Nature of Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nature of Thought - Essay Example This different level of ability further leads towards intelligence and creativity. Responding to the objects in nature and events happening is a phenomenon that is necessary to continue the survival. Every human being is granted with five basic senses to feel and respond accordingly to all the situations that happen in the environment. Anything, which is felt by a human being, is sent to the human mind by the five senses. There are two kinds of senses which are generally taken in the discussion. External senses are five basic senses (vision: eyes, hearing: ears, smell: nose, touch: skin, taste: tongue) whereas internal sense is based upon intuition and is not considered in objective approach rather it is a subjective one about which we cannot give a concrete view (McCosh, 1882). To precede the above discussion towards subjective perspective, let’s get an idea about memory. Memory is derived from a Latin word â€Å"Memoria† with literary meaning of retaining something in mind. It is about storing the events in mid which had been experienced in past with an individual. Woodworth describes the memory as it helps remembering the past learning (Mangal, 2007). Memory of a human being is consisted of three parts i.e., sensory storage, short term memory and long term memory. As far as the discussion of memory continues, it is specified that memory is somewhat as a collection of past. It only helps to retain the archives of the past. It merely does not help to explore or dig it out for future usage. Although memory can be shared but the way it is shared uses medium to recall the memories that have been saved in human being. The concept of conscious and subconscious is also depicted over here. We can say that memory is a set of records but it cannot recall the past experiences. It is medium which digs the memories out and makes us remember at different times. To come up towards the extract of the further

Entrepreneurship Essay Example for Free

Entrepreneurship Essay This report will mainly focus on the traits, characteristics and skills of entrepreneurs used in three different context i. e. small, social and larger scale business, to manage, develop and sustain the business. It initiates with highlighting the term entrepreneur and entrepreneurship from different authors followed by theories on entrepreneurship to get a better understanding of traits and characteristics in detail. Then is states the benefits of entrepreneurial traits and characteristics. It will then focus on how small business entrepreneurs use their traits and skills to develop and manage the business supporting it with detailed examples of the famous entrepreneurs. Further explains the skills and traits used by social entrepreneurs and large-scale entrepreneurs in business with different examples to get a deep understanding. Evaluating and comparing difference between all three entrepreneurs and traits and skills used by them, intrapreneurship is been explained in large businesses followed by the detailed conclusion in the end. Introduction Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship An entrepreneur is a person who manages, systematizes and assumes the risks of conducting a business. An entrepreneur can be described as a agent for change. He is a person who is willing to take risks usually financial in the pursuit of new ventures to make profits. (Casson, 2002) According to Schumpeter â€Å"entrepreneurs are innovators who use a process of shattering the status quo of the existing products and services, to set up new products, new services†. Schumacher, 1973) The process of finding unique ways of combining and blending resources is been known as entrepreneurship. If the market value generated by the resources combined together is greater than the market value of these resources individually, the entrepreneur generates a profit. Suppose an entrepreneur who takes all the necessary resources to produce a pair of jeans that can be sold for twenty pounds, instead use the same resources to produce a backpack that can be sold for forty pounds will definitely make a profit by increasing the value those resources generates. Sobel, 2008) The entrepreneurship starts with an action, the constructing of new business including the antecedents to its foundation, looking for the opportunities in the environment, spotting the opportunity that needs to be practiced and then evaluating the reasonability of the new business enterprise. (Kirby, 2003) Traits and characteristics of an Entrepreneur It is important to consider and look at some entrepreneurial theories by authors explaining what entrepreneurship is, when we are discussing entrepreneurial characteristics and traits. It is necessary to do so because it has straight connection with recognizing the traits and characteristics of an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is been mainly described in two approaches utilized by different authors. The personality traits approach of Entrepreneurship is the first and the second is behavioral approach of Entrepreneurship. In the traits approach the personality type examines the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is been judged based on their personality, characteristics and their traits to enable the identity of an entrepreneur understandable. These unique characteristics in a person make them stand different among the crowd called as traits of an entrepreneur. As these are the key and influential factors behind the accomplishment of an entrepreneur. (Kaufman, P. J. , Dant, R. P. , 1998) * The qualities of an entrepreneur include taking counted risk, ability to motivate others, leadership skills and skills to overcome the crises, innovative and creative nature. * They are certainly the leaders and in the process of innovative destruction, they are major contributors. They are open to new ideas, offers and people and try to figure the hidden opportunities in ever changing environment. (Kaufman, P. J. , Dant, R. P. , 1998) The behavioral approach aims at spotting, expressing and explaining the clear behavior of an entrepreneur. The traits of an entrepreneur are difficult or impossible to change but behavior is something that they learn like skills and abilities. It is more concentrated on what an entrepreneur does to develop a new venture and further to be establish. (Cuervo. A, Ribeiro. D, Roig. S, 2007) By the above approaches, we can see the relation between the traits and the skills of an entrepreneur that enables them to be successful in the world. For successfully completing the set of activities as designed in the mind the skills and traits plays an important role in entrepreneurship. It is crucial to apply the characteristics and traits while developing the opportunities of the entrepreneurship among various types of business. (James L. Fisher and James V. Koch, 2008) Importance of Traits and Characteristics in an Entrepreneur The success in business comes from various factors but the major factor in a success of business is the entrepreneur him/herself. The personality of an entrepreneur plays more important role than the other features like business knowledge etc. as it tells how strongly the entrepreneurs believes in them and the further the success f their business. Entrepreneurs are the people who think big and intermittently end up generating a change around the globe with their confidence and zeal. Not every other person can cope up with the business situations only entrepreneurs can, which makes them different from the crowd. Thus while starting up and running a business the entrepreneurs must know their strengths and weaknesses as entrepreneurship entails the skill to form a founding team with matching characteristics and skills. (Timmons, 1994) How entrepreneurs use their traits and characteristics in small business A small business is a business, which is usually independently owned and funded, has less than 100 employees working and does not have much impact on ts industry to which it belongs. (Hatten, 2012). Innovation is the trait that most of the entrepreneurs possess, while setting a small business entrepreneurs think differently and try to achieve their planned thoughts by their commitment and passion. Commitment and passion in a person is important even when they are not in the business context as these characteristics makes the person confident and focused in their lives. Taking an example of Max the young entrepreneur who came with an idea of introducing a product named Toepener. Toepener is a simple handle located on the bottom of the doors of the washrooms that enables the users to open the door using their foot; this innovation was been brought in the market because some people are little extra hygiene conscious when using public washrooms. It is a clever solution, as according to the website one third of the individuals do not wash their hands while leaving the restroom therefore Toepener has turned out to be a solution to this issue. Max got the inspiration to produce this innovation by the restroom in this dorm. 5 Examples of Creative, Daring and Successful Young Entrepreneurs, 2011). Therefore, in the above example we have seen the young entrepreneur who has started a small business with his innovative creation, a remedy for the problem around the globe. The idea was great but the skills and traits he need to make that idea into practice were his focus and believe in him to succeed in the market with the zeal. According to others, it was a problem but for Max it was an opportunity and he used his creativity to make this his stepping-stone. Passion in an entrepreneur is also a very much-needed characteristic in order to follow their dreams with confidence and high enthusiasm. Taking an example, Shannon Guderian who was just an ordinary person who loves the car Ford Mustang from his childhood, at the age of 15, his mother bought him his own 1965 Mustang. He was very passionate about the Ford Mustangs and believed it represents freedom and image. He worked for mustang Parts Company after completing his school; at the age of 26, he quit his job and followed his dream. He took bank loan, sold his car for the finance, bought inventory, and carried out his own small business in a hole in a wall of dimensions 650 square foot. From there he followed his passion for Mustangs and currently doing a business in a 27000 square foot building with annual sales reaching over $10 million. Guderian is an entrepreneur characterized by his passion for Mustangs and passion for people and he says people do trade with people not with organizations. Longenecker, 2008) Above example of Guderian demonstrates how the entrepreneur used his passion for Mustangs in developing a small business and developing it steadily to next level. His passion for Mustangs made him what he is today, his indispensible characteristic i. e. passion which motivated and influenced him to follow his dream for Mustang cars with self-confidence and zeal. How entrepreneurs use their traits and skills in social enterprises Before concentrating on the characteristics of social entrepreneurs we shoul d know what are they and where they work. A social entrepreneur is a person with unique and innovative solutions to solve the most imperative social problems of the society. They usually tackle the major issues of the society and offer their thoughts for the change and welfare of the society. They do not depend on the government to take actions they rather analyze what is going wrong and take appropriate measure to resolve the issues for the betterment of the society. (What is a Social Entrepreneur, N. D. The enterprise which conducts its trade for social or environmental purpose and not for making profits are been called social enterprise. Social enterprise have social mission, the enterprise know what they are trying to achieve, whom they are aiming to help and how they will help. They usually reinvest their profits to their social missions and do not share among the shareholders. (About Social Enterprise, N. D. ) The main characteristics of social entrepreneurs are examining opportunities available and making use of it wi th clear social goals to benefit the society. As they identify opportunity by scanning the society and picking a need that has not been fulfill properly or at all. Social entrepreneurs are ambitious and always willing to do the welfare of the society if got a chance. (London, M. Morfopoulos, G. R. , 2009) For example: The Grameen bank (village bank) which was been started in 1983 by Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh revolutionized the economy. The bank offers micro loans to the people that are not financial sound, to help impoverished citizens achieve financial self-sufficiency through the medium of self-employment. Muhammad Yunus went against the advice of the banks and government and purely believing in him and opened the bank on the principles of trust and solidarity. The bank helped people a lot, raised their standard of living and gave them a chance to make their life as they wanted. It became so popular that 58 more countries adopted this method of Grameen Bank including US, France etc. This results in the welfare of the society as Muhammad Yunus fulfilled the desires of the nation and raise the people of the country over poverty. Biography of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, 2011). From the above example it is evident that how Muhammad Yunus the social entrepreneur was able to make use of his skills and traits of being ambitious and identifying the opportunity to help the society with his social goal to benefit them. Social entrepreneurs have the skills to communicate their vision and motivating people to contribute to their aspiring social objectives. Drive and strong willpower are also fundamental characteristics of a social entrepreneur. (London, M. Morfopoulos, G. R. 2009) For example: KIPP (knowledge is power program) founded in 1994 with a strong thought to make a classroom which will help children to develop their skills, knowledge, personality and qualities to be successful when they will go to college and make a good future for their communities. The founders of KIPP Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin with their skills to communicate their idea with the people of educating underserved children and also motivating their parents and guardians to make the children join the school to create a bright future. KIPP offers free open enrolment to the students and has 125 KIPP schools with 39000 students. As by this brilliant program, the lives of the young children’s are now on track and further results in an excellent future. (KIPP, 2012) Thus, we can conclude from the above example that entrepreneurs like Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin used their skills and characteristics in developing a social enterprise, which include their determination, drive and ambitious social goals for the welfare of the children. They also used their trait as motivating others and making others believe in what they are doing and influencing them to support them. Use of traits and skills of an Entrepreneur in large-scale business Entrepreneurs are been portrayed as risk takers and it is proved that they certainly take risk for their growth as an entrepreneur. It is a very true and famous saying by A. P. Gourthev â€Å"To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work, is as impossible as it is to live without being born. † Therefore, more risk, more profit is right in the context of an entrepreneur. Tolerance of risk, aim focused, self-believing and innovation are essential and important traits of an entrepreneur functioning in large-scale organizations. (Longenecker, G. J. , Moore,W. C. , Petty, W. J. , Palich, E. L. , 2006) Example: Darren Richards is a well-known and successful entrepreneur of the UK who started his business from nothing and built millions of pounds. Darren is an owner of a Website named datingdirect. com as the site needs personal information about the individual and helps people to find friends and partners. The innovative idea came to Darren’s mind when he was surfing the net after his breakup with his female friend. He was looking for someone to have relation with over the internet but he concluded that every result was coming for US not for UK. So keeping that in mind, he saw an opportunity to develop a site, which enables the men and women to meet and be friends in their close enough area in UK. In 1999, he spent ? 2,500 for the website and got 40,000 members within three months. Then he had an agreement with the manager of Barclays Bank to permit him the facility of the credit cards payment, as the website charges ? 5 a month, which users can pay from the credit cards etc. The concept of his worked, as in 2007, the website has over 4. 5 million members and making millions of profit. (Darren Richards Entrepreneur, 2010) The example above clarifies that Darren Richards is innovative as he thought out of the box idea and sticking to it till he succeed, he certainly took risk by investing on the website. Thus, we can conclude that Darren Richards had certainly used his traits, characteristics and skills in order to develop his business and be successful entrepreneur. Creativity and leadership are other indispensible qualities of an entrepreneur. (Charantimath, 2006) Sir Richard Branson the chairman of the Virgin group are been possessed by creative thinking and leadership quality to manage, lead and influence other to pursue you. Sir Richard formed Virgin Airlines in 1984 that is one of his main businesses. He is so creative that he has a list of businesses done like virgin records, virgin rail, virgin airlines, virgin cola, virgin mobile, virgin earth etc. He has diverse his field of business and always expanded the business with his different approach to think and qualities to manage under these diverse sectors. (Richard Branson Biography, 2005) Many of his upcoming projects like virgin money and many more that is yet to be announced. Therefore, it is evident that how being creative and leadership qualities help entrepreneurs to expand, develop and create chances out of nothing. As Branson is famous for his business risks and daring adventures in real life, he learnt from all of his experiences and many of his letdowns led to innovation and success.

