Philosophy Does God Exist

God: Does He Exist? Philosophy is a subject that can take many twists and turns before it finds an answer to a general question (Wippel, Wolter 335). God is real to many, but not real to others. Some believe that there is sufficient evidence such as the earth. The earth is the perfect size, if the earth and the atmosphere were any smaller, life on earth would be impossible.Then again, because of this idea some believe that the earth was created by a big explosion called the big bang theory which created our planet: because of this we will examine Aquinas on the existence of God while Kant will explore God’s non existence to the extent of being mortal. St. Thomas Aquinas has written several important works over time. There were four works: The Disputed Questions on the Power of God, Exposition of Dionysius on the Divine Names and Disputed Questions on Spiritual Creatures (Medieval Philosophy).Most of Aquinas's works have been written to try to prove the existence of God. Aquina s always has been a firm believer that everything has to have a creator and the only possible solution would be something called God. It is with this idea that Aquinas's Third Way was written. Aquinas says that if everything were mortal, then nothing could exist at present. This can be translated to mean that if all mortal things have to stop existing then there can't be anything which exists today (Medieval Philosophy).Aquinas believes that it takes a living presence to help create other living things in order for them to live also. This means that there must have been something which existed through eternity to help create many living things which exist today. Aquinas believes that something created life throughout time in order for things to be living today. He says this thing must have existed from the beginning and that it must still exist now (Medieval Philosophy). His belief is that living things and non-living things have lived through eternity with the help of a higher, mor e powerful presence, such as God.He also says that if it that were true that nothing existed at one time, then it would be impossible for anything to begin to exist again, which means that nothing could exist now, which is obviously false (Medieval Philosophy). We see that usual bodies work in the direction of some goal, and do not do so by chance. Most natural things lack knowledge. â€Å"But as an arrow reaches its target because it is directed by an archer, what lacks intelligence achieves goals by being directed by something intelligent†.Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God. â€Å"It is impossible for anyone to logically believe that things such as rocks, trees, and water can exist without there being a creator† (Medieval Philosophy). It is for this reason that Aquinas believes that God was the only thing that existed then, so therefore he must have been the one who created everythi ng. This theory does prove that something had to exist from the beginning.The Causal Principle is the thought that every contingent being has a cause of its being and that it lies at the heart of the argument. Kant always contends that the cosmological argument, in identifying the necessary being relies on the ontological argument, which in turn is suspect. (Existence of God) According to Kant, survival is not a predicate, a asset that a thing can either have or lack. (Existence of God) When people declare that God exists they are not saying that there is a God and he possesses the land of existence.If that were the case, then when people state that God does not exist they would be saying that there is a God and he lacks the property of life. â€Å"They would be both affirming and denying God’s existence in the same breath† (Existence of God). Rather, suggests Kant, to say that something exists is to say that the idea of that thing is exemplified in humanity. Existence , then, is not a substance of an object possessing material goods, life, but of a thought equivalent to something in the world. â€Å"To see this more clearly, suppose that we give a complete description of an object, of its size, its weight, its color, etc†. Existence of God) If we then attach that the item exists, then in asserting that it exists we put in nothing to the impression of the thing. â€Å"The article is the same whether it exists or not; it is the identical size, the similar weight, the matching color, etc† (Existence of God). The fact that the thing exists, that notion is exemplified in humanity, but does not alter anything about the theory. To assert that the article exists is to say something about the human race, that it contains something that matches that thought; it is not to say anything concerning the thing itself.If Kant is right in his outlook that life is not an asset of matter, then it is impractical to evaluate a God that exists to a God th at does not. On Kant’s observation a God that exists and a God that does not exist are not the same. â€Å"A God that exists is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, etc† (Existence of God). â€Å"A God that does not exist is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, etc† (Existence of God). Both are the same. Aquinas’s theory is more realistic to me. Everything was created for a reason and has to be here for a reason.First, Aquinas believes that something created life throughout time in order for things to be living today. He says this thing must have existed from the beginning and that it must still exist now. His belief is that living things and non-living things have lived through eternity with the help of a higher, more powerful presence, such as God. Second, as Aquinas has previously mentioned it is impossible for anyone to logically believe that things such as rocks, trees, and water can exist without there being a creator.This is why I feel that God was the only thing that existed then, so therefore he must have been the one who created everything. He also says that if that were true that nothing existed at one time, then it would be impossible for anything to begin to exist again, which means that nothing could exist now, which is obviously false. Lastly, Aquinas said â€Å"that if everything were mortal, then nothing could exist at present, because what is nonexistent begins to be only through something which already exists†.This can be translated to mean that if all mortal things have to stop existing then there can’t be anything which exists today. This means to me that God has been living through time to help create other creatures. Aquinas believed that it takes living presence to help create other living things in order for them to live. This means that there must have been something which existed through eternity to help create many living things which exist today. People will forever be arguing around their dinner tables about the existence of God.Many take comfort in the belief that there is one Creator who still exists in the universe, a perfect being who watches out for His ‘imperfect' children (Wippel, Wolter). However, the dispute that God exists because he was the ‘First Cause' of everything is too unsophisticated for the refined intelligence to accept (Wippel, Wolter). It may be religiously reassuring to believe in the existence of a higher authority, but there is no indisputable proof to suggest that God was ‘the cause' of everything, hence proving His existence. As we approach the new millennium, disbelief prevails and continues to sway extreme (Wippel, Wolter).Works Cited Nicholas of Cusa, 335-38. John F. Wippel, Allan B. Wolter, ed. New York: The Free Press, 1969. Aquinas, St. Thomas. â€Å"Does God Exist? † In Medieval Philosophy: From St. Augustine to St. Thomas â€Å"Objections to the Ontological Argument. † Existence of God. Web. 11 Nov. 2 010. . Dictionary. com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary. com. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. .

