as to reduce the overall level of shareholder biases that could possibly be reflected within the process. Although this process and formulization of the project and workflow management process is visionary, it does represent some key shortcomings as well as some key strengths that will herein be discussed. Firstly, with reference to the way that these steps provide for an improvement within traditional project prioritization, the reader can quickly infer that the means by which such an approach are actually realied far exceed the ways that leaders and management typically venture into prioritizing work flow. Due to the fact that humans are of course innately self interested and seeking to maximize their own utility at each and every step, it is more often the case than not that work flow is organized and prioritized based upon what leadership sees as the best means to promote a given agenda or project. In this way, providing a level of formulization such as what D. D. Williamson has done helps to keep the process on track and as little influenced by shareholder bias as possible. Although there still exists a high level of bias that could come

Response to Client Request Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response to Client Request - Essay Example Since, in this case the client holds the position of the lessor and the customer that has reached the client would fill the place of the lessee in this agreement. Therefore, from the client’s perspective, the leases from the standpoint for lessor hold significant value. Sales-type leases are the leases that give rise to a profit or loss to the lessor with the lease agreement as it would have done had the leased property been sold. This is because the leased property is given to the lessee at the fair value of the property which may be higher or less than the actual cost of the property. Direct financing leases are a very important type of leases as they are widely used in the lease agreements. There are certain criteria that must be met in order for a lease agreement to quality for direct financing lease. ... following criteria; the lease agreement includes three parties that are lessor, a long term creditor and a lessee, the financing provided by the long term creditor is nonrecourse as to the general credit of the lessor, the lessor’s net investment in the lease declines during the early years and rises in the later years. Any other types of leases, other than those described above, are classified as operating leases. In case of this client, the following points should also be taken into consideration. In case of direct financing lease or sales-type lease, it is also important for the lessor to ensure that the collectability of the minimum lease payments is reasonably predictable. A lessor shall not classify a lease as a direct financing lease or a sales-type lease merely on the basis of an estimate regarding the collectability of the minimum lease payments based on the prior experience with the lessee or prior experience with similar groups of receivables. The lessor should also make sure that no important uncertainties surround the amount of reimbursements to be made by the lessor to the lessee in relation to the performance of the leased property. The uncertainties might arise due to extensive guarantee provided by the lessor regarding the performance of the leased property. In this case, lessee might retrieve the amount of loss, if any, incurred by the lessee due to the lack of performance of the leased property as opposed to what was promised by the lessor. These factors shall apply in the case of the client as the client must ensure that the customer that has reached the client would be able to pay the minimum lease payments without any default in the payments. This can be ensured by conducting a market survey regarding the integrity of the customer. If the

PRIORITIZING PROJECTS AT D. D. WILLIAMSON Essay - 1

PRIORITIZING PROJECTS AT D. D. WILLIAMSON - Essay Example As a means of understanding Williamson’s model, the core components of his prioritization will be understood as: 1) establishing the criteria for prioritizing, 2) weighting the criteria, 3) refining the project lists as a result of steps one and two 4)developing shareholder buy in based upon the results that the weighting has generated. Due to the fact that such a complex layer of decision must be made on a daily basis with regards to prioritization, it is D. D. Williamson’s belief that such a process itself should not be left to a type of change (Segal 1999). Rather, to define, categorize, and formalize the approach to how work tasks are completed is something that should be both transparent and a bit formulaic; so as to reduce the overall level of shareholder biases that could possibly be reflected within the process. Although this process and formulization of the project and workflow management process is visionary, it does represent some key shortcomings as well as some key strengths that will herein be discussed. Firstly, with reference to the way that these steps provide for an improvement within traditional project prioritization, the reader can quickly infer that the means by which such an approach are actually realied far exceed the ways that leaders and management typically venture into prioritizing work flow. Due to the fact that humans are of course innately self interested and seeking to maximize their own utility at each and every step, it is more often the case than not that work flow is organized and prioritized based upon what leadership sees as the best means to promote a given agenda or project. In this way, providing a level of formulization such as what D. D. Williamson has done helps to keep the process on track and as little influenced by shareholder bias as possible. Although there still exists a high level of bias that could come

