Dong Qichang, in the Shade of Summer Trees, 17th Century, Ming Dynasty

This painting is from the Ming Dynasty, and very clearly depicts and captures the essence of The Southern School, or Literati painters. The first thing to note is the overall composition of the painting. First and foremost it is a landscape painting. The colors are very monochrome; the space is stretched to reveal a depth to the painting that the eye cannot capture; and there is stillness to the art that embraces nature and serenity of life. In the right-hand corner of the painting there is calligraphy. The calligraphy lacks the precision, but is very clear in its form, much like the depiction within the painting itself. There are three men in the painting. The men are at ease and are almost lost in the painting. The men do not seem distinct from their surroundings but rather just another natural element in the bigger picture. The men are in poses that do not suggest positions that can be held for long periods of time, but rather only a moment. The men appear to be marveling at their surroundings as they look out into the vast wilderness. Above them, and hidden behind trees, there is a building. Just like the men, the nature and trees overwhelm the structure itself, clearly defining the more important and powerful of the two. Just below the men, there is a waterfall. The water appears to be making its way downward winding its way through the clusters of rocks. Water, representing the source of life, flows in this painting with great force, capturing the vitality and life of an individual moment in nature. This painting possesses a narrative emphasizing nature and the life that exists beyond human existence. It is the influence of nature on the human and not the influence of the human on nature. While the painting lacks the formal resemblance we recognize from photographs or our own perception, there is an overall impression that the viewer is left with: a true introduction to nature, and an intimate glimpse into a particular moment. The painting takes what the eye can see and extends it further, to a realm that cannot be captured by someone unless they have the patience and diligence to see beyond the obvious and capture more than the eye permits. Dong Qichang is revealing his discovery of nature and its importance and relevance to himself at a particular moment in time. There is an inner truth and realization that is depicted with every stroke of the brush and as each different element is unveiled, a different realization of life and nature is put down as a record. After attempting to emulate the techniques of Dong Qichang, and create a literati painting using the California scenery, I have realized many things. One is that I would never make it as a painter. The other things revolve around the life of the painting. The painting seems to resonate with a vitality that is captured through the depiction of a moment in time. The wind moves all the trees, and forces them to take on a life of their own and assume a position that seizes a particular moment, even though the layout and the trees themselves seem to lack the likeness to what we would expect to see in nature. The water is caught in a single moment, and we can see the life in it as it tries to get past the rocks and settle below. We know that the water is only in that particular position for a miniscule amount of time, and we can see that the painting truly captures a very distinct and precise time. The painting shows three men, one of whom is lifting his arm to point to something in the distance, and all three men follow with their heads to the direction of his arm. This is also capturing a single moment in time, and the painting serves as the record for a past event that will never be again, and captures emotions distinct to that moment, that will probably never be felt in the same way again. We can see the instantaneous placement of the cloud creating a fog and with it an illusion of something that is unknown and mysterious. This moment is captured so expertly before the fog can be burned away, or hidden by night, or pushed away with the wind. There is also emptiness in the painting. I did not realize this until I started to try to do a landscape drawing of my own. While the emptiness lacks any objects, it seems to have, or be, purposeful in the painting. It represents something, and is a source to the elements in the painting. It could be the wind that is moving the trees, or gravity that is causing the water to fall. The empty part of the picture seems to hold significance to the individual perspective and time of the painting. The artist’s personal feelings and reasoning once again captured and recorded in the painting. All of this being said, the question of how much of the painting is natural and how much of the painting is artifice arises. I think that the best way to tackle this question is from the largest perspective, and narrowing thereafter. That which the painting references is natural, and that which is within the painting is natural, but the composition and interaction between the different elements is artifice. Everything within the painting draws on what is natural: trees, water, rocks, mountains, clouds, humans, etc. It is how these elements interact with each other and with the canvas that enriches the painting with artifice. The interaction between the artist’s thoughts and emotions and nature, are so intertwined that the painting almost masks the artist’s true feelings with the natural behaviors of the elements. It is when the viewer steps back and looks at the whole painting, that one is able to appreciate the importance this painting plays as a record to an individual moment- both for the artist and its muse, nature.