Being Raised by Grandparents Essay -- Family Grandmother Grandfather

He is the lightkeeper he keeps the light for me extra beams safety deposited inside a microfold somewhere somewhere hidden somewhere inside those pretty hands --Finney, "The Lightkeeper" Is Nikky Finney's poem "The Lightkeeper" about her dad or someone else? Many people have different opinions on who her poem is about, but when I read it, I imagine the lightkeeper to be my grandfather, even though my family is your basic "Cleaver" family. My parents are still happily married after their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. They both own their own successful businesses and have two children who are now in college. We also have the spoiled dog that everyone probably likes better than any other member of the family. Anyone observing my family would probably guess that my parents taught me everything that there is to know and that they shaped me into the person that I am today. They would be wrong. My parents had to work long hours when I was little to make our family and left me under my grandparents care every day of the week. My grandfather was actually the person that shaped me into who I am. I now believe that grandparents often have a much larger impact on a child's life than parents could ever have. Parents today are having to work more and harder to be able to provide for their families. Children are often left at day care centers—or with grandparents. Over the past twenty years, increased attention has been given to the importance of grandparenthood (Chalfie 32). "Higher divorce rates and an increase in both parents working full time has caused more grandparents, and other relatives, to take over the primary care of the child" (Newman 201). This new found emphasis is the result of longer life spans: adults are li... ...t I can still feel it now, even ten years after his death. All grandparents are not what my grandpa was, I know this. But, if they could be, or had the chance to be, what a wonderful thing that would be for every child to experience.All I hope is that one day my dad will be to my children what my grandpa was to me. Works Cited Chalfie, Denise. Going it Alone: A Closer Look at Grandparents Parenting Grandchildren Pamphlet. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Retired Persons, 1994. Doucette-Dudman, David. Raising Our Children's Children. Minneapolis, MN: Fairview Press, 1996. Finney, Nikky. Rice. Ontario, Canada: Sister Vision: Black Women and Women of Colour Press, 1995. Kornhaber, Ann. Contemporary Grandparenting. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1996. Newman, David. Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 1997.

Amy Tans Mother Tongue and Jimmy Santiago Bacas Coming Into Language

Amy Tan's Mother Tongue and Jimmy Santiago Baca's Coming Into Language In the course of reading two separate texts it is generally possible to connect the two readings even if they do not necessarily seem to be trying to convey the same message. The two articles, â€Å"Mother Tongue† by Amy Tan, and â€Å"Coming Into Language† by Jimmy Santiago Baca, do have some very notable similarities. They are two articles from a section in a compilation about the construction of language. The fact that these two articles were put into this section makes it obvious that they will have some sort of connection. This essay will first summarize the two articles and break them down so that they are easily comparable; also, this essay will compare the two articles and note similarities and differences the texts may have. The first article is â€Å"Mother Tongue† by Amy Tan. The author tells a story of her relationship with her mother whose English is poor in comparison to that of most Americans. The author is well versed in English since she was schooled in the United States. (Tan 37) The author begins with an introduction to her mother’s style of language. She explains that it is her language that she and her mother share, and it is a â€Å"language of intimacy.† (36) Tan makes sure to point out that it is not difficult for her to understand what her mother says. After this introduction Tan begins to tell the reader about stories of how her mother’s limited English had affected her. She writes that she had been ashamed of her mother’s unintelligible English. Her story is about a time when she had to make a phone call for her mother and how she had noticed the way others passed her mother off as a nuisance. Her next story had a similar... ...eers slightly when he goes back to when he was seven after describing a time when he was seventeen. He also tells the story completely through his own eyes, while Tan attempts to see things as her mother does. This is the main difference between the two articles. The conclusions that can be drawn based on the two articles are similar as well. Both articles seem to conclude that language shouldn’t be a barrier for those who do not have a complete grasp of it. Baca wishes that those who are illiterate would try to learn to write because writing can help unleash emotions, while Tan wants people to understand that her mother is not disabled, but rather enriched with her knowledge of English. Both arguments that are presented are convincing. These arguments can appeal to a wide range of people and motivate the general public to be more understanding.