Fatigue Essay Example for Free

Fatigue Essay This is a summary of Jane Brodys article, Fatigue. Fatigue is one of peoples most common complaints. Even though there is new technology that saves people from doing everything by hand people still complain about being tired. Brody stated that physicians reported people who tend to keep themselves busy with work tend to not be as fatigued. Tiredness mainly comes from not doing much rather than wearing yourself down. Overall, there are diverse reasons for people being tired. Being physically active seems to be the cure for fatigue. There are three kinds of fatigue. One is physical fatigue the second type is pathological fatigue and the third is psychological fatigue. These all have causes and cures for fatigue. Physical fatigue is caused by over working ones body. Another cause can be carbon dioxide and lactic acid that collects in the body which weakens the muscles. This prevents them from functioning effectively. Physicians recommend that rest is way to cure physical fatigue. Another type of fatigue is pathological fatigue. Pathological fatigue is a warning sign of a cold or disease such as cancer. After being ill or over worked one must give their body time to fully recover. A physical check-up is highly recommended to check if something is wrong with one self. Many times the cause for fatigue can be undetected or over looked. The third type of fatigue is psychological fatigue. Emotional problems like depression and anxiety are the cause of prolonged fatigue. Prolonged fatigue can cause ones denial of depression and the cause of it. Mainly when feelings arent expressed openly, the outcome is normally fatigue. One common fatigue syndrome is the Tired Housewife Syndrome in which young mothers stay home all day and have nothing to look forward to. The mothers soon develop resentment and envy towards their husband. The cure for this fatigue is professional counseling.

Mass Media Creates Rather Than Reflects Social Reality Media Essay

Mass Media Creates Rather Than Reflects Social Reality Media Essay The modern society is surrounded by different types of media that present multifarious information. This is done in a gratuitous manner whether with or without the consent of the audience. It has been argued by some that the medias role has extended from the conventional reflection of societal values to the creation of new values. This is a complex and controversial matter though. However, this articles final stand is that the media is an amplifier of underlying societal values. Some of the content is distorted, even though one cannot down play the inherent significance of the medias belonging to the society (Lull, 2000, p. 37). The media has rapidly developed with the advent in information technology. It has become easier to access information in contemporary times than it was some few decades ago. This has been through smart gadgets and technologies such as phones, and the internet, and social networking sites such as Facebook, My Space, and Tweeter among others. Virtually everything is going e, from e-mails to e-newspapers. This has made it so easy to communicate; you could easily speak your mind and even show the world what youve got through YouTube (Kuerschner, 2006, p.11). When one is sitting in their living room to watch music videos from MTV, different interpretations arise, but one thing is common-MTV clearly displays the way music has developed. MTV has generally been a symbol of those who are young and jaunty. The music, the lifestyle of rap stars, rock stars, pop stars have liberally set new criterions, which are earnestly followed by the young. MTV has increased its presence in oriental countries; this has been observed as an invasion from the West and a destruction of conventional values. There has been a creation of new styles of walking, talking, clothing, and consequently thinking for the young oriental minds. For example, MTVs era in Japan is quickly associated with the birth of the rebellious Japanese adolescents. However, it is sincerely wrong to believe that the MTV itself creates reality from nowhere or to conclude that the MTV is responsible for all changes in the contemporary technologically advanced Japan. The MTV has actually been s uccessful in the western world, and then in the rest of the world simply because it has continued to support and magnify the values that are inherently held and nurtured by these societies. The contemporary society is more liberal, more spontaneous, and more rebellious; this may be as a result of industrialization, and the media serves as an amplifier of such values. If the modern media would instead assume a more conservative figure, the expected result would be its extinction. (Connell, 1995, p. 9) Information has a significant effect on people lives. For example watching the world cup can make one to experience a gamut of emotions, a sense of delight, nervousness and even resentment at the same time. Watching movies can take someones mind away from reality; this may bring inspiration to do act in a certain way. Therefore, information has created a myriad of avenues to the society but at the same time the society has become heavily dependent on these avenues (Newbold et al., 2002, p. 31). The film making industry is another noteworthy example. Several changes have occurred in this industry and the modern filming industry has witnessed radical changes in the physical appearance of actors and actresses. Main actresses have become symbols of beauty. Modern movies depict beauty as tall and slim. More evidence can be seen from the modern posters and magazine covers display of images of women. The social appetite and taste for the woman body have really changed over time. The figure of a man is displayed as tall and well built (Parenti 1990, p. 6). The media has significantly propagated a certain type of beauty. Think about it this way, what if the media starts to promote short and fat model of beauty, would it be successful? This question may receive more No than yes, this means a doubt in the ability of the media to create the beauty that is not inherently held by the society. Another example is watching a movie of the hero robbing a bank with striking ingenuity; this ins tills negative messages into the masses (McGillion, C., 2003, p. 33). Generally stealing is wrong, but the hero of the movie walks out free, and goes to have fun without any conscience. Such movies create negative values that are against the principles of honesty (Barr, 2000, para.2). However, the media plays a significant role in presenting facts and realities say from newspapers on development, finance, justice, poverty, e.t.c, which are real reflections of what is happening in the society (Newbold, 2002, pp. 219). The values and mentality of the society is displayed as a whole rather than as an individual. Renowned scholar James Curran argued that The conviction à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that the media are important agencies of influence is broadly correct. However, the ways in which the media exert influence are complex and contingent (p. 158). For example the way the media has reported on terrorism has really instilled fear in the minds of people (Cozens, 2006). The loathing of terrorism has on the other hand turned others into pacifist. The media is arguably the most important form of expressing views and it is itself a medley of individuals and societys views (Fiske 1989, p. 127). With all these said, some view the media as being liberal but a closer analysis reveals otherwise, the owners of media outlets are not liberal themselves. Media outlets are businesses that are kept afloat by advertising revenues. It is true that some media outlets do a good job of being impartial. But when a TV station backs a political candidate who is sponsored by business heavy weights it must pay the price (Kalathi, S, 2004, p.40). Money of course directly buys influence as a result it affects how media covers a certain event (Price, 2002, p. 13). It is a medium for the ruling class to perpetuate their power, wealth and status (Barr, 2000, p. 17). Therefore, the media in this sense does not reflect reality (Curran, 2002, p. 45). Conclusion The thesis of this paper is that the media does play a role in creating reality from underlying societal values. Thus, the media cannot create values of its own. The article puts the relative advantage and disadvantage of the power of the media in creating reality, with an emphasis on the way the society has inherently allowed this to happen.