A Review of the Literature Essay

Introduction Because the focus on market orientation has steadily increased over the last decade, academicians and marketing managers have begun to debate the effectiveness of market orientation as a profit enhancing strategy. Researchers and marketing managers are attempting to measure the benefits and costs associated with the implementation of market orientation. For researches and managers, the key questions that surround market orientation are whether or not it increases performance, and if so, in which circumstances should market orientation be implemented. In order for market orientation to become a cornerstone of business practices in years to come, these questions must be answered. This review will focus on three articles which address these key questions: â€Å"Market Orientation and Company Performance: Empirical Evidence from UK Companies† by Greenley, G (1995), â€Å"Market Orientation: Antecedents and Consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) and â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver and Slater (1990). Summary of â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver & Slater (1990) In â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† (1990), Narver and Slater address the lack of empirical evidence surrounding the effectiveness of market orientation. They begin the article by stating: â€Å"market orientation is the very heart of modern marketing management and strategy ? yet to date, no one has developed a valid measure of it or assessed its influence on business performance? as a result, business practitioners have had no specific guidance as to what precisely a market orientation is and what its actual effect on business performance may be. † Their study attempts to develop a valid measure of market orientation and its effect on the profitability of the firm. Narver and Slater’s study is designed to test the hypothesis that there is a strong correlation between market orientation and profit levels for both commodity and non-commodity businesses. Narver and Slater  hypothesize that market orientation is a one dimensional construct consisting of three behavioral components: customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination. Additionally, they hypothesize that there are two decision criteria: a long term focus and a profit objective. Based on these criteria, Narver and Slater developed a questionnaire which was given to a sample group of 140 strategic business units in the same division of a major Western corporation. They then used statistical analysis to try to determine the correlation between the adoption of market orientation and the increase in profit and overall performance. In order to obtain accurate results, the researchers attempted to limit the influence of the other forces that impact a business’s profit margin; by doing this, they were able to isolate two key variables and find the relationship between them. Based on their data and analysis, Narver and Slater concluded that there is a monotonic relationship between profit and market orientation for the non-commodity business, whereas the relationship with commodity business was only apparent above the stated median in market orientation. Narver and Slater also concluded that market orientation is economical in all environments, and the question was finding the optimal level of market orientation. Critique of â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver & Slater (1990). Narver and Slater’s study is one of the first major empirical studies on the subject of market orientation and its impact on the firm’s profit. This ground-breaking study offers empirical validation to theories that were unproven prior to the study. However, based on the results of Narver and Slater’s study, there are still many questions that remain unanswered. I found that the most significant problem with the study is that their sample was taken from a single corporation, meaning that the data they used was limited to only one industry and one region. As Narver and Slater noted in their conclusion, a sample this limited means that their results can be influenced and skewed by many variables, including corporate culture and regional practices. It is also possible that their findings are industry-specific and do not pertain to other companies outside of foresting. However, in the article’s conclusion, Narver and Slater acknowledge these shortcomings and are eager for others in different regions to conduct further research in this field. Although the limited nature of the study makes it difficult to draw any large scale conclusions about the effectiveness of market orientation, Narver and Slater have created a useful model for an empirical study of market orientation which can now be applied to other industries and regions. The most interesting part of the study is not necessarily the results, but the fact that they were able to design the first successful empirical study. Another problem with the study is that Narver and Slater concluded that an equilibrium existed: the point at which the level of market orientation reaches a point at which its cost is equal to its benefit. At this point, any increase of market orientation would only be detrimental to the firm’s profit margin. Although the study states that the equilibrium is present, the authors offer no guidance on how marketing managers can identify this critical point. Further studies should be dedicated to answering this question in order to make market orientation a more effective strategy for businesses. Additionally, in the article’s conclusion, Narver and Slater neglected to discuss a very key finding which surfaced in their data. Their study revealed that market orientation can have a detrimental effect on a company’s overall performance when certain market forces and internal conditions apply. In my opinion, this finding was largely ignored in the conclusion in order to validate their original hypothesis: that market orientation has a positive impact on the performance of an organization. Although this finding was acknowledged in the article, I felt the conclusion was somewhat misleading with regard to the outcome of the study in this respect. Summary of â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) In â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences† (1993) Jaworski and Kohli set out to empirically build upon Narver & Slater’s study. Jaworski and Kohli attempt to study the relationship between market orientation and its effect on numerous aspects of the firm. The authors lay out a series of 13 hypotheses which they attempt to prove within their study. The four hypotheses that dealt directly with the key questions noted in the introduction of this review are: A. â€Å"The greater the market orientation of an organization, the higher its business performance. † B. â€Å"The greater the market orientation, the greater the (1) esprit de corps and (2) organizational commitment of employees. † C. â€Å"The greater the market turbulence, the stronger the relationship between market orientation and business performance. † D. â€Å"The greater the competitive intensity, the stronger the relationship between market orientation and business performance. † The other nine hypotheses are related to the antecedents of market orientation, including management’s role on market orientation and the impact the organization’s structure and communication has on market orientation. Although these questions are important, I am primarily interested in Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusions on whether or not market orientation affects overall performance and profit/return on equity. Jaworski and Kohli set up two samples from which they derived their data. The first sample was made up of executives from 102 companies; the second sample was made up of 230 executives taken from the membership roster of the American Marketing Association. The authors gathered data via a questionnaire that was sent to participants by mail. Based on the data reviewed, Jaworski and Kohli concluded that market orientation is an important determinant of overall performance regardless of factors such as market turbulence, competitive intensity or technological turbulence. However in both samples, the authors found little correlation between market orientation and return on equity and market share. Jaworski and Kohli also found that the commitment of top management towards implementing market orientation is an important factor on the strategy’s overall performance, as are the levels of interdepartmental coordination and interdepartmental conflict. Critique of â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) Jaworski and Kohli’s study measures the value that market orientation creates for a business. In their introduction, the authors state their intentions quite clearly: â€Å"The purpose of this research is to address the voids in knowledge [in the Narver and Slater study]. † (Jaworski &Kohli 1993) In this study, Jaworski and Kohli build upon and answer many of the questions left unanswered in Narver and Slater (1990). In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of Jaworski and Kohli’s article is that they attempted to explain their study in an accessible manner by including a section that dealt with the implications of their findings for market managers. Unlike Narver and Slater, I felt that Jaworski and Kohli went to great lengths to try to answer the key questions that managers might have and attempted to lay down guidelines that managers could use in the implementation of market orientation. Jaworski and Kohli also realized the importance of one of the findings Narver and Slater neglected in their conclusion: that market orientation could be detrimental to a business in certain circumstances. Jaworski and Kohli explained the relationships between market orientation and certain environmental contexts including market turbulence and competitiveness. The aspect of the study that I found most interesting was Jaworski and Kohli’s discovery that there is neither an association between market orientation and return on equity nor a relationship between market orientation and market share. Although the two authors still concluded that market orientation was beneficial for overall performance, the finding that it does not help return on equity is very significant. Return on equity, for many firms, is the guiding factor in the decision-making process, especially for private equity groups and investment banking firms. Having worked for a private equity firm, where return on equity is the principal goal, I can confidently say these findings are a huge blow to the advocacy of market orientation. However, I would not feel comfortable ruling out market orientation based on one study; further research must be done on this topic. Additionally, I found one aspect of Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusion problematic: the authors concluded that market orientation had a direct relationship with overall performance, organizational commitment and esprit de corps, yet they stated that it did not influence return on equity and market share. This finding seems to be contradictory to common business beliefs, which would suggest that if market orientation had a positive impact on commitment, overall performance and esprit de corps, it would therefore have an impact on profit or return on equity. This finding is either misleading or it indicates that common beliefs regarding performance and employee motivation are incorrect. Summary of â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† by Greenley, G (1995) In the article â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† Greenley identifies a clear need for an  empirical study in the United Kingdom. As of 1995, no major empirical research had taken place anywhere but the United States. Greenley created his study based upon this research gap. His basic hypothesis, that market orientation is positively associated with performance, is taken from the aforementioned studies by Narver and Slater (1990) and Jaworski and Kohli (1993). Greenley also tested additional hypotheses from Narver and Slater’s 1990 study. The hypotheses Greenley tested dealt with the relationship between market orientation and cost, size of the company, market entry, customer power and competitive hostility in the market. Additionally, he tested hypotheses pertaining to market growth, turbulence and technological change. To obtain his data, Greenley used a slightly altered version of Narver and Slater’s 1990 questionnaire, adapted for UK business culture. The questionnaires were sent to 280 top level managers, mainly CEOs. Of those 280 questionnaires, he received 240 usable responses, which made up the data for his study. Based on the analysis he conducted, Greenley concluded that â€Å"market orientation does not have a direct affect on performance. † (Greenley 1995) He also concluded that with high levels of market turbulence, market orientation is negatively associated with return on equity, whereas with low levels of market turbulence, market orientation is positively associated with return on equity. Critique of â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† by Greenley, G (1995) Greenley’s study is the first major empirical study of market orientation in the UK, and quite surprisingly, his results were very different than the previous findings of studies conducted in the United States. Any reader of Greenley’s study â€Å"Market orientation and company performance† must immediately question whether or not business culture and practices in the UK are so different from their United States counterparts that one strategy empirically proven to work in the United States will be rendered ineffective in the UK. If Greenley’s results are accurate, multinational corporations using a centralized control method would have to rethink using market orientation. This, however, does not seem to be the case. Proctor and Gamble (P&G) appear to successfully implement global strategies, including market orientation, profitably. Therefore, I propose that Greenley’s inability to find a positive relationship between market orientation and performance is a result of a problem in his data collection process. As Greenley stated in his conclusion, his data was gathered during a recession, and therefore a manager’s thoughts on a long-term profit schemes such as market orientation might have been skewed. Also, Greenley obtained nearly 60 percent of his data from top level CEOs and Chairmen, a different sampling base than previous studies in the United States. For instance, Narver and Slater used CPUs and Jaworski and Kohli primarily used market managers for their samples. The difference in sample bases significantly impacts the results of Greenley’s study; typically, CEOs and top management, like those that Greenley questioned, are not as involved in the day-to-day implementation of market orientation and tend to be short-term profit oriented. Managers lower on the organization’s hierarchy, such as marketing managers, might have a more direct involvement with the implementation of market orientation. For future research, I think it would be more prudent to take a broader sample of managers at all levels, thereby eliminating any bias that can occur when only sampling a certain section of the managerial hierarchy. Another problem that I found in Greenley’s conclusion was the fact that he did not make the individual participants aware of the study’s purpose. Although he intended for this to be a tool for gathering accurate and unbiased data from participants, I believe this strategy actually had the opposite effect, given the timing of his article. During a recession, CEOs and Chairmen are attempting to regain short term profitability and/or attempting to scale down costs in order to survive until the recession ends. At such a time, market orientation would not be a viable option and it is unlikely that the top management Greenley questioned would consider it a useful strategy. Therefore, the data collected by Greenley during this period would have little or no relevance for the measurement of the effectiveness of market orientation outside of a recession. Conclusion All three of the articles discussed deal with the task of empirically studying the relationship between market orientation and its effects on businesses. Narver and Slater produced the first major study in this field and their research became a significant starting point for future studies. Narver and Slater’s article stated that they found a direct relationship between marketing orientation and performance; however, the study also brought to light many holes in their research and aspects of this relationship which needed further study. Jaworski and Kohli’s 1993 study attempted to answer some of the key questions that arose from Narver and Slater’s article. The questions Jaworski and Kohli addressed included why some organizations are more market oriented then others and whether or not the linkage between market orientation and business performance depend on the environmental context. The Greenley study in 1995 was the first major study done outside the United States. Greenley followed Narver and Slater’s model in his attempt to empirically study market orientation in the United Kingdom. While his methods were the same, Greenley’s research produced very different results than that of Narver and Slater, and only agreed with some of Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusions. In my opinion, Greenley’s research only added to the confusion that surrounds the study of market orientation; the differences in his results can be attributed to many factors, including gaps in previous research, differences between the United States and the UK, or differences in the economy at the time of the studies. The ambiguous results of this study confirm the need for more research in order to answer the key question of market orientation’s relationship with performance and profit. Therefore, after reading and critically reviewing the above articles, my conclusion is that further empirical research must be done in order for there to be any confidence in the use of market orientation as a performance-enhancing strategy. A multi-national study or the study of multiple multinational companies would provide valuable insight into whether market orientation is exclusively suited to companies operating in the United States or if its implementation in different countries can also be profitable. Further research must also be done in order to affirm or refute Jaworski and Kohli’s claim that market orientation has no positive relationship with market share and return on equity. I believe that if Jaworski and Kohli’s claim is true, managers, especially those operating publically traded companies, will inevitably need to rethink the use of market orientation within their corporations. List of References Greenley, G. (1995). Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies. British Journal of Management, 6:1-13. Jaworski, B. and Kohli, A. (1993). Market orientation: antecedents and consequences. Journal of Marketing, 57(July): 53-70. Narver, J. and Slater, S. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing 54(October): 20-35.