Policing Essay

Policing CRJ 201, Section 511 Frank Serpico Francesco Vincent Serpico was born on April 14, 1936 in Brooklyn, NY. At the age of 18 Serpico enlisted in the United States army and spent two years in Korea. In 1959 Frank Serpico graduated form the police academy and was sworn into the New York City Police Department. From the =Beginning of Serpico’s career in the NYPD he was forced with having to defend his integrity to the police department. While a rookie taking part in field officer training, there was a rape in progress call sent out over the radio. Serpico, wanting to do nothing but help wanted to take the call though it was out of his sector and against his veteran officers advice. Frank later forced to give up his collar despite the fact he apprehended the remaining rape suspects on his own. Being a rookie officer left him susceptible to officers with seniority easily getting over on him. In 1960 Frank became a patrolman in the 81st precinct. He then worked for the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) before he was assigned to being a plain-clothes officer. This is when Frank Serpico’s problems began and he was exposed to department wide police corruption. Police subculture is defined as; shared values and norms and the established patterns of behavior that tend to characterize policing. During Frank’s time police corruption was definitely apart of police subculture. However it was not apart of Frank Serpico’s police subculture. While stationed at the 93rd precinct Serpico was given $300 as a part of the station pay off. Not knowing what to do with the money, and it being his first experience with corruption Frank took the money to his Sargent who in turn pocketed the money for himself. Becoming a snitch is something frowned upon then and now among civilians and law enforcement when it comes to one of your own. It is especially difficult to be a snitch in the police department because there is then no one behind you when in need. Blowing the whistle on fellow officers took a lot of guts and courage, especially when knowing that no one is there to stand behind you, and everyone is against you. On April 25, 1970, a New York Times article was published by David Burnham that would shake up the entire New York City Police Department. With the aid of Frank Serpico and Sargent David Durke, Burnham told the world of the millions of dollars paid to policeman in the New York Police Department by drug dealers, gamblers, and crooked businessmen. Frank also pointed out that despite the obvious corruption both Mayor Lindsay’s’ administration, and the police department ignored and failed to look into corruption cases repeatedly brought to their attention. This very article and the now public knowledge and outrage forced Mayor Lindsay to form the KNAPP Commission; a five-member panel whose purpose was to investigate corruption among the police department. Once the New York Times article was published, Frank Serpico was officially deemed a snitch. Subjecting himself to the possibility of extreme danger and violence, either at the hands of his own or by criminals when a lack of police back up and support is available. This possibility of danger became reality on February 3, 1971. While working in the vice division out of Brooklyn North, Serpico and 3 others detectives were working a drug sting. Frank was sent into the building and after witnessing the drug buy informed the two other plains clothes officers of were the suspect apartment was located. Serpico, the only officer that knew how to speak Spanish, was prompted to fake as if he wanted to purchase heroin to gain access into the suspects’ apartment. Once the dealer cracked the door Frank tried to force his way in, only able to wedge some of his body into the suspects’ door. Subsequently Serpico was shot at point blank range in his face with a . 