Essay --

The movie, The Color Purple, may be verging on one of my favorite movies of all time. When I watch it my eyes are literally glued to the screen. It has made me cry and laugh and love and so many more emotions that I can’t even cry. I was literally so scared of scenes that I jumped off my seat and onto the floor. The movie starts out with a girl who gives birth to her second child. Her stepfather is the father of the child meaning he raped her not only once but twice. She is only fourteen during these years and she is only fourteen when she gets married to a man who remain nameless and he also rapes her and beats her. Throughout the story, you learn from Celie herself who says when talking to her good friend Shug Avery, â€Å"He beats me because I am not you.† (Celie, The Color Purple). He then takes her sister away from her and she does not get to have contact with her sister again for an incredibly long time. However, even though the story starts out so sad it does get better after the Ceile is and adult and she meets Sophia. Sophia is Harpo’s soon to be wife. Harpo is Mr. ‘s son. Harpo and Sophia love each other very much, but they end up drifting apart and then Shug Avery comes into Celie’s life and changes it very much. She teaches Ceile a ton of things and she is the woman who inspires Ceile to stand up for herself. There are three scenes in The Color Purple directed by Stephen Spielberg that are my absolute favorite. In the movie, The Color Purple, Ceile finally is told that she is something special from listening to a song. In this scene, Shug Avery is performing for a crowd at their local bar. After her first song ends, she then tells the crowd what her next song is about. It is dedicated to none other than Mis... ... Celie is enjoying the action and does not want to leave, but has to when Shug pulls her away because things are getting dangerous. Celie gets in one more sneak peek of all the action, but does not see much before she is dragged away again. I do not mean to pick the scenes that were happier than others as my favorites. I did enjoy all of the other deep meaning scenes as well, but it is more difficult to write through tears. Personally, I think a movie about women empowerment is inspiring beyond anything else. Especially a movie where its starts off so sad and the narrator talks with such despair and hopelessness and turns all that into success and happiness by the end. The Color Purple brings out so many emotions in everybody that when watching, you just cannot believe. There is never a boring point in this movie because all of it comes together at the end.

The Importance of Culture Essay -- Sociology

What is culture? The definition of culture as explained by the English Anthropologist Edward B. Taylor in his work Primitive Culture: â€Å"Culture or civilization†¦is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society.† (Atafori). In addition, culture is the habits of people and is an important part of any society. Culture ties people of a community together, gives an individual a unique identity, and serves as the founding principles of one’s life. First, culture unites people together in a society. Further, culture gives common interests to one another in their society. For instance, Deepa Kartha emphasizes, â€Å"Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because it binds people together† (Kartha). Therefore, this common bond is what ties the people together in a group or region. In addition, Goodman’s essay implies, â€Å"It provides a powerful bond for personal loyalties and loyalties between peoples† (Goodman). Consequently, people that do not live in the regions where their culture exist will seek out others of the same traditions for camaraderie. Additionally, this bond explains why such regions in the world have communities made up of certain culture; for instance, China Town is a small region in the city of Melbourne, Australia that has all Chinese beliefs, morals, customs, and food. What’s more, the people that work and live in China Town are of Chinese culture. In addition, the culture of a community gives a person his or her own individuality. Communities will have different language, foods, customs, and traditions, which differentiates one group of people from another. Yutun Li points out that their family’s custom is to make d... ...Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 4 March 2010 . Atafori, Ayuure Kapini. "Culture-A Source of Prehudice and Ethnocentrism." 30 September 2006. The Statesman. 4 March 2009 . Brott, Armin A. "Not All Men Are Sly Foxes." Kennedy, X.J., Kennedy, Dorothy M., Aaron, Jane E. The Brief Bedford Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 285-287. Goodman, Donald P. III. "What is Culture." 14 June 2009. Goretti Publications. March 3 2010 . Kartha, Deepa. "What is Culture." 2 June 2009. Buzzle.com. 3 March 2010 . Li, Yiyun. "Orange Crush." Kennedy, X.J., Kennedy, Dorothy M., Aaron, Jane E. The Brief Bedford Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 144-146.