Criminal Prosecution and Competencies

Through movies, we get the impression that police officers have all the right to arrest someone and bring him to court. But the underlying fact in this is that there are some things that must be done before a trial can be reached. For instance, an offender is arrested for committing a crime. There are steps in a criminal prosecution which leads to sentencing. During the arrest, the offender is handcuffed and taken to jail. The offender is then taken for booking wherein his photograph and fingerprints will be taken and he will be searched. A strip-search may be necessary at some point.Then, the police will ask about the offender’s personal information such as name, address, date of birth and social security number (American Hunt Saboteurs Association, n. d. ). The next step would be arraignment, which signals the court appearance for a felony or misdemeanor. During this process, the charges to be filed and the penalty applicable once convicted, and the Constitutional rights are recited to the defendant (Nichols, n. d. ). The offender also pleads guilty or not guilty during arraignment, after which the pretrial, readiness hearing and trial dates are set.If the offender does not plead guilty, the next step would be the pretrial hearing. This is the time for both parties to file pretrial motions or issues. Then there would be the discovery. Discovery refers to the information needed for the parties to prepare the case. The next step is motions, wherein both parties can present testimonies or arguments. The readiness hearing will follow. This hearing is mainly held to find out if both parties are ready to proceed (City of Oak, 2003). After these steps, the trial follows.For an offender who pleads not guilty, he will be tried and convicted by either a judge or a jury (American Hunt Saboteurs Association, n. d. ). The judge or the jury decides upon the verdict. This leads to the final step, which is the sentencing. In some areas in the United States, sentencing can be delivered in an expedite manner, or the defendant can return to be sentenced. Before a judge or a jury can put down a sentence, the judge must first hear the sides of the prosecution, victims or their representatives, the defendant and the defense attorney (City of Oak, 2003).Foundational and Decisional Competencies Foundational competencies, which are sometimes called Work Readiness Competencies, refer to competencies which serve as foundation for success whether in the workplace or school. Having foundational skills is very essential especially for workers to be able to learn new industry-specific skills. Foundational competencies are considered fundamental in occupations and industries (State of Minnesota, 2009). Foundational competencies transcend many other forms of competencies, such as ethical competencies, personal effectiveness, work place competencies and so on.Individual and cultural diversity and professional development are also classified as foundational. Take academic competencies as example. The critical competencies that people have learned in an academic setting such as communication, reading and writing, and basic computer skills are necessary in order to succeed in one’s chosen career. Academic competencies are the foundation for other competencies such as occupation and industry specific competencies. Decisional competencies, on the other hand, are categorized under workplace competencies. Possessing excellent decision-making skills is critical in both work place and school.Decisional competencies aid an individual in functioning â€Å"in an organizational setting† (Long Island University, n. d. ). Foundational and decisional competencies can be related in criminal cases, especially ones wherein the defendant suffers from a mental disorder. Foundational competencies can include the defendant’s basic knowledge of the charges and the adversary system as a whole. They also include the ability to â€Å"disclose re levant information to counsel. † Decisional competencies, on the other hand, would include one’s ability to understand legal alternatives and choose among these when necessary (Skeem, et.al, 2004). References American Hunt Saboteurs Association. (n. d. ). Arrest. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. huntsab. org/arrest. htm City of Oak. (2003). Steps in a criminal case. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. oakharbor. org/subcategory. cfm? id=12&sid=19 Long Island University. (n. d. ). The practitioner scholar model: Program competencies, goals and objectives. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. cwpost. liu. edu/cwis/cwp/clas/psych/doctoral/forms/PractitionerScholarModel. pdf Nichols, W. P. (n. d. ). Steps in a criminal case.Office of Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. co. monroe. mi. us/Monroe/default. aspx? PageId=387 Skeem, J. , Golding, S.. L. & Emke-Francis,P. (2004). Assessing adjudicative competency: Using l egal and empirical principles to inform practice. In Donohue, W. T. & Levensky, E. R. (Eds. ). Forensic psychology: A handbook for mental health and legal professionals. New York: Academic Press. State of Minnesota. (2009). â€Å"Building blocks† for competency models. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. careeronestop. org/CompetencyModel/pyramid_definition. aspx

Essay on Is Narcissism an Adequate Diagnosis

Essay on Is Narcissism an Adequate Diagnosis Essay on Is Narcissism an Adequate Diagnosis Is Narcissism an Adequate Diagnosis? Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a complicated and often misunderstood mental disorder. Narcissistic personality disorder is a psychological in which an individual shows and abnormal obsession with themselves. Narcissism can be easily confused with simple arrogance, but the disorder can range from obsession to a life-consuming neurotic compulsion. The individual suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder uses their extreme ego to cover their sense of inferiority, which is the real problem of narcissist; To make the matters worse, for patients suffering from NPD, the disorder is under heavy scrutiny from some psychologist who do not believe it is a sufficient diagnosis and was almost taken out of the DSM. I believe that Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a disorder that should be treated to the same extent as other Mental disorders in the DSM. According to the Mayo Clinic, Narcissistic personality disorder is somewhat new. The term was invented in 1967 to describe an over expression of the narcissism trait that has been recognized since ancient times. the extreme confidence that is exhibited by a person with narcissistic PD is just a front. People with this disorder usually suffer from fragile self-esteem, and they attempt to cover for this by making themselves appear superior to those around them. The cause of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is unknown, although it generally begins to show itself in the early stages of adulthood. People afflicted with this disorder are generally known to be aggressive when confronted with criticism, and they lack the ability to accept their own failure. They are usually manipulative and find it difficult to maintain relationships because of their tendency to use people for their own ends. They exaggerate their talents, using self-glorifying methods to gain attention for themselves a t the expense of others. The treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is debated, but it usually involves some component of psychotherapy. (NPD, 2012) Professor of psychology Aaron Pincus claims that every human being has narcissist qualities, and that the degree to which the respond to challenges to these qualities is what separates the normal person from the narcissistic individual. A narcissist is unable to get over the hurdles that life throws in front of them regarding their own self-image. â€Å"All individuals have narcissistic needs and motives; however, pathologically narcissistic One of the challenges in the study of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is the differentiation between the neurotic condition and the personality trait. A degree of narcissism is acceptable in a healthy person without posing a mental health problem. Narcissism has positive benefits, it is central to the definition of a person’s self-identity, and to their own ego. One of the main challenges psychologist face while studying Narcissistic Personality Disorder has to differentiate between the neurotic condition and the personality trait. Narcissism is acceptable, to a certain degree, in a mentally healthy person. Narcissism has a few positive benefits. Aaron Pincus writes, â€Å"Normal expressions of narcissism may contribute to self-esteem and well-being by increasing an individual’s sense of personal agency† (Pincus, 2009). Therefore psychologists have begun to rely on a test known as the Narcissistic Personality Inventory to diagnose narcissistic PD. The Nar cissistic Personality Inventory that was developed in the early 1970s to diagnose the disorder according to the criteria set by the DSM-III. Pincus states that there are disagreements amongst psychologist about whether or not the Narcissistic Personal Inventory defines narcissism in too broad of a term. Because someone scores high on the NPI does make them a narcissist. Pincus states â€Å"a high NPI scores are negatively associated with trait neuroticism and depression and positively associated with

Lord of the rings Essays

Lord of the rings Essays Lord of the rings Paper Lord of the rings Paper Usually, when dealing with a piece of writing we will soon discover that reality influences it. What I mean is that the author is immerse in asocial, political, cultural and economic circumstances (within many other types of them) which will have a notorious effect on his production. It happens very often, I would say in most of the cases, that, conscious or unconsciously, personal experiences, ideologies and judgements have their way out from the writers mind through his work. Something that distinguishes The Lord of the Rings series is that this factual reference is very difficult to establish. From my point of view, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien manages to deal with issues that have to do with the deepest human nerve and its essence but without getting punctual so the novel becomes universally appealing and transcendental. This combination of an ample span but a profound sight makes for the admiration these books inspire. Love, loyalty, conflict between good and evil, friendship, pow er and many other aspects of human life are analysed through these pages and with such capability that one cant do anything but clap and admit that something great has derived from this mans work. They wont be changing for millennia so Tolkien has assured that even if civilisations pass, his work, unstained from history allegories, will remain interesting for people all around the globe. Although this feature might become also a major inconvenient when trying to give the text a thorough analysis given that it is more difficult to understand Tolkiens motivations and intentions a closer look to something critical in the novel as the creation of a parallel universe and to the writers greatest passion some conclusions can be made to get a nearer idea of Erus or Iluvatars making. What powerfully attracted my attention when Ifirst read the Lord of the Rings was the ability to give birth to a cosmos so plausible and

How does Shakespeare create an atmosphere of evil and disorder in Act 1 of Macbeth Essays