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Discuss the effects of hazardous materials on the fire service - Essay Example They are produced due to incidents in plants or other such activities. There are a large number of hazardous materials that are used as chemicals in various walks of life such as in agriculture or cultivation of land. These chemicals get dissolved in the soil and contaminate the water sources as well as compromise the hygiene. The waste from the industries is also a main source of increasing amount of hazardous materials in the environment. These wastes are discharged in rivers, seas, and oceans hence polluting the water sources as well as the aquatic life. In order to understand the effect of hazardous material we must take into considerations the main causes of these hazards, the ways in which they can affect the human body, the precautions that must be taken in order to perform a safe rescue operation during fire service and also the handling of the situation from the beginning to the end with correct decisions and safety as the prime concern. Contamination is simply defined as the contact of a hazardous material with the clothes or some part of a body such as hair, skin e.t.c. while exposure happens when a hazardous material enters a human body through respiration or other means or is in direct contact with human body. To avoid these issues fire service men are provided an apparatus and special kind of clothing that resists exposure as well as contamination. Exposure can happen without contamination however in certain case contamination usually results in exposure unless only the clothing is affected by the hazardous material. For example many gases can enter a human body without coming in contact with the parts of the body or the clothing through the process of respiration or breathing. The human skin has an ability to absorb certain substances which it comes in contact with. But this depends upon certain conditions namely the time for which the substance comes in contact with the skin. If a hazardous material comes

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Where is Iwo Jima, and what is its significance - Essay Example The little volcanic island of Iwo Jima is situated a little over 650 miles southeast of Japan, about halfway between Tokyo and the American airfields on Guam, Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands. Guam, the biggest island, was a U.S. protectorate, before the Second World War, and the Navy had a communications station there. The neighboring Saipan and Tinian were Japanese colonies. American forces raided the Marianas in mid 1944 and instantly began construction of what came to be the world’s biggest aerodrome for the Super fortress bombers of the U.S. 20th Air Force. The Super fortress bombers were earlier stationed in mainland China, but providing them with enough fuel was a logistic nightmare (Rogers, 1). When Marines saw Iwo Jima for the first time, it was an ugly lump of volcanic sand and clay. It was different from any other island they had ever seen. They saw an ugly lump of volcanic sand and clay, which was treeless, craggy, and blistered with endless sand hummocks rather than palm trees and a white ribbon of beach, or the green cane fields of Saipan and Tinian. Mount Suribachi, at the southern tip, appeared like something out of an inferno; the plateau at the north was a series of hills and ridges. The beach was black instead of white, while the vegetation that grew sparsely was wilted, colorless and burned out (Bradley, 10). Luft adds that Suribachi Mountain was given this name because of its shape which looks like an upturned bowl. Joe Rosenthal captured the iconic photo of the raised Marine flag here on Feb. 23, 1945. Despite the last full-scale eruption occurring in 1727, looking into the center of the crater, steam can be seen rising from a vent while the smell of sulfur f ills every breath (38). Iwo Jima was the step to the Japanese heartland for the 70,000 Americans and to the end of a terrible war. However, for the 22,000 Japanese defenders, Iwo Jima

Personal Learning Managemet Essay Example for Free

Personal Learning Managemet Essay Abstract Kindler, E.; Krivy, I. (2011). Object-Oriented Simulation of systems with sophisticated control. International Journal of General Systems. pp. 313–343 Haas, J. (n.d.). Modular programming. Retrieved from http://www.about.com Personal Learning Management As course assignments, assigned reading, assigned and interest-based research, and other learning activities are completed, the learner may recognize the economic value of what has been learned. Knowledge gained through learning can be forgotten if concepts are not reviewed on a regular basis. It is possible to design an application to record high economic value learning tasks and insights that will allow for periodic review. This application will help solve the issue of knowledge being forgotten by allowing the information and concepts to be kept in front of the individual for regular review. The application that must be programmed will be a simple user friendly app that will allow the user to see and record progress over a given class which will give the user the ability to not only see what has been done but to have it brought back to the forefront of what they already went over in course assignments, reading and researches for a particular class. So in essence the program will help each student record each task and can, ever so many days allow the student to review what they covered and done to keep the information fresh. The information that we will be recording is assignments for the course, any assigned reading for the course, research both assigned and interest-based, and other learning activities. By getting this information from the user the program will store this information and recall it to the user on a time and scheduled output as well as show what still needs to be done in the course. The first step in creating such a program is that we need to identify the desired results we are looking for in this program which is to help the user retain course information by helping them review the material often. Next we will design the program and this will start by having the program gather the information required from the user and how often the user wants this information brought back up either every week or every 3 days. This step will be more complex as the developing of the application continues. Once we have step-by-step for designing the program to solve the problem stated in the beginning we will began to code the program. This is when we decide which programming language we will use such as C#, C ++ and more to deliver the best solution. After we program the application we will test the program to ensure that it is free of errors and that it does indeed solve the given problem. This is known as the programming development cycle which means at any given point in this cycle we may have revisit a particular step to ensure that we get the results that we need. This program will be developed as an object-oriented approach which is according to Kindler, E.; Krivy, I. (2011) â€Å"a programming paradigm that represents concepts as â€Å"objects† that have data fields (attributes that describe the object) and associated procedures known as methods. Objects, which are usually instances of classes, are used to interact with one another to design applications and computer programs.† We are taking this approach with a modular approach due to the complexity of the program and want to make many objects that will have methods and classes with in the object. We fill this is the best way to approach the problem with various strings and arrays so that our coding will not be confusing and easy to troubleshoot should we run into any issues. Modular programming emphasizes separating the functionality of a program into independent, interchangeable modules, such that each contains everything necessary to execute only one aspect of the desired functionality. (Haas, n.d.) This will improve maintainability by enforcing logical boundaries between components. The modular design will allow us to build into one executable file per module which also allows us to reduce the size of future patches for only the module that needs it. In conclusion we have discussed the problem of users forgetting knowledge gained through learning and will be creating a program that will keep the information fresh and allow periodic review of course assignments, assigned reading, assigned and interest-based research, and other learning activities. Our approach and the necessary steps outlined until the final test has been done and the application is functional.

Galatians Essay Example for Free

Galatians Essay Because I haven’t read the whole book reading Gorman â€Å"Galatians Ch9† is at first a bit confusing. However, I must say that the reading is very easy to read and easy to understand. Gorman used very simple terms and easy English for his reader to read and understand. Basically in this short chapter Gorman try to exegesis the whole book of Galatians in his own understanding and research. I’ve founded that there are lacks of evidence of resources, as in not much of references quote in this chapter, Gorman strong sources for his argument in this chapter would be the book Galatians itself, he kept referring back to Galatians and because of that the arguments seemed to be persuasive but at the same time lacks of backing up from others. Many of Gorman explanations in this epistle were unjustified, for example the dating of the letter and I quote on page187 â€Å"although no firm conclusion is possible within the range of years 49-55, the most likely date, in this writer’s estimations is 50-55, properly from Ephesus† It would be more convincing if Gorman could give us more evidence about the date and place of written. Over all the exegesis of the entire Galatians in this chapter was not that of rigorous at all. Gorman definitely give us a clear view on Paul’s message to the Galatians. Anyone who read this chapter will surely get a clear understanding of the gospel, not only to the Galatians but also for the churches today as well. Gorman ended the chapter well with the 10 questions for reflection, these 10 reflections questions are the issue that we are facing right now as a contemporary Christians, especially question 10, and I would like to end this review with the same question â€Å"In sum, what does this letter urge the church to believe, to hope for, and to do?† Second critical review is on an article by Martinus C. de Boer, titled: â€Å"Galatians A Commentary† from week 4 reading. To be honest I find this reading is a bit lengthy, especially the entire article is focus on the exegesis of only 6 verses. Having say that Martinus taking the time out to clearly explained the conflict between Paul and Cephas in Antioch over the issue of â€Å"The Truth of the Gospel†. I agreed with Martinus that this is not only important for Paul and the Christians in the 1st century but also to all of us today, we odd to understand the message of â€Å"the truth of the gospel† (2:5, 14). Because this is a commentary, it is clear evidence that the Martinus gave a wide range of evidence to his arguments. I also have to say that the exegesis in this article is precised, however, if it is to focus on the truth gospel of Christ, I feel that Martinus could have mention more of Paul other letters to back up the topic of the true gospel, instead of a very long exegesis around the confrontation of Paul and Cephas, I would have looked at Paul conversion passage to prove more of Paul conviction for his true gospel. Martinus translated Jews who is circumcised as â€Å"the circumcision party† page 133. I’m not sure if I would agree with Martinus here, because lacks of evidence in this statement made by Martinus, I’m not sure if this is a political view or is it direct translation from its original text? Over all from reading this article, apart from the fact that it is a long article, I’ve founded that it is very helpful for churches today to see the historical of Paul’s letter through Martinus book. Definitely an issue arises for the use of the Bible today in our own context, for example: Paul and Peter relationship. Can two Christians have disagreements that eventually lead them to different road? The final reading is from Charles H. Cosgrove â€Å"The Cross and The Spirit† chapter 3 The Logic of the Opposing Theology. Over all I find that this is a really hard piece to read, the precise and information was great, however, I feel that there are some stuffs that he could have leave out, and that he doesn’t have to go into details as such, for example Cosgrove goes on and talk about the Torah is for Life on page 90 and from there on, I’ve noticed that he kept going back to the Torah for his arguments throughout the rest of the chapter. Cosgrove make it clear to his readers about Paul wanting to hammer us about life in crucified Jesus. Nothing important to Paul than that we have life in Jesus. Cosgrove shared some light about the Christian Jews that are actually after Paul and not the Romans, and this is consistent with what I’ve learned in the unit and also other theologians. Later in the chapter Cosgrove also pin point the agitators and one again it’s consistent with the unit teaching and also others theologians, example Barclay who concluded in his book that Agitators were Christian Jews probably from Jerusalem. Mark D Nanos also suggested the same thing, so over all Cosgrove argument was very persuasive and clear evidence of a large selective of different sources. Finally, Cosgrove really trying hard to explain to his reader the opposing theology between Paul and everyone who are at the Galatians, this would certainly help us today as we read Galatians with a more clear picture of its context and understanding of where Paul and the others are coming from.