Operations Management and Productivity Essay

Service and product design decision is one of the very important issues of operations management. Indeed this decision determines the health and fate of any organization (Krajewski & Ritzman, 1998). A company that designs products and services that are of superior quality and that click with the intended market, definately succeeds. Hard Rock Cafe’s operations management has been successful in designing products and services in entertainment hospitality sector. This sector is one of the most competitive sectors, but they have been able to design and offer quality products and superior services in cafes, hotels, casinos and lately in music venues, Rock museum and Rock concerts (Evans, 1996). To respond to changing customer needs and expectations, they have continuously changed their menus and the services they offer. Hard Rock’s success comes as a result of continuous monitoring of quality of their products and services (Saheli, 2007). Their Quality Management Department has devised techniques to continuously monitor quality so as to improve quality of products and services and also make timely corrective measures and hence reduce quality costs. In the cafe, regular surveys are done to evaluate quality of food and services, where a scale is devised to measure scores (Ibid, 2007). To ensure quality products and services, production processes and capacity have been enhanced by using state-of-the-art equipment in catering, entertainment services in casinos, hotels and music venues. Technology is also embraced to increase production capacity in cafes and hotels (Krajewski & Ritzman, 1998). Hard Rock started its operations in London. However, in 1988 it moved its headquarters to Orlando, Florida as it targeted the booming US market (Evans, 1996). It has later spread its cafes and hotels to more than 40 locations in US. The decision of spreading its wings to many states is to tap into unsaturated markets as well as diversify operation risks (Ibid, 1996). Due to increasing customers and hence operations, Hard Rock has expanded their cafe facilities to handle their clients. For example at Orlando Universal Studios, their cafe serves over 3,000 meals a day with about 400 employees and the number is expected to grow especially during high tourist seasons (Saheli, 2007). To ensure high labor productivity, Hard Rock Cafe has provided their workers with excellent working conditions. This is achieved through good industrial relation management and employee-management relations. Human Resource Management has ensured that the company has the best of employees who are competent, skilled and fit for their positions, hence Hard Rock expects the best out of their labor force (Krajewski & Ritzman, 1998). Productiveness is the main task of the supply chain management in Hard Rock. The department has developed supply chain strategies aimed at reducing procurement costs and value adding the process. Hard Rock has entered into strategic partnership with suppliers to improve efficiency and effectiveness of this activity (Evans, 1996). To effectively manage inventory, the company has inventory management system that guides the managers on when to order inventory and how much (Saheli, 2007). To increase efficiency and reduce costs, they have embraced Just-In-Time philosophy where the materials required are procured in time and used in time (Saheli, 2007). During low season, Orlando Cafe staff is scheduled down to 15-minutes intervals to meet seasonal and daily demand changes in tourist environment. Annual Routine maintenance is exercised in all their facilities. Maintenance department is charged with responsibilities of ensuring that Hard Rock Cafes, hotels, casinos, music venues and rock museum are renovated and machines maintained at good conditions (Krajewski & Ritzman, 1998). The productivity of the kitchen staff and wait staff can be measured by dividing the number of meals they prepare and serve by the number of labor hours they input (Saheli, 2007). During low seasons wait staff may serve fewer meals as demand gets low and also kitchen staff prepares fewer meals. Nevertheless, they will also use less labour hours as they are scheduled and down-sized to respond to low operations (Evans, 1996).