How does Shakespeare create an atmosphere of evil and disorder in Act 1 of Macbeth Essays How does Shakespeare create an atmosphere of evil and disorder in Act 1 of Macbeth Paper How does Shakespeare create an atmosphere of evil and disorder in Act 1 of Macbeth Paper Essay Topic: Macbeth Shakespeare is renowned worldwide as one of the greatest playwrights that ever lived, and is known for many of his wonderful techniques. However one of the best things about his play Macbeth is the wonderful sense of atmosphere obtained throughout. He does this both in very subtle ways that one may not notice when first watching or reading Macbeth, and in more obvious ways that are clear to all. In act 1 scene 1 we are first introduced to the witches, they are the first people we meet and would have received a strong reaction from an Elizabethan audience. The witches are situated in a battlefield, so already a sense of conflict and unrest is being created. There is a storm raging throughout this scene, which carries through the idea of conflict but this time in nature and indicates that these witches have this effect on the world and create strong disorder. Already we are led to believe that the witches are associated with Macbeth, we know this as the third witch says There to meet with Macbeth. We dont yet know who Macbeth is but from this introduction an audience might assume he is of bad character to be associating with such outcasts. According to their description the witches look like hags and are deeply unnatural, both to look at, and in the way they affect the their surroundings. One of the most famous quotes from one of Shakespeares plays is the witches chant, Fair is foul, and foul is fair. This just paints a stronger picture; that these witches are outcasts and dont conform to the same rules as the rest of society. It shows they have different values and morals, if any at all. This chant also gives us reason to be wary of the witches and to tread with caution. Another interesting point about this scene is one of Shakespeares more subtle devices, but one that is really very clever. Shakespeare uses ten syllables per line for his characters, but note, in this scene the witches are given shorter lines with only seven syllables. An example of this is the opening line When shall we three meet again, it has a completely different rhythm to the lines of his other roles. This is just another way a sense of unrest and unnaturalness is portrayed here. In act 1 scene 2 and we are amidst the Kings camp. There has been an incident of treachery and lies; this could possibly be seen as a challenge between good and evil; however it would appear good has won over as the traitor is found out. The King was believed by Jacobeans to be a direct link to God that puts the King above everyone on earth. This is known as the divine right of Kings. The first we are told about Macbeth is when he is described as a good honourable man, but we are also made aware of what violence and destruction he is capable of when in battle. He is compared to a lion; majestic and respected, but able to cause devastation incredibly easily if provoked. The audience watching this probably would have seen this as all the markings of a fine man. A good warrior is looked up to; honour and courage are qualities anyone would admire. There is another disturbance in nature when we meet the witches for the second time in scene 3. We learn of something the witches have done to a human. The witches seem proud of torturing a young man whos wife happened to upset the second witch. This would have alarmed the Elizabethans, as they would no doubt feel uncomfortable that witches could interfere with human affairs. We are told how petty, cruel and violent the witches can be in this scene. The second witch moans that a sailors wife refused to share some chestnuts with her. She then goes on to brag of the torture they put her husband through. They cast some sort of spell which disallows the sailor from sleeping. Sleep is seen even now as a natural good as much of a necessity as food and water are, there is also certain innocence about it. Yet the witches have taken it away from the sailor without a moments hesitation. They see it as a bit of light entertainment, this illustrates the different morals the witches appear to have to humans. There is definitely an air of dramatic irony about it. This attack the witches make also shows how evil is associated with an attack on what is naturally good. Within this scene Macbeth is told he is the new thane of Cawdor, as the witches previously predicted. This is an awfully alarming clarification for the audience of its time that the witches can be right. This would be a frightening concept to anyone watching, especially an Elizabethan audience. Act 1 scene 4 sees King Duncan announcing his new successor, Malcolm. Of course this is the obvious choice to anyone else but it is not what Macbeth was expecting. It comes as a surprise to Macbeth as the witches foretold to him that he would be king. This meant that Macbeth assumed he would be Duncans successor. Macbeth has already got evil thoughts creeping at his conscience by now and sparks what is to be a really quite tragic chain of events. Further proof of how Macbeth is starting to contemplate terrible things like crimes against the divine right of Kings is when he says, Stars hide your fires meaning whatever awful things he plans to carry out, he wants the darkness to be his shield. There are several references throughout the play to this simile of light symbolising all that is good, and dark being a hiding place for evil. This means that our darker characters such as Lady Macbeth, Macbeth and even the witches often refer to it. So already in the first act, the struggle between good and evil in Macbeths rampant mind means cracks are starting to appear in his character. So Macbeths desire for power is causing him to contemplate awful things against the social order; questioning the great chain of being and the divine right of kings. Where as a striking contrast King Duncan, who has been portrayed as a good character throughout, says, Signs of nobleness like stars shine on all deservers this basically means good people get their rewards. So the battle between good and evil, and light and dark is waging. Scene 5 opens with Lady Macbeth reading aloud a letter from Macbeth. However before this scene even really begins something quite odd has happened, so far the sequence of scenes has involved the witches in every other scene, now when it should be the witches we cut to Lady Macbeth. Is this a link between the witches and Lady Macbeth? The letter is explaining what the witches told Macbeth, about him being thane and eventually king. Lady Macbeths reaction to this is quite surprising, she believes he shall be the thane of Cawdor and would be good at it too, but fears that he is too full othmilk of human kindness. This seems to imply she thinks he is not tough enough and is weak in character. Now this in itself is startling to the Elizabethans, how dare a woman say this about her husband! Women were meant to obey their husbands and hold no real opinion, and here is Lady Macbeth is calling her husband weak and too soft! She is saying this as of it is a bad thing to show natural compassion. Then after a messenger has come to tell her that the King is coming with her husband she launches into another soliloquy. She summons spirits and says unsex me here she asks them to take away everything that makes her a woman. This is unnatural and quite disturbing imagery being used here. When she says this it shows a very unnatural desire and is proof of her callousness. If she took away everything that made her a woman she would be unable to bear a child, and yet she seems completely unbothered by this. This shows she has absolutely no maternal instinct, and is therefore lacking in compassion, but she also proves that in other ways. She also says come to my womans breasts and take my milk for gall this further demonstrates my point about her lack of maternal instinct. She also refers again here to milk, milk being equated to innocence, a baby depends on it and it is all it needs to live and grow, but Lady Macbeth wants none of it. Next she goes on to say come thick night and nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark showing she is evil as she is using this similie of light and dark and good and evil again. The blanket comment is also another reference to sleep. The Macbeths and the witches are associated with evil and destruction whilst good characters like king Duncan are associated with natural goods like food and sleep. Lady Macbeth seems interrupted when Macbeth appears but goes on to greet him anyway. She tells him he needs to kill the King, and says he should look like thinnocent flower, But be the serpent undert She is saying he should act like the genial host but act cunning as not to raise any suspicions. The look like and the but be are examples of alliteration which adds a rhythm, urgency and a power to the sentence. It makes the sentence more of a command as well. This could also be linked to when Eve led Adam astray in the garden of Eden, Lady Macbeth is tempting Macbeth to evil now, sinning just like Adam and Eve. Then Lady Macbeth instructs her husband to leave everything to her. The effect she has on him is quite mesmerising, she can tell him what to do and will hear no word of complaint; she has him wrapped round her little finger. In scene 6 Lady Macbeth welcomes the guests as if everything was perfectly normal. Duncan shows his appreciation for her kindness and hospitality and we are left thinking if only he knew. Scene 7 is another scene with just Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in. Macbeth is saying to his wife he doesnt think he can do it, that Duncan is too trusting and it would be wrong. He tells her he simply wont do it, but of course Lady Macbeth persuades him. She insults him by saying he is not acting like a man and is a coward. He tries to calm her by saying if he did it then that would make him not a man. She goes on to say that she would do it and then displays violent imagery and says How tender tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have pluckd my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this this is a really horrible picture, and she is using this all to prove her point that she would do anything she had given her word to. This is another example of her unnaturalness and lack of maternity. She tells Macbeth to be brave and do it, and that if he does it right none ever needs to know. And there it ends, and one again Lady Macbeth has got her way. She is quite clever and you can tell she is not satisfied with the system, that she wants a higher status, and that until then she will need to be like the puppet master of the puppet that is Macbeth.

Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Civil War - Essay Example The Civil War took place in the years 1861 through 1865. The parties involved were the United States of America (USA) and Confederate States of America. USA or the Union forces were led by President Abraham Lincoln, who is credited for abolition of slavery in the country. According to Divine et al, the victory of the Union forces in the Civil War helped to maintain territorial integrity, abolished slavery, and initiated a lengthy process of post-war reconstruction that ultimately shaped up the present day USA with a strong federal form of governance. Moreover, according to Sprague (a soldier of the Union forces), USA actually wanted to enthrall â€Å"the great principals of the human freedom and free labour†. These principals remain at the heart of the American nationhood even today. Thesis Statement: Based on my reading of these letters I argue that the American experience during the Civil War was characterized by sincere patriotism even in most miserable conditions of milita ry camps and general hardships. Brief Summary of Each Source The documents that have been chosen for analysis are six letters written to Juliana Reynolds between the years 1862 and 1864, when the Civil War was at its height. The summary of each source is being given below: 1. Letter from Hiram P. Sprague to Juliana Reynolds, Feb 22, 1862 (Camp Jameson): Sprague was Reynolds’ cousin and he was writing from the battle field. In the letter, he first describes the difficulties he was facing in the military camp. Then he writes about Tilton, who was Reynolds’ beloved son. Next he writes about the progress of the Union forces. He further furnishes a vivid description of the land and vegetation of the Southern states. 2. Letter from John S. Smith to Juliana Reynolds, Apr 20, 1862 (Camp near Yorktown): Reynolds was Smith’s sister, and this letter shows how guilty Smith felt for not being able to write to her in proper time. Moreover, he describes the situation of the fr ont with great enthusiasm. He further writes, â€Å"Our pickets and the rebels pickets are so close to each other in places that they can converse with each other.† Then he writes about Tilton and certain changes in the contemporary postal services for the military personnel. 3. Letter from Hiram P. Sprague to Juliana Reynolds, May 24, 1862 (Camp advanced on to Richmond): This letter extensively describes the contemporary situation of the rebel Southern states long with military progress of the Union forces. Sprague also writes on his worries about the fact that the war might linger, otherwise â€Å"why does the president Call out fifty thousand more troops?† This letter clearly exhibits the discomfort of a soldier at different high level government actions. 4. Letter from John S. Smith to Juliana Reynolds, Jul 22, 1862 (Camp near Harrisons Landing): In this letter, Smith informs his sister that he had been posted in a hospital. He faced tremendous pressure of work in his new engagement. He also appeared to be doubtful about USA’s success in the war. The letter is an evidence of the fact that the war situation had become rather complicated by the mid 1862. 5. Letter from J.B. McCracken to Juliana Reynolds, Aug 6, 1863 (Camp Parole): McCracken was Reynolds’ friend, and he wrote very anxiously about the war. He wrote about the risks and sufferings of the army. The letter can be used to prove that the Union forces were suffering a lot during those years. 6. Letter from John Conser to Juliana Reynolds, Sep 5, 1864 (Camp near Petersburg): Conser was another cousin of Reynolds. In this letter too, the writer expresses deep concerns about the lingering war. However, he also writes about the successes of the Union forces and surmounting pressure on the rebels. Key Themes that