Sociocultural Theory Individuals Involvement In Social Interactions Education Essay

Sociocultural Theory Individuals Involvement In Social Interactions Education Essay Sociocultural theory (SCT) illustrates how an individuals development is connected to cultural, social and historical framework. The main focus of SCT, in particular, is an individuals connection and involvement in social interactions and culturally controlled activities which shape and construct mental development. Sociocultural perspective centres on the social framework as fundamental to learning. It lays emphasis on the importance of social interactions by communicating and instructing in learning, highlighting that the social environment is not just the place where learning happens, it is integral to it. SCT suggests learning is a cultural action, young children are seen as novices within a cultural setting that learn from elders of that way of life, therefore, learning can be either formal or informal and achieved via parents, siblings, friends, teachers etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This results in children learning about the practices, beliefs and values of the community they grow up in or are placed in, consequently learning to become members of that community/group. SCT also explains and acknowledges individual differences in learning via the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) (Vygotsky(1896 -1934)). This is the gap amid what an individual is capable of doing on their own and what they can do with assistance of a knowledgeable other, ensuring that a child can accomplish jointly what s/he could not achieve alone. A major scholar that was vital to the progression of cultural-historical psychology and creator of SCT as we now know it, was Lev S. Vygotsky (1896 -1934). Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist whos work was banned and prohibited under Joseph Starlin in 1936, this ban was later lifted in 1956 three years after Stalins death. Vygotsky first started working as a psychology teacher in 1917 and during this period he was accumulating information simultaneously for his thesis and a book that was to be named Pedagogical Psychology, of which, was published in 1926. Vygotsky inspired a lot of original research and his works were translated into English in the 1960s. He also became influential within education around the 1980s and to this day. (http://vygotsky.afraid.org/#TimelineVygotskysLifeWorks) Vygotskys work was based on Marxist and social constructivist theories. Vygotsky stated that his academic focus was to learn from Marxs whole method how to build a science, how to approach the investigation of the mind (Vygotsky, cited Ratner(1997)) and also build upon an overt Marxist psychology. Vygotsky believed Marxist psychology is not a school amidst schools, but the only genuine psychology as a science. A psychology other than this cannot existà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦everything that was and is genuinely scientific belongs to Marxist psychology (Vygotsky, cited Ratner(1997)). Vygotsky suggested that development took place on two planes, that of the social plane via interaction and through a psychological plane as learners internalise meanings, for example, putting together a jigsaw puzzle or reading a picture book. He also believed that cognitive development occurred through conversations and interactions with more capable members of a group/culture. SCT took into account aspects of creativity and that education should not solely be concerned with learning knowledge and skills but for children to develop the capacity to think clearly, to plan and be able to pass on their understanding via interaction and communication. The key to human intelligence, Vygotsky discovered, was to effectively utilize different types of tools, not the material tools we use to increase our physical capabilities such as cutlery or levers, but psychological tools extending mental probabilities such as language and writing. These tools are described as cultural tools, of which, Vygotsky believed language to be the most important of all; as language facilitates humans to make sense of the world, is the medium of sharing knowledge and is the basis of thought. The interrelationship of language and thought was also a factor Vygotsky held to be of prominence in an individuals development. It is often noticed that young children run a commentary of what they are doing and seeing, a child develops this external speech which later in life becomes internalised as thought, therefore, speech formation that is mastered by children then becomes the basic structures of their thinking. Vygotsky was a prolific writer; he successfully built up a plethora of ideas in his short life as a scholar (he died when he was just 37 years of age of Tuberculoses). As a result, whilst a good deal of the framework for SCT was presented by Lev Vygotsky; growth, expansion and enhancement of SCT is evident in text regarding cultural-historical activity theory (Cole, 1996; Cole Engestrom, 1994) and activity theory (Chaiklin Lave, 1993; Leontiev, 1981) Further to this, in the Soviet Union, the Kharkov School of Psychology was vital for preserving the contribution of Lev Vygotsky. There, the students accomplished new avenues of subsequent development. Jerome Bruner was firstly influenced by Jean Piagets work of cognitive development although later by Vygotsky whos work he broadly developed. Brunner agreed with SCT that a childs social environment, and for the most part, social interaction were particularly imperative in the process of development and learning. Bruners theory of scaffolding is a theory that stemmed from Vygotskys theory of ZPD. Focusing on learning via communication between child and adult. Scaffolding refers to the gradual retraction of adult influence and direction, as the child develops greater mastery of a given task. Another academic that built upon Vygotskys works of SCT include Barbara Rogoff, she writes: Childrens cognitive development is an apprenticeship-it occurs through guided participation in social activity with companions who support and stretch childrens understanding of and skill in using the tools of the culture (1990:7) Its evident that Rogoffs theory of guided participation builds on Bruners theory of scaffolding, highlighting that childrens cognitive development takes place in a social context while expanding SCT beyond language-based dialogue; as the guided learner is also guided by the books that they read, the internet sites they visit and the importance of other such methods of unspoken communication. Rogoff has sourced many books on psychology, one of which The Cultural Nature of Human Development'(2003) examines, amongst many other things, the role of culture in human development and recognizing the arrangement of similarities and differences between cultural communities. For instance, the involvement children have in activities that their elders carry out in the community, which is subsequently the passing on of knowledge and cultural tools. This notion originates and builds upon Vygotskys SCT. Having presented SCT, I will now briefly put forward the theory I will compare it with which is the Piagetian developmental model. Piagetian developmental model was founded by the work of Jean Piaget (1896 1980). He was a SwissHYPERLINK ../../../../../../../wiki/Developmental_psychologist psychologist and philosopher who believed childrens education was extremely important. As a result, his work focused largely on the development of infants in particular, he was so interested in this area that he gained a lot of his empirical evidence from observing and interviewing his own three children. Piagetian developmental model refers to how the individual understands things and gains knowledge in terms of developmental stages and learning styles. It is about the individual acting as the active agent whom interacts with the world that surrounds them. According to Piaget, the child is someone who constructs his own moral world view, who forms ideas about right and wrong, and fair and unfair, that are not the direct product of adult teaching and that are often maintained in the face of adult wishes to the contrary (Gallagher Reid (1979): 26). Piaget was a professor of psychology at the University of Geneva (1929-1975) and restructured the cognitive development theory into stages, which built upon previous work from James Mark Baldwin(1861-1934) an American philosopher and psychologist. These four developmental stages are (1) infancy, (2) pre-school, (3) childhood, and (4) adolescence. Each stage has a cognitive construction which dictates the childs way of thinking and the childs grasp of reality, as the child goes from one stage to the next, except the last, there is always an insufficient understanding of reality, a disequilibrium is caused which in turn results in the reorganisation of thought structures. The four development stages are described in Piagets theory as: Sensorimotor stage: from birth to age 2 years (children experience the world through movement and senses and learn object permanence) Preoperational stage: from ages 2 to 7 (acquisition of motor skills) Concrete operational stage: from ages 7 to 11 (children begin to think logically about concrete events) Formal operational stage: after age 11 (development of abstract reasoning). (Rosenfield Santrock (1998)) Piaget therefore found that this theory is connected by two vital components; one part that prognosticates a childs capabilities dependant of their age/biological maturation and a theory that illustrates the way a learner develops, what steps or stages that an individual must travel through to end up with an outcome, a predetermined objective. Piaget proposes, by his theory of cognitive development, that an individual can not simply be presented with information and for them to make sense of it straight away. Consequently, a construction of an individuals own knowledge that is built by their own experiences is required. This formation of experiences can then permit learners to make schemas, these are an individuals mental structure and personal understanding of the world around them, that is accordingly changed and built upon dependent on the increase of opportunities to explore their world. The original idea of schemas was proposed by philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) as innate structures used to help us perceive the world (Eysenck (2010)). This change or upgrade is accomplished by two collaborating procedures: Assimilation and Accommodation. Assimilation is a mental process of receiving and adapting new information into the pre-existing schema. Its about making sense of something new based on what one already knows and is moderately subjective as an individual adjusts a new concept as to correspond with previous notions and ideas. For example a child knows an animal to have four legs and when that child see a dog he calls it an animal, when the child is informed that this is not only an animal but a dog assimilation takes place and from then on as s/he encounters more different types of four legged creatures the process of assimilation continues each time ending with the state of equilibrium which renders that stage or understanding as complete Accommodation can be described as a mental process one uses to become accustomed to the new information that is set before us, so for instance it