Color in Do the Right Thing

Jionne McMichael November 17, 2012 Art of Film Color As A Formalistic Device in Do The Right Thing Spike Lee presents his â€Å"truth† about race relations in his movie Do the Right Thing. The film illustrates the spectacle of black discrimination and racial altercations and portrayed the â€Å"true† realities of an African American living in the 1980s. The movie is set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day in the summer where racial tensions are growing.Spike Lee uses color dramatically to help illustrate and emphasize these growing tensions that ultimately escalates to violence and tragedy and also, to help emphasize emotions. Color, as defined by Gianetti, is a realist technique but can be formalist having a subconscious impact on the viewer. There are two types of colors; warm and cool. Warm colors stress adjectives such as violence, stimulation, aggressiveness etc. Cool colors stress adjectives such as serenity, tranquility etc.Spike Lee definitely embraces this by using the elements of both warm and cool colors to emphasize the theme of escalating racial tensions that come to a climax at the end of the movie. In addition, it emphasizes the weather and the heat with bright tones. The color red is used symbolically to convey a variety of emotions. Mood and tone are created by this use of color. As racial tensions escalate, the color continues to visually dramatize what is going on in the minds of the characters as well as what is occurring in each scene.From its first frame, the energetic credit sequence in which actress Rosie Perez dances in a red bodysuit vibrantly to Public Enemy's powerful anthem â€Å"Fight the Power,† against a rear-screen backdrop that is lit in vivid blues and reds, right to its final shot. The film is an explosion of bright and warm colors and glows in an almost burning-furnace light full of vibrant red, orange, and yellow hues. In the first scenes, yellow light pours t hrough windows of shuttered apartments, nearly obscuring or melting the actors and scenery around it.In later scenes, particularly the nighttime sequences, a chiaroscuro effect is used, with blue and purple light surrounding the outer areas of the screen, and bright yellows and reds lit on the actor's faces and bodies. Overall, color is used as a metaphor for the emotions of the characters as well as to set the tone and mood. At the end of the movie, the culmination of these elements parallels the violent consequences of racism and prejudice. The different colors used in the film create a visual experience that helps to set the tone.The bright, vibrant colors create strong impressions of the characters’ emotions, as well as the overall mood of the movie. The main color used is red, which emphasizes the high temperatures experienced by the people in the neighborhood. In a scene showing Da Mayor's bedroom, the whole room is tinted with yellow, orange, and red to symbolize the h eat. After this scene, we get introduced to the character Smiley who is standing in front of a big red building and he is being shown with an orange tint.Then this scene is followed with Mookie in his sister, Jade’s room. This room is totally red, to show that it is very hot in there. We can see the use of red, orange and yellow through out the movie to keep reminding us of how warm it is. The bright red brick wall that serves as a background for the three men on the corner gives the scenes involving them a tone of the weather. This brick wall is a reoccurring object in the movie, and it gets lighter or darker depending on the mood of the particular scene.Tints of red, yellow, and orange are shown during the course of the film to maintain the mood of heat created by them. As the day progresses, bright yellow colors slowly transition into a darker yellowish or orange color. This is used as an indication of the setting sun and the dissipating heat. Color not only emphasizes the heat, but also emotions. The red color used so often reflects the tension, conflict, anger, and frustration among the characters. Their strong and passionate emotions are complimented by the tints of red, yellow, and orange used in the scenes.As rising racial tensions mount, color is used again to emphasize the heat and emotion. When the rioters set Sal's pizzeria on fire, it is a bright contrast to the surrounding dark night. The bright color of the flames conveys the rage of the rioters over Radio Raheem's brutal death at the hands of the police. As Sal and his two sons watch their pizzeria burn down, we see that reoccurring red wall behind Vito. The red color stresses their emotions of anger about the injustices that are taking place. The color red is also used in reference of love and hate.When Sal and Pino are sitting together in the pizzeria, the tone seems to be a bit red hinting some kind of love connection between the two. It is not the usual red color that shows the hot w eather. Also Da Mayor gives red roses to Mother Sister, the red in the roses stands out from all the color during the scene. The use of color in the lighting also brings another important element into the ways that certain scenes play out through the movie. There is a lot of natural lighting being used portraying the characters just as they are. But at the same time, different locations provide for different lighting styles.Such as is the case in Sal’s Pizzeria where it seems everything is a bit too dark and somewhat shady. Even in the introduction when Mookie wakes up for the day the lighting being used makes his room seem jumbled and is an insight into his life being a mess. The bright fluorescent lighting in the Korean store makes everything stand out too much, and does not make the place seem inviting, but strictly business instead. The light in DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy’s booth is relaxed and calm, just enough light comes in reflecting the cool personality he por trays.In the scene where Mookie decides to take yet another break from work and visits Tina the mood is entirely set by the color of the lighting. The sun is going down and the room becomes blue. It provides the cool, just as the ice Mookie brings, and makes everything slow down as it happens. The scene where the character Buggin Out gets his shoes scuffed by a white pedestrian is complemented by the warm colors of the mise-en-scene along with the costumes which are important in suggesting the positions of the characters in the community.The mise-en-scene includes the brightly colored cars on the road as well as the red and brown buildings, all very warm colors. It appears that in the post-production the shots may have been edited to posses a red hue, intensifying the hot atmosphere that is created by the heat wave. Along with this, Buggin’ Out and his group all match the mise-en-scene, wearing bright yellow, orange and red costumes suggesting their sense of belonging to the neighborhood. The contrast is presented through the entrance of the white man who is wearing a green t-shirt with lue socks pulled up, the antithesis of the warm colors the audience has been consistently presented with. The color difference is emphasized in the juxtaposition of the shot, reverse shots where we see the frame filled with Buggin’ Out and his friends wearing the warm colors and then the quick pace of the cuts to the white man wearing the cool green color. The contrast in colored clothing between the characters accentuates the difference in skin tone, instigating the audience’s insight into the importance of racial tension within the film.The out of place coloring in the white man’s costume, suggests the unusual nature of him being in this black community, an idea pointed out by Buggin’ Out when he says, â€Å"what do you want to live in a black neighborhood for anyway? † Also, the cool nature of the man’s clothing could be seen to emulate the calm and collected manner in which he handles the situation, he keeps trying to diffuse the argument with apologies and through this, Lee highlights the hot-headed nature of Buggin’ Out, a characteristic the audience is shown more explicitly later on in the plot.In conclusion, Spike Lee is very clever in his use of colors. Warm colors, especially red, are used in characters clothing as well as props and lightening to help put emphasis on the growing racial tensions among the characters that ultimately ends in a huge riot and tragedy. Color is also used to help express emotions that the characters are facing. For instance, in the riot scene, there are so many reds and oranges that clash with the dark blue night to illustrate the anger of the riots after the murder of Radio Raheem at the hands of the police.Spike Lee’s use of color is forcing us to take sides with his ideology, which is very explicit in this film. The principal idea of Lee’s film is that of the oppression of the black working class, by the non-black capitalists in their very own community. Lee has his characters basically come right out and express their view on this subject. The black characters of the community are alienated from their capitalist counterparts and therefore feel a certain rage against them. By using color, he forces us to take sides with them and succeeds in that.