Legal Aspects of Nursing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Legal Aspects of Nursing - Case Study Example An accurate record is the only proof a nurse may give in the event of a lawsuit against him or her. The nurses’ testimonies at trial would have a great influence on the case as they serve as further evidence of negligence and malpractice on their part. In my opinion, the other nurses made the situation turn from bad to worse with their own revelations of how they often â€Å"could not remember exactly† the prescribed medication and dosages. This is also coupled with the fact that the nurses also deviated from the doctors’ instruction by deviating from IM injections and preferring to administer medication through intravenous drips. This new revelations could lead to further lawsuits on the rest of the nursing staff that had given the aforementioned testimonies. The court and the relevant State Board of Nursing should investigate on the possible root causes for the widespread malpractice and negligence by its nursing staff. The court should also give a court order to authorize the police to carry out drug tests on the indicted nurse so as to accurately determine if she after all had been diverting the narcotics for personal use. The outcome of this medical exam may be used by the nurse to sue the institution if she the results back up her testimony. The affected health facilities should also formulate new policies and guidelines to ensure that similar cases do not happen again. These policies should also be designed in a manner that patient safety is given paramount importance. The health record is a legal document itself and based on the evidence available there are discrepancies between the handwritten record and the computerized medicine cabinet thus suggesting existence of negligence. On the other hand the hospital on its part has failed to provide sufficient and clear cut policies to support and protect its nursing staff. The healthcare facility is legally liable for some of the nurses’ malpractices. The

SP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SP - Essay Example I love most the way research gives researchers the opportunity to express emotions and opinions in words that touch, inspire, and influence other people. It is my hope that as a researcher, I shall instill knowledge and motivate other upcoming researchers. I am convinced that I will also learn in depth the concepts of Educational Statistics, Data Analysis, Qualitative Research, and Organizational Development. I shall use the knowledge I acquire here to increase student learning and achievements as measured on standardized scores. I always wanted to do something with my life that would ensure that I am giving back to the society. This was a motivation I got from my mother at a tender age. I therefore, intent to use the concepts I learn to inspire other people. I have always looked forward to expanding my theoretical and practical knowledge. I am convinced that my study in your well-regarded institution with such a long-term record of academic excellence backed by expert faculty and excellent research services will be a meaningful and rewarding experience. I look forward to an opportunity to study in your highly esteemed institution. With my commitment, persistence, and patience to succeed, I believe I shall see my dreams come

Critical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Critical analysis - Essay Example and the overall effectiveness for how they were employed to capture and engage the attention of the reader, promote the structural integrity of the piece, and define the relevant actors and factors in question. Firstly, the speaker of the story is defined near the introduction; something that is useful in engaging the reader’s interest and providing a non-uniform approach to story-telling that encourages the reader to read on as a means of finding out such relevant information. Additionally, whereas many writers stray from a first person narrative and forget that they started down a path that they must adhere to, the speaker of this particular story keeps this first person narrative voice throughout the entirety of the piece; another element of strength that allows for the reader not to suffer from speaker whiplash. Yet, with respect to the metric of occasion, this is where the story falls short. Although it is clear and apparent, after reading the story, that the author has sought to engage the reader with many different anecdotes, compiled within a short story, the underlying occasion and purpose that the story is able to exhibit is unclear. The reader is left to determine whether racial profiling, life as a conservative member of Islamic society, in-flight turbulence, work related moves, or the father’s beauty is the core and underlining purpose and occasion for this story to be written. This oversight significantly takes away from the rhetorical appreciation that the reader might otherwise attempt to gain from this story. The underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that without a central and cohesive plot that seeks to relate to the title of the story, the reader is left to flounder about within a stream of recollection style of writing in which seemingly disconnected plot lines are related as a means of filling space. Perhaps the strength of the entire piece could be maximized if the writer instead chose to focus the paper on the trip

Gold Industry Trends Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gold Industry Trends - Dissertation Example For instance, in the second quarter of 2011, the international demand for gold was almost 919.8 tonnes, 17% less compared to previous year. The value of gold has increased by 5% ‘year-on-year’ and the total demand of gold with respect to value is 44.5 billion USD (World Gold Council, 2011). Furthermore, in the second quarter of 2011, the demand of gold attained a record increase by concentrating on the emerging markets of India and China. These two nations occupy almost 52% of gold piece and currency investment as well as 55% of aggregated international jewels’ demand. It is worth mentioning that demand for gold in India is accounted as 38% and China is 25% with respect to worldwide gold growth rate i.e. 7% in 2011 (World Gold Council, 2011). Gold Industry Investment The financial market of gold permits market contestants to use gold as a medium of capital, investment and a basis of security. Gold is practically imperishable and can exist in several forms. Thus, gold can be used for jewelry, investment, official assets, security etc. The investment in gold currently accounts as the second largest usage of the material. According to the report of World Gold Council (2011), in the year 2010, the total amount of gold investment was almost 31,400 tonnes i.e. 18.7% of total gold usage in the world. In the year 2010, several assessments proposed that around 168,300 tonnes of gold have been extracted worldwide which can have an impact on the demand of gold (World Gold Council, 2010). ... In the year 2010, several assessments proposed that around 168,300 tonnes of gold have been extracted worldwide which can have an impact on the demand of gold (World Gold Council, 2010). Gold as Financial Product and Instrument For various investors, gold has emerged to be a financial instrument and an ideal investment choice which is fundamentally associated with lesser risks compared to other financial investment instruments. Investment in gold is beneficial when the financial market condition is unstable. In present day context, there are several products which originate their worth from the price of gold and those products are used as investment instruments such as ‘gold futures’, ‘gold exchange traded funds’ and ‘licensed gold coins’ among others. In this irregular value of currencies, driven by economic condition and massive uncertainties regarding accurate price of other financial instruments, gold can be a smart option to invest (The Hon g Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, 2011). New Product Development in Financial Services Industry Financial organizations need to carry out new product development strategies on a regular basis to stay competitive in the market. Discovering the potentials of developing new financial products to influence the current customer demand in the market is an exceptionally stimulating procedure followed by financial institutions (Strategy Corporate Finance, 2010). In the financial industry, new product developments are often witnessed to fail because of quick market variations along with the challenges of altering internal structures to preserve new offerings. The challenges of new product development for financial products can be approached from three perspectives which are: Introducing a single financial

Critical analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Critical analysis - Essay Example and the overall effectiveness for how they were employed to capture and engage the attention of the reader, promote the structural integrity of the piece, and define the relevant actors and factors in question. Firstly, the speaker of the story is defined near the introduction; something that is useful in engaging the reader’s interest and providing a non-uniform approach to story-telling that encourages the reader to read on as a means of finding out such relevant information. Additionally, whereas many writers stray from a first person narrative and forget that they started down a path that they must adhere to, the speaker of this particular story keeps this first person narrative voice throughout the entirety of the piece; another element of strength that allows for the reader not to suffer from speaker whiplash. Yet, with respect to the metric of occasion, this is where the story falls short. Although it is clear and apparent, after reading the story, that the author has sought to engage the reader with many different anecdotes, compiled within a short story, the underlying occasion and purpose that the story is able to exhibit is unclear. The reader is left to determine whether racial profiling, life as a conservative member of Islamic society, in-flight turbulence, work related moves, or the father’s beauty is the core and underlining purpose and occasion for this story to be written. This oversight significantly takes away from the rhetorical appreciation that the reader might otherwise attempt to gain from this story. The underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that without a central and cohesive plot that seeks to relate to the title of the story, the reader is left to flounder about within a stream of recollection style of writing in which seemingly disconnected plot lines are related as a means of filling space. Perhaps the strength of the entire piece could be maximized if the writer instead chose to focus the paper on the trip

Should Prisoners Be allowed To Vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should Prisoners Be allowed To Vote - Essay Example However, the ban is still not lifted in the country despite growing pressure from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to allow the prisoners to vote. This research paper presents evidence based discussion to illustrate the reality of the claim that â€Å"the UK prisoners should be allowed to vote because first, breaking a law does not deter a person’s right to vote and second, such a blanket ban is an infringement on ECHR.† ECHR works to preserve and promote human rights. This law was formed so that the suffering parties would be able to seek justice or plead for enforcement of rights. Now, the European Court has protested against the UK’s blanket ban on voting right of prisoners labelling it an unlawful action. But, the UK president, David Cameron, strongly opposed everything ECHR had to say on the subject. It is recently claimed by ECHR that â€Å"UK ban on prisoners voting ‘breaches their human rights† (Withnall 2014). This decision of the European judges is not respected in the UK because it is strictly believed by the parliament that prisoners should not be given right to vote. Previously, ECHR has released similar statements opposing the role played by the UK on prisoners’ voting rights. For example, a ruling passed by ECHR in 2005 based on a claim made by a convicted felon, John Hirst, said that all prisoners should be allowed to vote in the UK and no compensation shou ld be made to them by the government. In contrast to this, the UK parliament’s stand on the subject is that the powers of ECHR should be restricted because they have regularly become a hurdle in the imposition of ban on prisoners’ voting rights. It is claimed that the final decision must be made by the UK, not by the Europe (Press Association 2013). But, that condition should only be respected if it does not violate human rights. As the ban does in deed violate human rights, so the UK should not be given the freedom to prevent its prisoners from