is a process that takes place when there is no pre-existing schema and a whole new concept needs to be understood. For example as stated above the child accustomed to the notion of animals having four legs, so when encountering a monkey the child will have to accommodate that not all animals walk on all fours all the time. The process of accommodation can be more distressing for the learner causing a disequilibrium, especially for infants who go through the process of potty training for instance, as the whole concept is different and out of the childs comfort zone therefore this process can take a longer period of time. Piagets theory is used today in the way key stages are set up in the current primary and secondary curriculum and therefore exemplifies the magnitude of his work. There are also theorists that build upon his concept of developmental models who are known as neo-Piagetians such as Hughes, Bower and Wishart who have modified certain experiments such as the object permanence test (Bower and Wishart (1972)) and the policemen doll experiment (Hughs (1975)) which both demonstrate a flaw in Piagets experimental process. Having briefly presented the two theories of cognitive development, I will now discuss some similarities and differences, developing some of the key ideas of each theory. Piagetian developmental model and SCT mutually agree that a childs cognitive development takes place in stages (Jarvis Chandler (2001):149), however, the way in which these stages are portrayed by each theory differ. Whilst Piaget looked at a childs cycle of life from birth to adulthood as being a stage by stage learning pathway such as, preoperational stage taking place from ages 2 to 7, Vygotsky looked at the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) where a child is moved on from one stage of unknowing to the stage of knowing with the help and guidance of a knowledgeable other, which is not based on biological maturation and age but on an individuals personal level of attainment. Vygotskys concept of ZPD illustrates a childs existing and possible capability to do something. (Flanagan 1999 P.72). Vygotsky states that there are three stages that a learner will progress through, the first being tasks that could not be performed even with help, the second which is assisted performance where tasks are being accomplished by means of assistance from a knowledgeable other and finally the third which is independent performance where a learner can complete a task independently and without assistance. For that reason, the concept of ZPD can allow for deeper and enhanced comprehension of the learning process itself (Flanagan 1999 P.73) and also an effective way of evaluating a learners capability as opposed to generalising children into stages or bands of development, as Piaget does with his stage theory. Further to this, in one of Bruners books The Process of Education (1960) he explains his SCT view on the readiness for learning which is unlike Piagets developmental model of stage by stage learning dependant of biological maturation. He suggests that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development. (ibid.: 33) He goes on to refer to his concept of the Spiral curriculum: A curriculum as it develops should revisit this basic ideas repeatedly, building upon them until the student has grasped the full formal apparatus that goes with them (ibid.: 13). Piaget established a concept that a childs way of thinking differentiates as they grow from infancy to childhood right up until adulthood. This journey of stages that one passes through as one matures is segmented into four stages of cognitive development (as mentioned previously) which is defined as Piagets Stage Theory. (Ginsburg, Opper (1979):26). Piaget put forward that these stages were universal for all children, for example the progression of how a child encountered each stage was set to a fixed pathway from one stage to the next, also, he acknowledged that the speed at which a child went, from beginning to end, would vary and therefore relative to their age/maturation. The transition from one stage to the next, consequently, was only possible when the child was cognitively ready and he believed that a child should not be pushed to learn the next stage of knowledge pending that the child is cognitively complete in the previous stage. Thereforer it can be suggested thast piagets theory of stage development can be far more rigid and set, in contrast, SCT beleives stages can be re-visited and also merge together more continuously to achieve a deeper understanding of knowledge as Bruner states: To instruct someone is not a matter of getting him to commit results to mind. Rather, it is to teach him to participate in the process that makes possible the establishment of knowledge. We teach a subject not to produce little living libraries on that subject, but rather to get a student to think mathematically for himself, to consider matters as an historian does, to take part in the process of knowledge-getting. Knowing is a process not a product. (1966: 72) Therefore it is noticeable that Piagetian developmental model is individualist orientated compared to SCT which is socially and culturally orientated, relying on outside instruction. Piagetian developmental models focal point is the individual and their experiences of their world being the reason of development and in order to learn an individual has to be developed, unlike SCT, which focuses on the social interaction, cultural influence and that development comes after one has learned. As Vygotsky has stated Piagets approach is based on the premise that learning trails behind development, that development always outruns learningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ((1978):80) and he explains his viewpointà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦properly organised learning results in mental development and sets in motion a variety of developmental processes that would be impossible apart from learning ((1978):90) Both theories acknowledge language as important in an individuals development yet in a totally different degree. Piagetian developmental model suggests that cognitive changes such as thinking and learning where not solely governed by linguistic enhancement or development, whereas SCT deems that language supports the child to excel in freedom of thought and accomplish further cognitive development (Flanagan 1999 P.59). Piagetian developmental model suggests that language is in motion, from the child towards the social environment. (Ginsburg, Opper (1979):84). On the other hand, SCT advocates the opposite, that language moved from the social to the individual, of which is internalised into thought. (Jarvis, Chandler (2001):150). Piaget could be criticised that his experiments and clinical interviews were inadequately designed. The tasks set out could be seen as inappropriate for children of a certain age group, instructions that were given could appear to be somewhat ambiguous and the tasks themselves boring and lacklustre. In later experiments carried out by neo-Piagetians these kind of impediments were rectified and it was evident that the childrens performance had improved a great deal resulting in them to be much more proficient than Piaget confirmed by his research. By simplifying tasks and making them more child friendly, researchers such as Bower and Wishart (1972) with their modification of the object permanence experiment, and Hughes (1975) with the policemen doll experiment, have demonstrated higher cognitive abilities in children who would not be expected to display them according to Piagets theory. Jerome Bruner writes in The Process of Education motives for learning must be kept from going passi ve they must be based as much as possible upon the arousal of interest in what there is be learned, and they must be kept broad and diverse in expression ((1960): 80). As I mentioned earlier Vygotsky suggests that egocentric speech that a child uses to problem solve for example becomes internalised as the child reaches adulthood (Jarvis, Chandler (2001):150) .Vygotsky explains in his posthumous anthology Thought and Language that: 1. In their ontogenetic development, thought and speech have different roots. 2. In the speech development of the child, we can with certainty establish a pre-intellectual stage, and in his thought development, a pre-linguistic stage. 3. Up to a certain point in time, the two follow different lines, independently of each other. 4. At a certain point these lines meet, whereupon thought becomes verbal and speech rational. [Thought and Language, Chapter 4] Yet, Piaget believed that egocentric speech just purely went along with and connected to what ever action the child was carrying out at that specific time(Ginsburg, Opper (1979):84), and once the child matured to adulthood this speech was simply not needed and disappeared. Although the two scholars had opposing views on the function and underlying principle of egocentric speech they both acknowledged and granted that it gave support to cognitive development Bruner, J. S.. The process of education . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960. Print. Cole, M. Cultural Psychology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.(1996). Print Cole, M., Engestrom, Y. Introduction. Mind, culture and activity. An International Journal, 1(4), 201. (1994). Print. Chaiklin, S., Lave, J. Understanding practice: Perspectives on activity and context. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. (1993). Print. Eysenck, Michael W. Cognitive psychology; a students handbook . 6th. ed. East Sussex: Psychology Press. (2010). Print. Flannagan, C. Applying Child Psychology to Early Child Development. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Limited (1999). Print. Gallagher, J. M, and D. K Reid. The learning theory of Piaget and Inhelder . Monterey, Calif.: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co., (1979). Print. Ginsbury, H. Opper, S. Piagets Theory of Intellectual Development. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, (1979). Print. Jarvis, M. Chandler, E. Angles on Psychology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Limited, (2001). Print. Leontiev, A.N. Problems of the development of mind. Moscow: Progress Press.(1981). Print. Munari, Alberto. Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Prospects: the quarterly review of comparative education 24.1/2 (1994): 311-327. Print. Offord, L. The Mozart of Psychology.. N.p., 5 May 2005. Web. 6 Apr. 2011. Ratner, C., Prologue to Vygotskys Collected Works. Volume 5 (1997). Print. Rogoff, Barbara. Apprenticeship in thinking: cognitive development in social context. New York (NY): Oxford University Press, (1990). Print. Rogoff, Barbara. The cultural nature of human development . Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press, (2003). Print. Rosenfield, Anita, and John W. Santrock. Study guide for use with Children, ninth edition [by] John W. Santrock, Allen Keniston, Peden Blair . (1998). Reprint. Boston : McGraw-Hill, (2007). Print. VygotskyÃÅ'† , L. S., and Michael Cole. Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1978. Print. Vygotsky, L. S. (1997). The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky, Vol. 4: The history of the development of higher mental functions (R. W. Rieber, Vol. Ed; M. J. Hall, Trans.). New York: Plenum Press. (Original work published 1941)