Leadership and Management Essay

Everyone manages. We manage our finances, time, careers, and relationships. We tend not to think of these activities as â€Å"managing† or of ourselves as being â€Å"managers.† Nevertheless, they are. These examples of managing or being managers are relatively simple and straightforward, even though we may find many of them fraught with difficulty. It is when the concepts of managing or being a manager are applied to organizations that complexity increases—almost always exponentially. At this point it becomes necessary to study and understand the theoretical bases of management. The practice of management and the classical enunciation of management principles can be traced to the 19th century. The development of management as an academic discipline based on a body of knowledge that can be taught is a recent development and is generally attributed to the work of Peter F. Drucker in the latter half of the 20th century. That body of knowledge is taught in graduate schools of business and in programs that prepare managers of public health departments, programs, and health services organizations, such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. This chapter provides a basic introduction to management theory and problem solving, and concludes with a brief discussion of negotiation and alternative dispute resolution. Managers are persons who are formally appointed to positions of authority in organizations. They enable others to do their work and are accountable to a higher authority for work results. Primarily, the differences between levels of managers are the degree of authority and the scope of their accountability for work results. Line managers manage people and things; staff managers, such as the human resources department and the fiscal office, support the work of line managers. Management Functions and Decision Making The five management functions of planning, organizing, controlling, directing, and staffing are brought to life and connected by decision making, which is itself a subset of the essential process for managers that is known as problem solving. Little that managers at all levels in an organization do falls outside the purview of the five management functions. Management theorists and practitioners may choose one or two of the five functions as most important, but this is not borne out normatively. When one considers the full range of what managers do (or should do) as they perform their work, concentrating on a few to the exclusion or diminution of the others will invariably cause problems for the organization. Decision making is an inherent activity of managers, and they make decisions within and among the five management functions. Decision making is part of the process of problem solving, which also includes problem analysis. Performance of the management functions and the decision making of problem solving should be evaluated using explicit and measurable criteria. In addition to engaging in the five management functions, managers must utilize specific skills, play various roles, and evidence a number of competencies. Managing and Leading Some theorists and academicians distinguish managers and leaders, based on the view that managing is more caretaking and maintaining status quo (transactional) whereas leading is more visionary and dynamic (transformational). That distinction may be more important pedagogically than in practical application, however, especially at the organization’s operating level. Senior managers must ensure effective current organizational activities and that an organization’s future is envisioned. Using this vision, the organization can be transformed as needed. As they work to achieve organizational objectives, managers use technical, conceptual, and interpersonal skills. These skills are applied in various proportions, depending on the manager’s task and level in the organizational hierarchy. Usually, senior managers make greater use of conceptual skills, whereas middle- and entry level managers use a more even mix of the three. The research of Henry Mintzberg found that managers have different roles, the general categories of which include interpersonal, informational, and decisional. Each may be segmented. For example, the interpersonal role includes figurehead and influencer, informational includes monitor and spokesperson, and the decisional role includes entrepreneur and negotiator. Successful managers integrate these various roles and are likely to engage in them without making a clear distinction. Another way to understand managers’ work is to identify their competencies, some of which are found in the categorizations discussed earlier. Conceptual, technical managerial/clinical, interpersonal/collaborative, political, commercial, and governance competencies are used in different proportions by managers at various levels of the organization. Most theories view leadership as grounded in one or more of the following three perspectives: leadership as a process or relationship, leadership as a combination of traits or personality characteristics, or leadership as certain behaviors or, as they are more commonly referred to, leadership skills. In virtually all of the more dominant theories there exist the notions that, at least to some degree, leadership is a process that involves influence with a group of people toward the realization of goals. I will say on the front end that, in my opinion, leadership is a dynamic and complex process, and that much of what is written these days tends to over-simplify this process. My goal here is to provide an overview that keeps things simple, without crossing into over-simplification, and for the most part refraining from any critiquing of the various theories. I will leave that to my fellow bloggers for now. Trait Theory This theory postulates that people are either born or not born with the qualities that predispose them to success in leadership roles. That is, that certain inherited qualities, such as personality and cognitive ability, are what underlie effective leadership. There have been hundreds of studies to determine the most important leadership traits, and while there is always going to be some disagreement, intelligence, sociability, and drive (aka determination) are consistently cited as key qualities. Skills Theory This theory states that learned knowledge and acquired skills/abilities are significant factors in the practice of effective leadership. Skills theory by no means disavows the connection between inherited traits and the capacity to be an effective leader – it simply argues that learned skills, a developed style, and acquired knowledge, are the real keys to leadership performance. It is of course the belief that skills theory is true that warrants all the effort and resources devoted to leadership training and development Situational Theory This theory suggests that different situations require different styles of leadership. That is, to be effective in leadership requires the ability to adapt or adjust one’s style to the circumstances of the situation. The primary factors that determine how to adapt are an assessment of the competence and commitment of a leader’s followers. The assessment of these factors determines if a leader should use a more directive or supportive style. Contingency Theory This theory states that a leader’s effectiveness is contingent on how well the leader’s style matches a specific setting or situation. And how, you may ask, is this different from situational theory? In situational the focus is on adapting to the situation, whereas contingency states that effective leadership depends on the degree of fit between a leader’s qualities and style and that of a specific situation or context. Path-Goal Theory This theory is about how leaders motivate followers to accomplish identified objectives. It postulates that effective leaders have the ability to improve the motivation of followers by clarifying the paths and removing obstacles to high performance and desired objectives. The underlying beliefs of path-goal theory (grounded in expectancy theory) are that people will be more focused and motivated if they believe they are capable of high performance, believe their effort will result in desired outcomes, and believe their work is worthwhile. Transformational Theory This theory states that leadership is the process by which a person engages with others and is able to create a connection that results in increased motivation and morality in both followers and leaders. It is often likened to the theory of charismatic leadership that espouses that leaders with certain qualities, such as confidence, extroversion, and clearly stated values, are best able to motivate followers. The key in transformational leadership is for the leader to be attentive to the needs and motives of followers in an attempt to help them reach their maximum potential. In addition, transformational leadership typically describes how leaders can initiate, develop, and implement important changes in an organization. This theory is often discussed in contrast with transactional leadership. Transactional Theory This is a theory that focuses on the exchanges that take place between leaders and followers. It is based in the notion that a leader’s job is to create structures that make it abundantly clear what is expected of his/her followers and also the consequences (i.e. rewards and punishments) for meeting or not meeting these expectations. This theory is often likened to the concept and practice of management and continues to be an extremely common component of many leadership models and organizational structures. Servant Leadership Theory This conceptualization of leadership reflects a philosophy that leaders should be servants first. It suggests that leaders must place the needs of followers, customers, and the community ahead of their own interests in order to be effective. The idea of servant leadership has a significant amount of popularity within leadership circles – but it is difficult to describe it as a theory inasmuch as a set of beliefs and values that leaders are encouraged to embrace.