Introduction to Marketing Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Marketing Essay Pestle stands for political, economic, social technological, legal and environmental influences. Businesses use this as part of their marketing plan procedure. Political: what is happening politically with regards to tax policies employment laws, trade restrictions, tariffs Economic: what is happening within the economy i. e. economic growth/ decline, minimum wage, unemployment, credit availability, cost of living, etc. Sociological: what is occurring socially i. e. cultural norms and expectations, health consciousness, population growth rate, career attitudes. Technological: new technologies are continually being developed. There are also changes to barriers to entry in given markets Legal: changes to legislation. This may impact employment, access to materials, resources, imports/ exports, taxation etc. Environmental: what is happening with respect to ecological and environmental aspects. A PESTLE analysis is used in business to assess the industry which an organisation is in. The PESTLE analysis looks specifically at factors which are external to the organisation which will impact on the business. This is with a view to determining the current role and status of the organisation in relation to its competitors and can be used as a marketing tool. See more: how to start an essay SWOT Analysis. A tool that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a business. SWOT is a straightforward model that assesses what a business can and cannot do as well as its potential opportunities and threats. The method of SWOT analysis is to take the information from an environmental analysis and separate it into internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external issues (opportunities and threats). Once this is completed, SWOT analysis determines what may assist the firm in accomplishing its objectives, and what obstacles must be overcome or minimized to achieve desired results. The strengths and weaknesses are interior when it comes to a business and things that are included that could be a problem are things like buildings, the quality of their workers, the i. t systems etc. The external element focuses on the opportunities and dangers in the business. Research into the organisation is essential and required when carrying out a SWOT analaysis. By matching organisations strengths and weaknesses with the external forces. SWOT analysis brings all the proof from all the different analytical techniques used. This is a way of creating a summary which gives the basis of developing the marketing objectives and strategies or even plans. Strengths: These are the internal features of the business. A highly efficient IT system could be an example. Weaknesses: These are the internal aspects of a business. Which don’t cope well with competition? An example would be staff that are not qualified or trained properly. Opportunities: This focuses on developing the business by focusing on things such as events. An example would be new territories for a particular product or a brand new segment of a market. Threats: These are external to the organisation and its development . Which can affect the business and wreck the businesses’ performance. They can be originated by the governmental policy such as an increase in corporation tax and new law. Smart Objectives All businesses have their own objectives. They can be at different levels depending on how well the business is performance. Specific – When the business sets the objectives, they must be specific so that the workers are able to follow them businesses must ensure that the instructions are clear along the goal set. Measurable – So the businesses knows on how successful they have become and to look at any changes that would affect the profit they must do a comparison of their performance in the previous years Achievable – The business needs to think carefully if they are going to be able to achieve their goals. Realistic – The business can’t set goals unless they are realistic and that they would be able to achieve these objectives. Time – The amount of time it is going to take should be stated then this way everyone has an idea and these can get done soon as.

Cost Leadership Business Strategy

Cost Leadership Business Strategy Cost leadership is a business strategy developed by Michael Porter. It helps the organization create competitive advantage. Cost leadership refers to provide lowest cost of operation in the industry and it is different from price leadership. Its often driven by organization efficiency, size, scale, scope, technology and experience. A cost leadership strategy use to exploit scale of production, producing highly standardized products by using high technology. An organization could be the lowest cost producer, but not offer the lowest-priced products or services to customer. Therefore the organization would have a higher than average profitability. However, cost leader organization will compete on price and are very effective at such a form of competition, having a low cost structure and management.   The organizations can increase the market share by appealing price-sensitive customers. This is achieved by having the lowest prices in the target market segment to appealing price-sensitive customer while the organization still profitability and a high return on investment. The organization must be able to operate at a lower cost than its rivals. Organization can achieves this by achieving a high asset turnover, low direct and indirect operating costs, and control over the supply/procurement chain to ensure low costs. The company choose are London Biscuits Berhad Group, Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd and Apollo Food Industries Sdn Bhd. London Biscuits Berhad Group is a manufacturing and marketing cakes and snack food which score high in terms of product safety and quality based in Malaysia. It is listed in the main market of Bursa Malaysia. The reason our group chosen this company is in the annual report 2010 the company outlook and prospect mention about the cost effective. Besides, the company strategy for go also show they march toward cost leadership. It relate to assignment topic which is compete on a cost leadership strategy. Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd is the food manufacturing industry, today holding the leading position in the snack food and confectionery industry in Malaysia. It also listed in the main market of Bursa Malaysia. One of the aim for research and development team is to reduce cost and wastage while increasing productivity and maintaining standards. This strategy shows the company trying to achieve cost leadership. Apollo Food Industries Sdn Bhd is the manufacturing compound chocolate confectionery products and layer cakes based in Malaysia. The company also listed in the main market of Bursa Malaysia. One of the company strategies is implementing and maintains the quality management system and continually improves its effectiveness. This strategy shows the company is towards to cost leadership. Body London Biscuits Berhad The first company is London Biscuits Berhad. From annual report, they mention that the company is toward cost efficiency by few strategies. The first and foremost, London Biscuits Berhad have implement the low cost in the main raw material. The company bought Lay Hong Berhad to assure has a continuous and adequate supply of quality liquid eggs at reasonable price. Liquid egg is one of the main raw materials in manufacturing of cake product. After, the company have take up a controlling stake in TPC PLUS BERHAD( TPC) at a reasonably cheap entry cost. TPC is a company also listed in the main market of Bursa Malaysia, mainly involved in producing chicken eggs for industry, commercial and consumer use. TPC is also a supplier of London Biscuit Berhad. The action help the company have own supplier of egg with assured quality and cost-effective to the company. The second strategy they implement is mass production, it can help the company to reduce the average cost. The reason is that, mass production can reduce the wastage in raw material as well as achieve cost-effective at long range perspective. In the annual report, they mention they are commissioning of new cake production line which to be the single biggest production line in South East Asia. The line wills more than double of the company existing production capacity. The third strategy implement is upgrade technology to improve production efficiencies, reduce wastage and reduce manpower requirement. In annual report, the company mention about older machines and facilities in snack manufacturing division are upgrading to custom design and built machines. For long term, this will help the company save production cost and lead to cost leadership in the industry. The last strategy implement is directors training. In annual report, the company mentions certain directors have attended training and seminar whether in-house or external in various areas to enhance their skills to contribute more effectively to the company. This action will help the company running with more efficiency, implement useful strategy and reduce the mistake in decision making by director. Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd The Second Company is Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd. From the annual report, the groups pre-tax profit grew faster at 37.5%. Its driven principally by a better sales mix as well as a more efficient cost structure. From the statement, we can know the company is a cost leadership company. The first strategy the company use to achieve cost leadership is directors training, it can find in the group annual reports. This will improve the ability and efficiency of the director in making decision. This will reduce the wrong decision making, indirect reduce the loss in making a wrong decision. Besides, in the annual report mention the company provide on-job-training and external courses for relevant departments to ensure the sufficiently skilled to perform effectively and efficiently. This strategy can help the company reduce the manpower require and save cost pay for Over Time. The second strategy implement is reducing cost and wastage and increasing productivity. From the company websites, the RD team engages in various research methods in order to improve the production process to achieve the strategy. This will lead the company to cost leadership. The third strategy implement is technology. From the company website, they mention the company abreast with the latest technology developments. The company produces the products with modern machinery for increase the productivity and efficiency to achieve economic of scale. It also can help the company reduce the manpower using. The forth strategy implement is the relationship with suppliers and customer. In the annual report, the company mentions Mr. Son Chen Chuan as a Managing Director in the company, he had close relationship with the supplier and customer. With the relationship with supplier they can get the material with quality and lower price. This will reduce the cost for the company. Apollo Food Industries Sdn Bhd The third company is Apollo Food Industries Sdn Bhd. From the annual report, all the director have completed the Mandatory Accreditation Programmed (MAP). The aim of this training is to enhance their skills and knowledge. It can help the directors in decision making to reduce the error and risk. When wrong decision making, the risk and cost for the company is high, it can help the company save cost. The second strategy implement is training provide to employee. From the annual report, the company mention the employees are provided with necessary training in various job related organized by external parties to enhance the skill and knowledge. This will help the company reduce the manpower and pay for Over Time. The third strategy implement is reducing wastage. From the annual report, the company mention operation and office resources are been utilized without much wastage and recycling are being encourage at all time. This strategy will save the cost for the company and lead the company towards cost leadership. The forth strategy implement is continuous improve in production planning. From the annual report, the company invests on newer and modern production machineries to increase the production and reduce the cost. These companies have implemented several similar strategies such as mass production, upgrade the technology and director and employee training. These strategies will help the companies to achieve economic of scale, reduce the manpower and other expenses in order to achieve cost leadership in the industry. Besides, these companies also have implement different strategies to leads the industry. The London Biscuits buying their supplier to reduce the raw material cost and insure the quality of raw material. This strategy not implement by the two companies, it become superiority for London Biscuit Berhad. The Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd implement different strategies but the same aim is to get the material at reasonable price. This company achieves this by having a good relationship with the supplier to increase the bargaining power to supplier. 3.0 Conclusion The three companies uses to research are from the same industries that compete with each other in the same market. These three companies use their cost leadership strategies in the confection industry in order to reduce the cost and keep their price low to compete with others and increase the market share to survive. Most of the strategy are similar but implement in different ways to achieve cost leadership strategies. Besides, there are some different strategies use are different from others. These help company have superiority when compete with other.