Health Care and Insurance Coverage Essay -- system, insurance, coverage

Everyone knows that in order to be a functional human being, your health must be in order. Bacteria and diseases can be devious forces if someone's system is not equipped to fight them off. In order to prevent said things from attacking our immune systems, we go to the doctor for guidance in the areas of taking care of ourselves, but going to these doctors has a price. Most people living comfortably would tell you that their insurance covers ever bump and bruise that appears on them, but what about those who cannot afford health insurance? Luckily for them a document, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was signed into law by President Barack Obama so that they may have the same opportunities for coverage concerning their health. It is necessary for everyone to have health insurance to prevent the spreading of diseases, end the depletion of the population due to illness, and to keep the core of America's workforce healthy. There have been several epidemics and outbreaks in our nation and in other areas of this world due to weak immune systems and no form of preparation to counterattack bacteria cells entering the bloodstreams of the population. As time progressed and technology advanced, those in the medical field discovered ways to stop certain reactions before they happened or cure them once they have already began to damage an individual internally. But if there is a large sum of the population unable to afford the things necessary to receive the aid that will boost their health, then diseases will only continue to circulate and morph into even more dangerous compositions that will eventually overpower our medicines. And if we are unable to tame the new viruses, the human race may cease to exist. Hundreds of thou... ... â€Å"Non-Grandfathered† plans are required to change before December 15, 2013, to ensure no lapse in coverage because existing plans will terminate the end of this year. Basically, no one will be denied health services, benefits, or prescription drugs and monthly premiums will be calculated based on age, region, and use of tobacco products. It is in the best interest of the public to have health care afforded to all. I myself am preparing for a future in medicine and my main concern is to help all of those in need, not just a select few. Evidently there are many negative effects that come along with individuals not being covered health wise and it can eventually be a detriment to society if the problem is not fixed. With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that problem has a solution and can ultimately have a positive impact on many aspects of this country.

An Analysis of Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions Essay -- Vonnegut Bre

An Analysis of Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions Kilgore Trout is a struggling novelist that can only get his novels published in porn magazines. Dwayne Hoover is a fabulously well-to-do car salesman that is on the brink of insanity. They only meet once in their lives, but the entire novel, Breakfast of Champions (1973), is based on this one meeting. The meeting is brief, but that is all the author, Kurt Vonnegut, needs to express his message. In fact, it is quite crucial that the meeting starts and ends almost instantly. It is the meeting between sanity and insanity. Kilgore Trout is simply the novelist that Vonnegut was when he was younger. Dwayne Hoover is the older, insane man that Vonnegut has turned in to. The meeting between the two is the exact moment when Vonnegut has transformed. The bad chemicals now will run amuck through poor Dwayne's head. Mr. Trout has spent his whole life writing crazy novels, mostly about other planets and the crazy things that happen on them. He lives alone in his house with only his parakeet, Bill, to keep him company. Most of what he talks to Bill about is how the world will be ending very soon. "Any time now," he would say, "And high time, too"(pg 18). This is a product of Dwayne's theory that the Earth's atmosphere would soon become "unbreathable" [sic] (pg 18) and kill off all living creatures. This idea was crazy, but Kilgore does many more things that would seem eccentric to any normal person. The adventure of Kilgore Trout starts when he receives a letter from Midland City. One man, Mr. Rosewater, wants him to come to their fine arts festival as the guest of honor. Kilgore had no idea that he has even one fan. Enclosed is a check for one thousand dollars, which would aid him on... ...whole life. The ink hold that he has on Trout, is now being released. It is almost as if he is releasing sane Kilgore and accepting insane Dwayne. Dwayne read Kilgore's novel and went on a violence spree. He spent the rest of his life in an asylum. Kilgore went on to become a world-renowned novelist. Vonnegut is a world-renowned novelist, who is known for his crazy and insane novels. It seems as if he feels that he has wasted the first part of his life in the novel, when he is Kilgore Trout. After he meets Dwayne he seems to have all of his success and make all of his money. Kilgore confirms this in the end when he only wants one thing from his creator. He yells out to Vonnegut as he disappears, "Make me young, make me young, make me young!"(pg 295) Work Cited Vonnegut, Kurt. Breakfast of Champions. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. 1973.

Becoming an Effective Leader Essay

My job title is Training Co-ordinator for an organisation called Lifeskills Centres, I assess in the following areas; business administration, customer service, management, delivering level 2 and 3 and also any supporting key skills needed. I am responsible for my caseload of learners; their progress, learning and achievement of the qualification. I must cater each programme to suit the needs of the individual learner, I do this by setting each new starter off on initial assessments so that I can see what level they are currently at which will help me decide which course is the most suitable and which approach will be the most beneficial for the learner. I am also responsible for creating strong professional relationships with the learners new employers and maintaining relationships with existing employers this is for two reasons so they would recommend us to other employers so we gain a good reputation and so that they will want to use Lifeskills as a training provider for all of their staff and will not use a different organisation as it is a competitive market. I also advertise vacancies for our employers who have had good experiences in the past with apprentices and would like to recruit a new one. I agree with the employer all of the details to go on to the advert and interview all of the candidates and trial period the suitable ones for a week before sending them to the employer themselves to interview and then make the final decision. Within my role I use a number of different leadership styles in different situations and with different people in order to progress and achieve what needs to be achieved for example; I use the leadership style autocratic when I come to the end of the programme and I tell my learners what I want and what needs to be done and how it needs to be done, this is when the learners are short of time if they are leaving the organisation and don’t have much time to complete and it works the best when they want to achieve and are highly motivated. I have used the leadership style democratic when I had a group of learners in one particular placement where I was finding it hard to make them progress as they wouldn’t complete any work unless I was there  with them and they had no motivation towards the qualification. I discussed with the learners my concerns and asked how they thought we could move forward and they suggested one to one meetings, I informed the learners that this would be too time consuming and that I could afford to have a morning or afternoon out of the month for me to come in to the organisation and support them and motivate them to complete the knowledge questions, technical certificate and key skills side of the qualification. The learners confirmed that this was an effective method and I informed them that I will observe them twice a month but they do not have to complete any written tasks for me between observation as it will be done on the one morning / afternoon per month. I used this leadership style so that they felt they were included and to help me gain more respect from them and I do not think that it came across as a weakness from myself I think it showed that I was honest and realised that there was something not right and then discussed and implemented a solution. Lastly the leadership style I use not very often but I do still use is delegative which is where I let the learners make their own decisions on how they can progress through their qualification. I usually use this style when a learner has progressed from a level 2 qualification with myself on to a level 3 so they know the way the programme works and we have a comfortable relationship I also allow some level 3 learners to reference their own work in to their files. Application of emotional intelligence in shaping performance I employ the two aspects of emotional intelligence when dealing with learners and colleagues at all times as I must first understand myself and my goals, intentions, responses and behaviour and understand others and their feelings to be able to manage my learners and their progress. I empathise with learners and use the understanding of their emotions to motivate them and inspire them to complete their work. I am aware of my own feelings and emotions and control these to make sure that I do not behave in a way that is unacceptable towards learners or colleagues, I may not have to say anything to communicate how I am feeling as it can be portrayed in my body language and facial expressions which is also something that I have to control. Based on Goleman’s theory to be an effective leader I must be aware  of my own feelings and emotions and manage these to make sure that my emotions do not show in my behaviour if they are unacceptable. I must motivate myself which I do by meeting appraisal and review targets and setting myself my own goals to achieve. I must also manage other peoples emotions I do this by building a relationship with my learners and getting to know what they like and what annoys them so I can recognise this and stop it from becoming an issue where possible, it also makes the learners feel valued and that I care about the way they feel. It is also stated in Maslows Hieracy of needs that to work to your full ability and progress in your job and grow as a person you must have the following; Be in a healthy state, feel safe, feel like you belong somewhere and have some form of social life (friends, family, relationships) and have self esteem before you are able to grow personally. I must make sure that I show all learners that I care about each of them as an individual and that there progress and growth means a lot to me. I think an area that I personally have to work on is when I worry and panic about things for example we were mock inspected and I felt very anxious about it, I must make sure that this feeling does not come across to learners or employers and that the rest of my work doesn’t suffer from it. I also try to understand and manage the employers I deal with emotional intelligence as I want to build a relationship with them and trust so I make sure that I empathise with them and try not to do anything possible which may annoy them for example if I can see that an employer is very busy instead of updating them after the appointment with their learner I will ask if they would like an update via email as I can see they are really busy and then they can decide how they would like the feedback. Setting direction and gaining commitment I communicate and set direction for my learners by visiting them fortnightly, observing them work, showing them what each observation will cover or link in with, giving them feedback on their performance and setting them targets for the next appointment. I provide ongoing support via email and over the telephone to learners when I am at work but not at an appointment with them and review their progress and set targets formally at their ten week reviews which gives them clear direction and motivation to meet the targets they  agree by the next review. I provide support and tutorials to learners for the whole of the technical certificate and functional skills they complete and also offer training on the telephone, prioritising techniques and assertiveness skills as I have noticed that this is an area for development that employers ask for and the learners too. I also motivate and gain commitment from learners and try and persuade new employers to take on new learners by using myself as a role model example, as I began my career by completing an administration level 2 apprenticeship and have completed enough qualifications and worked my way up to becoming a Training Co-ordinator. I communicate and set direction and motivate employers by keeping them up to date with the learner’s progress and exactly what I have been doing with the learner after each visit where possible and including them in the qualification by asking for witness statements and also asking them to participate in the learner’s reviews. With my colleagues I communicate direction in standardisation meetings where we share best practise on how to cover and assess certain units that we may find difficult or what we have found that works very well. I try to motivate my colleagues by being hardworking and genuinely enthusiastic about my learners achieving and my job .