Fieldwork Skills and Supervision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fieldwork Skills and Supervision - Essay Example One particular area of emphasis in these sessions is the use of touching, which builds an additional effective level of connection between therapist and patient (Popa M and Best P, 2010). The therapist and I would use massage to warm up the clients’ backs and other muscles. This posed challenges at times because some of the patients would refuse physical contact. In the beginning, I had difficulty with touching all of the clients, but it became easier over time as I developed more confidence. The afternoon session followed a similar schedule.My role in this session was that of a trainee dance movement psychotherapist. In general, the main goal of these sessions was to develop consistency as a group, so that participants would feel a sense of trust and belonging as part of a team (Burns CA, 2012). This gives patients the chance to improve their social skills in expression, communication and forming relationships. Another area of need is improving and expanding the range of moti on available to each patient. Obviously, attendance is very important for patients to show development over time. Also, ensuring that each session has a clear structure from beginning to end maximizes the efficient use of each patient’s time, particularly using the beginning and the end to help patients understand and realize their own areas of improvement (Burns CA, 2012). The patients build trust through having fun and feeling safe when it comes to expressing feelings and needs (Barton EJ, 2011).

Take Home Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Take Home Final - Assignment Example Family planning policy in Brazil has undergone revolution in the recent years. It has undergone a series of development over the years. In the last decade, Brazil has experienced low birth rates due to increased access in education, contraception, and family planning. In Brazil, there was interventionism and it led to a drop in total fertility rates. Many of the citizens use artificial birth control as a tool to family planning. The influence from media, movies, soap operas, and television is a tool towards family planning in Brazil. This family planning has reduced fertility rates. In the early 1960s, every household had about six children but after this transition to family planning the number of children have significantly reduced to fewer than two children (Krugman & Wells, 2006). The policy of family planning in Vietnam was developed long ago in the 1960s. The national government advocated the policy of almost two children. The local govern is responsible in executing this policy. For any additional children the district government imposed fines. Women who agreed to be sterilized were given bonuses. The government used strict tools to ensure this policy is met. Individuals who never used contraceptives their names were announced in order to embarrass them. THz government went even a step to deny people who violated the policy their salaries, jobs, and promotions. This policy led to reduction in birthrate in Vietnam (Krugman & Wells, 2006). The total fertility rate dropped from 5.6 to 3.2. This policy is a high interventionism to ensure the two-child policy is met. In a declining trade economy, its effect will be felt on the workers. In developing workers are attracted to manufacturing sectors with high wages and move from the rural to urban (Krugman & Wells, 2006). This will be different in an economy where it has deteriorated and the trade declined thus reduced rural-urban migration. Harris model is an