Discrimination Against the Deaf Culture Essay -- Discrimination Again

The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,â€Å"Through Deaf Eyes† (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. â€Å"Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class† (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). In today's times, it is possible for a deaf family to characterize themselves as an all American family. For many centuries hearing people classified deafness as a horrendous misfortune. As reported by a historian at the University of Iowa, Doug Baynton, in the early 1800's most of the deaf people in America lived in segregated rural areas from one another, and with little communication with the people around them. â€Å"They also had a limited understanding of what they could do – of their own possibilities. People with deaf children really had no idea of what their children could achieve† (Baynton, D., 2007). There... ...eline of hearing devices and early Deaf education [Fact sheet]. Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO: Author Gallaudet University. (1997). Public relations Gallaudet University: The beginnings. Gallaudet University, 1-17. Retrieved from http://pr.gallaudet.edu/ Halpern, C. (1996). Halpern: Listening in on deaf culture. University of Colorado Journals, 1-6. (Original work published 1995). Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/ National Institute of Health. (2011). National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders: Improving the lives of people who have communication disorders. National Institute on Deafness and other communication disorders,2-2. Retrieved from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/ (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc. (2007). Film transcript: Through Deaf Eyes. PBS, 1- 69. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/

Buju Banton :: Essays Papers

Buju Banton His voice is thunderous and piercing. With each lyric, he pounds away at our psyche and makes our bodies shake with rhythm. He has become the crown prince of Dancehall reggae in Jamaica, and is a force to be reckoned with in the Jamaican music scene. He is young, but mature and powerful, and his name is Buju Banton. Born Mark Anthony Myrie on July 15, 1973, Buju Banton has used his lyrical skills and pounding voice to take Dancehall by storm. He combines his own musical influences with those of Burro Banton and Bob Marley to achieve a sound and beat that is bringing generations of reggae listeners together for an enjoyable experience. He owns the audience with his lyrics and his stage presence, and is forming both a musical and cultural movement that is taking over Jamaica. (www.bujubanton.net) One of 15 children born to a street vendor inside Trenchtown, Banton lived in poverty for most of his upbringing. A direct descendant of the Maroons, his chubby appearance earned him the nickname of Buju, the Maroon name for breadfruit. His last name is a tribute to another reggae legend, Burro Banton, as well as the name for talented storytellers, from which much of his influence is derived. Buju entered the Jamaican music scene at age 12, where he was known as the â€Å"Lambada Man† of the Dancehall, working with the Sweet Love and Rambo Mango sound systems. In 1986, DJ Clement Irie introduced Banton to producer Robert French, who produced his debut single, â€Å" The Ruler.† At the age of 15, Banton had already worked with artists like Bunny Lee and Red Dragon. He was destined for success in the Dancehalls. In 1991, he met producer Dave Kelly of Penthouse Studios, and debuted on the label with 1992’s Mr. Mention, which broke all sales records on the island, including those of Bob Marley. With songs like Love Mi Browning, where he professed his attraction to light-skinned women, caused an uproar among the dark-skinned Jamaican women who viewed such comments as an insult towards their looks. He made up for his remarks, however, with the song Love Black Woman, and demonstrated that he had love for everyone in his repertoire.

Teaching: a Noblest Profesion

For the last 50 years, educators have devoted a great deal of energy to the debate whether teaching can be considered as a profession. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a wrong question, and so led us to the wrong sort of answers. Teaching is really a noble profession. Every one of us, including our nation’s President is the product of teaching. The teacher is the one who molds a child into what he will be in the future. In this study, we will learn about the teachers, and the nature, history, the art, essentials, strategies, cycle and imperatives of teaching.Teacher Teacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing. Origin The word â€Å"teacher† is the noun form of the verb ‘teach’, the word ‘teach’ derives from the English word tà ¦can which means to show, point out or give instruction. In 1290, the word teacher began to be used for the index finger or one ‘that point s out’. By 1300, it took on its modern meaning, or ‘one who teaches’. Teach in old English first meant â€Å"to present or to point out, instruct† and the word is Germanic origin.The word teacher was first used to mean ‘that which points out’ and then quickly became used in the sense of â€Å"instructor†. Great Teachers A teacher shapes the personality of his student. They help child reach the highest possible degree of personal development. A good teacher not only shows the right path that the students should follow but also prepares the human resource for the further development of the nation. Most Famous Teacher Some of the most important men in history have been teachers. The most famous teacher in the western world was Jesus of Nazareth.His teaching had two aspects, both vitally important and closely connected. He taught his own pupils, the Jewish people, his pupils were with him all the time. They were all poor, ordinary men, simp le and good. He also taught the general public. He read out a piece of the scriptural books and then explains it to the others. But more often Jesus delivered short speeches in the open air, huge crowds gather to hear him, and simply hoping they would learn something. Nature of Teaching Teaching is regarded as the noblest of all professions in the world.It is an occupation that will not give you a promotion on very easily base on your performance. In its broadest sense, teaching is a process that facilitates learning. The choice of learning activities whereby the goals of education are realized in the school is the responsibility of the teaching profession. Teachers vary in their views of nature of teaching. Over the years many have debated on whether teaching is an art or a science or both. Others view teaching as a system. As an art, teaching calls for intuition, inspiration, talent and creativity.Teachers who adhere to this view look at students as individuals with different abil ities and backgrounds. These teachers believe that teaching requires an ability to see through and respond to individual differences among learners. As a science, teaching requires knowledge of scientific discoveries regarding the teaching- learning process, the objectives of education, subject matter and the nature of learners. Teacher who believes in this point of view consider knowledge and applications of techniques already tested to bring out learning as vital in their success as teachers.When viewed as both, teaching requires striking a balance between the application of proven instructional principles and the use of intuitive approach of an artist. Teaching as a system, requires an understanding of the role of the more mature, experienced members of society in stimulating, managing and guiding the immature. Teaching Teaching is all about inspiring, engaging, and empowering our children and young people. It is about making a difference to future generations. History In ancient India, China, Egypt and Judea, teaching was often performed by a priest or prophet, and the teacher enjoyed prestige and privilege.Among the Jews, many adults considered teachers the guide to salvation and urged children to honor their teachers even more than their parents. By the Middle Ages in Europe (5th century to 15th century), the Roman Catholic Church had taken over the responsibility for teaching, which was conducted in monasteries and specially designated learning centers. In North America a commitment to education played an important role in colonial development of the continent. They also valued the role of higher education.They considered education not only a means of harnessing talent in the nation, but also a means of teaching people the demands of democratic citizenship. The Art of Teaching Teaching has defined not simply as a process of imparting knowledge nor getting a message across but rather a process of communicating aimed at affecting desirable changes in the behavior of the learner. It holds the key to character of its people. Teaching is not an easy task. It’s an art form; one that requires craft, sensitivity, creativity, and intelligence. Essentials of Good Teaching There are different ways of good teaching.The primary characteristic of the teacher is to like children. A teacher must not only like the young because they are young. He must enjoy their company in groups. Meanwhile, it is enough to point out that there are many pupils than teachers in the world. Others include, proper training, patience, sense of humor, excellent attendance, hardworking, skill in lesson planning, interest in each child, patience and creating a positive learning atmosphere and developing a good rapport without showing favoritism. Hardest Jobs in Teaching The teachers play many roles.The roles they played include the following: controller, assessor, a resource, coach, tutor, organizer, facilitator, counselor, an instructor, a provider of experiences , model, motivator, authority, arbiter, examiner, disciplinarian, balancer, mentor, prompter, participant, performer, rapport builder, public relations, specialist and parents surrogate. There are many jobs in teaching, but one of the hardest jobs is to be a leader. As a leader she is first to act to show ready, willing and active participation, first to show how things should be done correctly, and first to take a principal role in any group undertakings.Above all, she is able to move the members, has full command and authority and can influence others to follow. Teacher leadership roles also vary in accordance with the professional development experience of the teacher. Teaching Strategies There are varieties of teaching that instructors can use to improve student learning. Listening At the four language skills, listening has been sadly neglected. Students listening comprehension usually lags behind. They lack the ability to comprehend the spoken language.Because language is basic ally oral, students should develop their listening and speaking skills side by side with their reading and writing skills. Speaking In language teaching, the teacher serves as a model to the students. Teacher should therefore, be able to produce the vowel and consonant sounds correctly for the student’s imitate. Before the students can actually communicate in sentences, they have to know the sound system of the language. Hence, from the kindergarten to the sixth grade, pronunciation lessons are a must.Students should know the proper stress of words, phrases and sentences and observe the proper stress of words, phrases, sentences, and observe the proper pauses when speaking to avoid misinterpretation of what they hear and to be understood by other. Reading Teaching strategies in reading are based on the philosophy and theories regarding the meaning, nature and structure of reading. They are also based on the important foundation disciplines such physiology, linguistics and soc iology. Reading is the process of making and getting meaning from printed word symbols.Efficient reading is an active dialogue between author and reader. The efficient reader is ready to evaluate, challenge and criticize reading materials. The man who read well is the man who leads. Writing Before one can teach properly, however, one must first have a clear idea of what good writing is and how it is produced. Based on the concept of writing as a thought process, the teacher of writing is concerned with developing in the learner ability to marsh all his ideas in such a way that he is able to select what are important and relevant to his purpose, at the same time to present them in a coherent and logical order.The pupil must learn to manipulate English patterns in order to produce texts that are grammatically acceptable, and they are required to learn how to organize sentences in a way that a definite communication purpose is served such as narrating, arguing, defining, explaining, de scribing, etc. Planning for Effective Learning and Teaching These days, many people can be a teacher, but the question is, are these people can be an effective teacher? Clearly, to be an effective teacher is more complicated and difficult than many people think.Effective teachers are distinguished by their dedication to the students and to the job of teaching, and feel responsible for the achievement and success of the students and own professional development. Effective teachers really believe that all students can learn, although all learn differently. Teachers will benefit when they learn how to plan for effective teaching and learning. Planning lessons for a whole school year can be challenging, but they can be successful if they start early and continue modifications throughout the year. Effective learning in school doesn’t happen by accident. Good lessons have to be planned for.It is important that a teacher understands clearly what he should do to bring about desirable learning in the students. This is his main role. He needs to plan his work. Planning for effective teaching is a lengthy process, but teaching the lesson, requires implementation and skill. Planning effective learning and teaching experiences are one of the skills the teacher has to develop. Planning insures more or less the direction that his efforts will take. Careful planning can give the teacher a sense of confidence in overcoming nervousness and preventing wastage and confusion especially during the first days of teaching.Teaching Imperatives In order to guarantee a continuing professional development of teachers these three distinct concerns must be applied: Knowledge Teachers must be sensitive, daring and ready to explore and widen the scope and coverage of the content they are teaching. They must not only be grounded in the basics of discipline, steep in recent trends, new understandings and logical predictions characteristics of professional growth, but more importantly we ll-versed in assimilating and sustaining valuable learning.Skills Teachers play a significant role in developing the same skills and creativity in using the technologies must appropriate for the kind and nature of learning desired. They will be the most effective to provide such assistance only if they have been sufficiently trained and prepared for it. Attitudes and Values Knowledge and skills will undoubtedly enhance and nurtured if some valuable personal and professional values are firmly developed.Teachers whose main responsibility is to mold the minds of the young should e imbued with such values as critical mindedness, creativity and innovativeness, strong motivation, to grow professionally and to adopt to the challenges of societal changes. In conclusion, teachers are the guiding light to students. Teachers are miracle workers when it comes to trying to get every student to pass a test. Teachers are also a knowledgeable worker, transporting much knowledge while shaping the mi nds of our youth and thus have a responsibility and image to uphold. In order to maintain structure of professionalism in the educational environment, education systems need to take steps to make sure they handle this task efficiently.