The Truth About Sharks

Yes, the dialogue was realistic which presented the realistic view of family relationships. For examples, Beth’s mum asked her to go shopping and wash the dog. Also, Beth must go to her uncle’s party that she really didn’t want to go but her mum required to go. It’s a typical view of family relationships as the son and daughter always need to listen to their parents, they don’t even have any freedoms. For me, my mum is the typical mother too. She always force me to do the thing she wants, like she asked me to study in Canada despite I truly wanted to stay in Hong Kong. What a ridiculous! Also, she is annoying too. I’m seventeen now so I’m not a kid anymore, I know what I should do or shouldn’t, but she would still ask me to sleep when it is 11p.m. only or tell me this vegetables and that vegetables are healthy but she never know I don’t like vegetables. I think she did a good job. She complained about Madge not because of the $650 gift certificate only, was because Madge offended her self-esteem. For example, she was humiliated by Madge since Madge asked her to take off the pants. I think she was a typical young adult because she had strong self-esteem, for the typical young adults, they regard money as a very important thing, just like Beth, she would try to up the price of gift certificate. Firstly, since Beth didn’t take off her pants and then walked toward other section of pants, so Madge Groton misconstrued that she wanted to steal the pants. Secondly, she had seen many kids doing this before, hence she didn’t believe what Beth’s explanation. Lastly, she wanted to do her job and she enjoyed her power of ordering the people she caught. If I were Madge Groton, I would definitely listen to Beth’s explanation since I wouldn’t know she was innocent or not. You weren’t willing to attack by the shark, you didn’t want that happen. Similarly, Beth didn’t want to accuse falsely by Madge. I think it was not a bad analogy, Madge was like a shark which meant she was cold-blooded, she ignored what Beth said and she still want to ‘eat’ her. And Beth just liked a little small fish or an innocent swimmer that couldn’t evade from the shark as it was more powerful. I think Beth was almost adequately compensated for the injustice. She could embrace the budget-free shopping, but the $650 gift certificate wasn’t enough as it wasn’t equaled to the future of Beth, she was nearly sentenced to the jail. Also, Beth won the self-esteem back from the Madge’s apology because that arrogant security guard thought she had caught the shoplifter correctly. She got empowerment on her face that money could not buy which made her feel confident.

Hebrew Wisdom Essay

The book of Proverbs can be very useful to its readers when in need of wisdom or helpful insight. Everyday people are forced to make life choices—good or bad. The book of Proverbs covers various issues and topics that can be found useful when making any decision. Whether it is an issue of marriage, sexuality, wealth, poverty, guarding the tongue, dealing with emotions, or many more, Proverbs paints a vivid picture of what both the right path and the wrong path have in store. The book of Proverbs â€Å"presents a vivid contrast between the life of wisdom and the life of folly† (Hindson and Yates 263). Proverbs is God’s manual to His people on how to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Throughout the book of Proverbs, readers will see the words diligence and laziness multiple times. These words correspond with the contrast between wisdom and folly because diligence is the result of wisdom and laziness is the result of folly. Towards the beginning of the book of Proverbs one verse in particular tells its readers clearly where the root of gaining wisdom and diligence is at: â€Å"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline† (New International Version, Prov. 1.7). All wisdom comes from fearing the Lord. This type of fear is not a fear of terror but rather a fear of awe and reverence. By having a respect for God, His children should want to please Him, which would result in considering the outcome in every decision being made. When people make wise choices it results in diligence, peace of mind, wealth (literally or spiritually), and gaining more knowledge. In contrast, foolish decisions bring about destruction, fear, laziness, and much more. Throughout Proverbs readers will repeatedly see warnings against laziness and rewards for diligence: â€Å"Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor† (Prov. 12.24). There is a theme throughout Proverbs repeatedly stating the benefits of diligence and the consequences of laziness. These  principles tie into wisdom and folly because when being wise, people will be wise with their time and are on the path to be continually growing in themselves and in the Lord. The reward in being diligent is an overflow of blessings â€Å"The blessings of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it† (Prov. 10.22). When being foolish people do not recognize the preciousness of time. In being selfish, they do not understand that their lack of action affects others†¦or they do not seem to care. When not walking with God and depending on our own abilities and understanding, people will miss out on the rewards of diligence. â€Å"He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe† (Prov. 28.26). When reading the book of Proverbs, readers will find the book to be overflowing with wise instructions on how to live a life that glorifies God. Big or small, Proverbs offers many wise words and teachings for every situation people walk through in life. Whatever circumstance someone is going through the book of Proverbs gives helpful insight on how to wisely navigate life. Throughout the book of Proverbs readers will see a pattern of the rewards that diligence reaps and the natural consequences one must face when being lazy. This compares to the contrast between wisdom and folly in that when being wise in all one does, there will be a multitude of blessings and rewards. â€Å"†¦Get wisdom, discipline and understanding† (Prov. 23.23b). Just like when being lazy, when one is foolish there will be some unpleasant consequences in hopes that a lesson will be learned the next time around. â€Å"A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless† (Prov. 14.16). Works Cited Hindson, Ed, and Gary, Yates. The Essence of the Old Testament: A Survey. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, n.d. Print. New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d. Print.