Critically discuss the view that capital markets created the Essay - 4

Critically discuss the view that capital markets created the conditions that led to the new economy bubble and the banking crisis - Essay Example This essay aids, to discuss the view that capital markets created the conditions that led to the â€Å"new economy† bubble and the banking crisis. Old economy firms were or are large, well established firms that operate in a form of traditional sector. Old economy firms have small investment and less involved in the current technology era (Torre & Schmukler 2007, p. 88). These old economy firms were the ones, which dominated the entire economic activities before the introduction of the dotcom epoch. The current dotcom era ushered in the economy back in the 1990s, leading to the creation of new and high-growth firms hence improving the economic status of many countries â€Å"bubble† and causing banking crisis internationally. Old economy firms usually exhibit low volatility and suffer continuous dividends as they continue to participate in mature firm sectors, which tend not to provide potential investments for companies (United Nations Conference On Trade And Development 2009, p. 90). In contrast, new economy firms operate in advance technology industry sectors and the highly competing and successful firms have the opportunity of building value at a higher growth rate. Good examples of these new economy firms include primary firms, whose operations involve commerce and technology-based services such as Intel, Google, eBay, and Cisco. These new economy firms typically operate in environments, which are extremely different from of the old economy firms and have more volatile stocks (Stiglitz & Ocampo 2008, p. 30). New economy firms do not necessarily pay dividends since they opt to reinvest their profits into new businesses or expansion. Old and new economy firms not only differ in terms of their activities, but also they differ in the way markets value them. New economy firms tend to have strong volatility valuations since their modes of

Critically Examine How Assessment and Learning Is Facilitated in Your Essay

Critically Examine How Assessment and Learning Is Facilitated in Your Work Community Setting - Essay Example This paper attempts to explore the role of mentorship in a clinical setting wherein learning and assessment is facilitated through a deeper understanding of the learning environment, the needs of the environment and the learner’s and the mentor’s qualifications, requirements in terms of planning the learning, tools and techniques, assessments, relationship between the mentor and mentee, lifecycle of the relationship and the challenges in the learning and development process for both the learner or mentee and the mentor. Definitions of what mentoring is all about, the learning setting, process, facilitation, assessment, outcomes, roles, etc. will help in understanding the above. What is mentoring? McKimm et al (2007) observe that defining the term ‘mentoring’ is a difficult task as it is a complex process and depends mostly on the learning environment and the interpretation of the environment’s needs by the various different individuals or groups. Quo ting Megginson and Clutterbuck (1995, p13) they note that â€Å"mentoring is ‘off line help by one person to another in making significant transitions in knowledge, work or thinking’† and that the role of a mentor is to help and guide the learner through a transition phase of the learner in a particular aspect like learning and other professional or personal circumstances. Also, mentoring is just one form of support (p1). â€Å"Mentoring is a transformational process that seeks to help individuals develop and use knowledge to improve themselves on an ongoing basis. It is a professional dialogue that encourages reflection and development, signposting mentees to other sources of help as required† (What is mentoring, 2012). General medical practice describes it as â€Å"‘a way of helping another understand more fully, and learn comprehensively from, their day to day experience† and a commissioned department of health describes it as a â€Å"proc ess whereby an experienced, highly regarded, empathic person (the mentor), guides another individual (the mentee) in the development and re-examination of their own ideas, learning, and personal and professional development† (What is mentoring, 2012). Palermo and McCall (2008, p801) note that mentoring is a form of providing experiential learning where the learning is actual and practical, and it is seen that the learning will be ineffective and unsafe if there is no mentoring offered during the course of the experiential learning. Mentoring and teaching There is a need to understand the difference between teaching and mentoring as it is essential to get the desired outcomes. McKimm and Jollie (2007) have differentiated between teaching and mentoring: while teaching is said to be a ‘teacher centred’ approach, mentoring is understood to be a ‘student centred’ approach where the learning needs of the learner are taken into consideration along with regul ar assessments of the same. Teaching itself is continually evolving to reflect on experience and critically explore the potential transformation of the learner. The basis for this evolution is the action research teaching need that recognizes that experiential learning leads to both the mentor and mentee contributing to the sustainability of the learning in the particular setting. To achieve sustainability through developing significant insights into the learning environment,