A workout for working memory

New research suggests that mental exercises might enhance one of the brain's central components for reasoning and problem-solving.People may be able to remember a nearly infinite number of facts, but only a handful of items–held in working memory–can be accessed and considered at any given moment. It's the reason why a person might forget to buy an item or two on a mental grocery list, or why most people have difficulty adding together large numbers.In fact, working memory could be the basis for general intelligence and reasoning: Those who can hold many items in their mind may be well equipped to consider different angles of a complex problem simultaneously.If psychologists could help people expand their working-memory capacity or make it function more efficiently, everyone could benefit, from chess masters to learning-disabled children, says Torkel Klingberg, MD, PhD, an assistant cognitive neuroscience professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Children with at tention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, might especially benefit from working-memory training, says Rosemary Tannock, PhD, a psychologist and psychiatry professor at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.â€Å"It could be that working-memory problems give rise to observable behavioral symptoms of ADHD: distractibility and also poor academic achievement,† she says. Working-memory deficits might also underpin some reading disabilities, as it controls the ability to recall words read earlier in a sentence, says Tannock.But how–or even if–working memory can be expanded through training remains a topic of hot contention among psychologists. Some argue that working memory has a set limit of about four items, and that individual differences in working memory arise from the ability to group small bits of information into larger chunks. However, new research suggests that working-memory capacity could expand with practice–a finding that cou ld shed new light on this central part of the mind's architecture, as well as potentially lead to treatments for ADHD or other learning disabilities.Functional limitationsOne such study–by researchers at Syracuse University–hit upon the potential trainability while attempting to resolve a debate in the literature on the limits of working memory.Since the 1950s, psychologists have found one aspect of working memory–sometimes referred to as the focus of attention–to have severe limitations. For example, George Miller, PhD–a founder of cognitive psychology and a psychology professor at Princeton University–established that people generally can't recall lists of numbers more than seven digits long.Those who exceeded that limit tended to make smaller groups of numbers into larger ones, using a process called â€Å"chunking.† For example, people familiar with U.S. intelligence agencies would see the letter group â€Å"FBICIA† as two chunks, rather the six letters, and that set of letters would only occupy two slots in a person's memory, rather than six.In recent years, however, evidence is mounting that the limitation of working memory is somewhere between one and four information chunks.The downward revision results from new techniques to keep people from chunking information, which can create the illusion of greater fundamental storage capacity, says Nelson Cowan, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Missouri–Columbia. In one common chunking-prevention method, participants repeat meaningless phrases over and over while performing working memory tasks such as memorizing lists of numbers.A recent literature review by Cowan, published in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Vol. 24, No. 1, pages 87–185), makes the case that a variety of working-memory measures all converge on a set limit of four items.Other researchers have suggested that working-memory capacity is limited even further œto just a single item. In a study by Brian McElree, PhD, a psychology professor at New York University, participants underwent a test of working memory called â€Å"n-back.†In the task, the participants read a series of numbers, presented one at a time on a computer screen. In the easiest version of the task, the computer presents a new digit, and then prompts participants to recall what number immediately preceded the current one. More difficult versions might ask participants to recall what number appeared two, three or four digits ago.McElree found that participants recalled the immediately preceding numbers in a fraction of the time it took them to recall numbers presented more than one number ago–a finding published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition (Vol. 27, No. 1, pages 817–835.)â€Å"There is clear and compelling evidence of one unit being maintained in focal attention and no direct evidence for more than one ite m of information extended over time,† says McElree.In an attempt to reconcile the two theories, psychology professor Paul Verhaeghen, PhD, and his colleagues at Syracuse University replicated McElree's experiment, but tracked participants' response times as they practiced at the task for 10 hours over five days. (See November Monitor, page 35.)â€Å"We found that by the end of day five†¦their working memory [capacity] had expanded from one to four items, but not to five,† says Verhaeghen. â€Å"It seems that both theories are correct.†The focus of attention might expand as other working-memory processes become automated, Verhaeghen says. Perhaps practice improves the process of attaching a position to a number, freeing up the mind to recall up to four numbers, he notes.Some researchers believe the practice effect uncovered by Verhaeghen reflects more efficient information encoding rather than expanded working-memory capacity. According to McElree, the respon se time measures used by Verhaeghen do not provide pure measures of memory-retrieval speed, and the changes in response time with practice could indicate that participants in his study simply became more practiced at encoding numbers vividly, he says.If Verhaeghen's findings can be replicated using other tasks, it could change how scientists conceptualize working-memory limitations. Rather than there being a set limitation, working-memory capacity could improve through practice–suggesting that those with working-memory problems could improve their capacities through repetition. However, practice would need to occur on a task-by-task basis, says Verhaeghen, and, as he points out, â€Å"It is doubtful that practice on n-back generalizes to anything in real life.†Stretching the limitsNew research on children with ADHD, however, might show tasks such as n-back can improve working memory in general, and could help children with the condition.People with ADHD tend to have di fficulty with working-memory capacity, and that deficit could be responsible for their tendency to be distracted and resulting problems at school, says Tannock.Seeking to alleviate such difficulties with his research, Klingberg ran a randomized controlled trial of 53 children with ADHD in which half of the participants practiced working-memory tasks that gradually increased in difficulty.The other half completed tasks that did not get harder as the children became better at them. Both groups of children–who were 7 to 12 years old–practiced tasks such as recalling lists of numbers for 40 minutes a day over five weeks.The children who practiced with increasingly difficult memory tasks performed better on two working memory tests–which were different than the practice tasks–than the control group, reported Klingberg in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (Vol. 44, No. 2, pages 177–186.)In addition, the parents of child ren with memory training reported a reduction in their children's hyperactivity and inattention three months after the intervention, while the parents of the control group participants did not.Subsequent, yet-unpublished experiments build on those results, Klingberg says.â€Å"We have looked at other groups too: adults with stroke, young adults without ADHD, children with†¦traumatic brain injuries,† he says. â€Å"A general pattern [we've found] is as long as you have working-memory problems and you have the ability to train, you can improve your abilities.†Some researchers suggest that memory training may have more of an effect on motivation than working memory.â€Å"It seems to me that children in the training group may have learned to have a better attitude toward the testing situation, whereas children in the control group–who repeated easy problems–may have learned that the testing situation was boring and uninteresting,† says Cowan. â₠¬Å"The differences that emerged on a variety of tasks could be the result of better motivation and attitude rather than a basic improvement in working memory.†Or, says Klaus Oberauer, PhD, a psychology professor and memory researcher at the University of Bristol in England, the practice effect in both Klingberg's studies might result from people learning to use their limited working-memory capacity more efficiently–perhaps by grouping information into larger chunks or by enlisting long-term memory.â€Å"I think the practice effect [they found] basically is just an ordinary practice effect, in that everything gets faster,† he says.So, even if working memory can't be expanded, adults with grocery lists and children with ADHD may be able to make better use of what little space is available by practicing the task itself or repeating tests of general working memory. And, in the end, the milk gets bought and the reading assignment finished.Reference:Cowan, N. (2005). W orking-memory capacity limits in a theoretical context. In C. Izawa & N. Ohta (Eds.), Human learning and memory: Advances in theory and application: The 4th Tsukuba International Conference on Memory. (pp. 155–175). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Klingberg, T., Fernell, E., Olesen, P.J., Johnson, M., Gustafsson, P., Dahlstrom, K., et al. (2005). Computerized training of working memory in children with ADHD–A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(2), 177–186.  Martinussen, R., Hayden J., Hogg-Johnson, S., & Tannock, R. (2005). A meta-analysis of working memory components in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(4), 377–384.  McElree, B. (2001). Working memory and focal attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 27(3), 817–835.  Pernille, J.O., Westerberg, H., & Klingberg, T. (2004). Increased prefrontal and parietal activity after training in working memory. Nature Neuroscience, 7(1), 75–79.  Verhaeghen, P., Cerella, J., & Basak, C. (2004). A working memory workout: How to expand the focus of serial attention from one to four items in 10 hours or less. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 30(6), 1322–1337.