Ideological underpinnings of a movie Essay

An expectation has arisen among film-critics and audiences, that movie-makers will deal with the serious issues, such as racism and violence, at a serious level. In other words, it is expected by critics and film-goers alike that films will have meaning. However, if meaning is expected — what precisely creates and communicates meaning in a film? As Louis Giannetti points out in his book, Understanding Movies (2008), the presence of ideology in a film impacts the film in its entirety, from tone to theme. In Giannetti’s estimation, â€Å"ideology is another language system in film† and this language is largely conveyed through â€Å"code† (Giannetti, 453). In order to help illustrate the way that ideology influences films, Giannetti offers a series of categories into which the influence of ideology in film can be functionally divided. The following discussion of the film 300 (2007) will use Giannetti’s ideas as a support-structure to show how meaning in film is ultimately determined by the film’s prevailing ideology. In any discussion of meaning in film, it will be important to distinguish between what might be considered â€Å"overt† or even propagandistic meaning and thematic or expressive meaning. Of course this distinction is quite artificial and the two hypothetically divided types of meaning are often one and the same. That said, there is often a conspicuous difference between a film which has an explicit propagandistic agenda than a film which is based on generating thematic and emotional subtlety. The movie 300 offers, even to the most casual viewer, an example of what Giannetti calls â€Å"Explicit† ideology (Giannetti, 449). In this category of ideological content, a movie serves, at least partially, as obvious propaganda for a viewpoint or cause. That 300 functions as a form of propaganda is easily arguable. However, it is slightly more difficult to pinpoint exactly what specific cause or theme is being forwarded by the film’s ideology. In order to determine the film’s ideological bearing, closer attention must be paid to its content and its artistic tone. Giannetti mentions that tone in a film can be one of the most important aspects of presenting the film’s ideology. What Giannetti means by tone is â€Å"its manner of presentation† (Giannetti, 489). For example, in the movie 300, any number of important scenes, if played with a â€Å"comic† rather than a â€Å"heroic† tone, would create a different response in the viewer and therfore communicate a different ideological vision. Imagine the scene where Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well: if the well had sounded out a loud burp after swallowing the messenger, the tone of the scene would have mocked the idea of Spartan pride and Spartan loyalty rather than celebrating it. The reason that tone is so important in a film is that it defines the way the audience will evaluate and judge the characters and scenes of a film. Because as Giannetti insists, â€Å"Tone can strongly affect our responses to a given set of values† (Giannetti, 489), tone is closely connected to ideology and theme. In the example given above, Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well and this scene is presented in a heroic tone. From the outset of the film, the viewer is cued-in to understand that the Spartans are heroic and that they operate from a sense of pride and fearlessness. The tone of heroicism is conveyed not only through the action of the scene, but through the stylized representation of the characters as muscle-bound heros. The Mise-en-scene of the film is connected to the visual color-schemes of comic books and graphic novels. The sense of legend permeates the film, as it permeates the actual historical event. Therefore, the most dominant or controlling tone of 300 can be considered â€Å"heroic. † The fact that a movie has a controlling tone does not mean that other types of tones are not present in isolated scenes. In fact, the opposite is generally the case. The shifts against the dominant tone also help to convey meaning and ideology in a film. If the controlling tone of 300 is heroic, then the scenes that play against this dominant tone, such as the scene where Theron rapes Queen Gorgo, serve to reinforce the film’s dominant tone and ideology. When Theron tells the Queen she will not enjoy what is going to happen to her, the tone of the scene is tragic rather than heroic, and Theron’s status as a villain is cemented in the audience’s minds. The scene, by depicting graphically, the rape of Sparta’s Queen reinforces the heroic sacrifice of Leonidas and his men. Another aspect of films that influences ideological language is the cultural context in which a given film is made and shown. Cultural context is a crucial aspect of a film’s ideological meaning. The expectations of a given audience rest on the fact that â€Å"Every nation has a characteristic way of looking at life, a set of values that is typical of a given culture† (Giannetti, 465). The movie 300 is an American movie made for American audiences. ecause of this it would be hard for anyone to miss the obvious connections between contemporary world-events and the ideological themes that are shown in the movie. Comparisons with recent events are more or less easy. Any observer could see the present-day war against terrorism as a stand for freedom and to view the Battle of Thermopylae as a sort of allegory for the modern-day struggle against tyra nny. Obviously, the movie 300 forwards this connection through the kind of â€Å"code† that Giannetti describes. Still, as Dennis Behreandt points out in his review of the film from The New American (2007) the movie â€Å"serves to buttress the American mythos that our present-day warriors are likewise fighting for freedom in Iraq† and also that this is most evident in the scene where † Gorgo addresses the Gerousia, the Spartan Senate† when her speech could only remind any aware person of the â€Å"recent troop surge in Iraq† (Behreandt). This kind of cultural context would, obviously, be of less significance to someone who lived out side of the U. S. han to someone steeped in to American values. In addition to the cultural context of a film, there is usually a predominant political context. The political context of a film, for Giannetti, can loosely be divided into one of two categories: left and right. Left-leaning films are those that show multiple viewpoints to issues and propose more flexible responses to issues and problems. Giannetti describes leftists as people who â€Å"believe we ought to be flexible in our judgments. † By contrast, right-leaning film-makers are those who embrace a more stringent world-view. The rightist film-maker is â€Å"more absolute in judging human behavior [†¦ ] Right and wrong are fairly clear-cut and ought to be evaluated according to a strict code of conduct† (Giannetti, 457). In the case of 300, the designation of â€Å"Rightest† is, obviously, the most fitting for the film due to its tone and cultural perspective. Loosely, according to the discussion above, the following observations about 300 can be made in light of Giannetti’s criteria for evaluating the ideological underpinnings of films. First, that 300 is a film that relies predominantly on a heroic tone. Second, the film 300 depends on the specific cultural associations of American society to find its full ideological impact. Third, that 300 represents a â€Å"Rightest† political ideology. The three conclusions, taken together, along with the initial determination that 300 is an â€Å"explicit† communicator if ideology, beg the question as to whether or not 300 is more a vehicle for entertainment or propaganda. One of the opposing aspects to this idea is the fact that 300 is based on history. The idea that historical realism balances out the â€Å"poetic licesne† often taken by Hollywood regarding tone and presentation is one that, for better or worse, many film-goers probably believe. In addition to the idea that a culture could exert such self-discipline in its military caste and instill within each soldier a sense of bravery and fearlessness was a very powerful concept in 300 , which seems to resonate deeply with modern times. It is hard not to be fascinated by the Spartans, to wonder what made them as strong and resolute a they were and to wonder just as Xerxes â€Å"†What kind of men were these Spartans who in three days had slain before his Majesty’s eyes no fewer than twenty thousand of His most valiant warriors? † (Pressfield, 8). However, the fact shades of realism exist within the largely stylized or expressionistic â€Å"flavor† of the film only serves to elevate its power to transmit equally stylized (or stereotyped) ideologies. For example, the difference between vanity and pride seemed to have a great deal of influence on the Spartan conception of bravery as it was portrayed in the movie 300. Modern-day leaders would never think of putting themselves in direct danger like King Leonidas: his pride rather than his vanity dictated his actions and pride stems from a sense of civic (or national) unity. Loyalty is another important concept in the movie. It becomes the central most important idea, given that Spartan military power evolved out of the phalanx, which required the utmost loyalty and steadfastness of each warrior in the unit as a whole. The idea that â€Å"a Greek traitor showed the Persians another path, which enabled them to come round behind and encircle the Greeks† and that this ultimately led to the wholesale destruction of the Spartans at Thermopylae shows how important loyalty was to the Spartans. After Leonidas is killed † his men fought on with redoubled fury under the Persian arrows, as much to defend the fallen body of their King from the savagery of the barbarians as to show their valor† (â€Å"THE GREATEST WARRIORS†). The historical basis of the film is incorporated into the larger and more important â€Å"myth† of the movie that is conveyed in heroic tones that simplify historical subtleties and create a fictional paradigm of idealism. Therefore, the fact that realism in films can be construed into a propagandistic function, is the reality that filmmakers, and especially American filmmakers, are subject to the prejudices and â€Å"blind-spots† which are inherent to the social position they occupy and to which they owe their ability to make high-profile films. Elizabeth G. Traube’s Dreaming Identities: Class, Gender, and Generation in 1980s (1992) offers background to the mores and machinations of the filmmaking industry in America and her observations are important for understanding that movies are, in fact, propagandistic and often they represent the experience of only a very small segment of American society. This narrowness is obscured, according to Traube, beneath a veneer which can be thought of as a traditional moralistic package. Traube points out that, in reality, â€Å"audience preferences are only one of many factors that influence production decisions. Producers also shape their work to conform to dominant sensibilities and values, including those of the producing community itself† (Traube, 69). This reality combined with Traube’s complex but insightful understanding of â€Å"fairy-tale† motifs in movies is crucial to elucidating the way that anger and racial conflict are expressed propagandistically in film. All fables rely on a straightforward, linear narrative due to the fact that complex stories tend to obscure the thrust of the intended moral. Because the author of any fable is able to transform â€Å"topical news and politics into universal predicaments† (â€Å"Haggis’s Fable† 38), a fable carries with it the dangerous connotations of stereotype and oversimplification. The movie 300 stands as an heroic statement about the importance of protecting liberty and freedom. The ideological message that bravery and loyalty are essential aspects of preserving freedom and rather than Sparta, now â€Å"it is America that faces the threat from Persia† and by telling this story so forcefully and with so much passion the film embrace the â€Å"mythos of the battle rather than the historical truth of the era,† which is strongly conveyed in the film. (Behreandt). The ideological underpinnings of the movie 300 are based in a rightist, conservative set of political values that celebrate military capacity and force of strength. he films’ ideological message is one of social and civic duty as well as xenophobia. The film is geared toward an American audience in a time when America faces military challenges on several fronts and as such plays to the expectations of its audience. The tone of the film is heroic and its political ideology is conservative. The most logical conclusion that can be drawn from these facts is that, as mentioned by Giannetti, the ideological language of the film emerges as the most important aspect of the film as a whole. Further, the â€Å"code† that is used in the movie is comprised of historical truths and cultural stereotypes. The film blurs the line between entertainment and propaganda. It is accurate to suggest that the film, stripped of its propagandistic functions, would cease to exist. The unity of the film, in terms of narrative, editing, staging, costuming, scene construction and even music is derived more from a unity of ideology than from a unity of style or form. The movie follows a traditional fairy-tale arc of narrative to reinforce an already existing set of ideologies in its expected audience. Therefore, the best way in which to interpret the movie 300 is the method demonstrated by Giannetti that isolates and categorizes the ideological code of a film and makes the ideological language much more understandable for the average film-goer.