22 caliber handgun. Once collapsed on the floor the remaining two officers stepped over him and proceeded with the drug bust instead of helping, they didn’t even care enough to send out a cop shot call over the radio. It was a neighbor living on the floor of the shooting that called the ambulance and stayed with Serpico until a squad car arrived to escort him to the hospital. Frank Serpico soon after the shooting began to question the circumstances of the shooting, feeling he was set up to be executed. While in recovery at the hospital Serpico was constantly harassed and faced with wishes of death. Frank recovered, losing hearing in his left ear, and in December of 1971 testified in front of the KNAPP Commission. Ultimately Serpico received what he always wanted, a brass shield and a promotion to detective. Of course there was no customary ceremony when Frank was awarded detective status, he was called and told to pick his badge up from the office. This was one of the many things that displayed the distain the department and city officials had for Frank Serpico. In 1972 after receiving a gold metal of honor, Serpico retired from the New York City Police Department and moved to Switzerland, where he stayed for almost a decade. In 1980 Serpico back to New York City and now lives a quiet life upstate. Frank Serpico was the first and probably most famous New York police officer to report and go as far as to testify on the department wide corruption. He never gave up, never gave in, and always stayed true and loyal to the oath he took when graduating from the police academy in 1959. Hearing the story of Frank Serpico makes me grateful because I know there are truly honest and loyal individuals that hold jobs in the public service field. People like him played major roles in molding what the police department is today. However I do not think I would have followed in Frank Serpico’s footsteps to expose the ugly truth of what was going on in the police department at the time. Being apart of the police subculture, all you have is each other. Once you put on the uniform and strap on that gun and badge no one can protect you from danger but yourself and your fellow officers. Once those other officers distrust you there is no one to have your back when faced with a criminal with intent to harm you. I would remember that when my shift is over I have to go back to my family, I have to live a life outside of my career as a New York City Police Officer. If I could have found a way to not take the payoffs, still do my job to the best of my ability, and not snitch on my fellow officers, that would definitely be the route in which I would take. Frank Serpico could have easily been killed and I don’t think the police department or anything else is more important then my life and the lives of my family. I do respect everything that Frank Serpico did. His integrity and courageousness was unprecedented. Without him the police department that my friends, loved ones, and I interact with daily could very well be much different and much worst. All Frank Serpico wanted to do was be a good, moral person and an honest police officer. He nicely summed up some of his feelings while in front of the KNAPP Commission by saying, â€Å"Through my appearance here today†¦ I hope that police officers in the future will not experience the same frustration and anxiety that I was subjected to for the past five years at the hands of my superiors because of my attempt to report corruption†¦ We create an atmosphere in which the honest officer fears the dishonest officer, and not the other way around†¦ The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which honest police officers can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers. †

Ebay Strategy

Short history of eBay Pierre Omidyar launched the first online auction in 1995 under the name ‘Auctionwatch’ under the domain name of www. eBay. com with the intention of creating a person- ­? to- ­? person trading community based on a democratized, efficient market where everyone could have equal access through the same medium, the Internet. The initial concept was to attract neighbours and other interested in the San Francisco Bay area residents to the site to buy and sell items of mutual interest. From there, the business grew to succession year after year. 1996: Jeffrey Skoll became co- ­? president and director of eBay. 997: Margaret Whitman became CEO of eBay. 2004: eBay acquired a share in Craigslist. 2005: eBay acquired Rent. com and Shopping. com. 2006: Acquisition of Skype. 2007: eBay acquired Stubhub. com. 2008: Margaret Whitman resigned as CEO. John Donahoe was her successor. During the years 2006- ­? 2008, eBay experienced a drop in gross merchandise sales to - ­? 12% and a reduction in number of auctions listed to - ­? 15%. This signalled a downturn in business for eBay, and a need to overcome the challenges which it now faced. Between 2006 and 2008 : eBay’s share of the US e- ­? commerce market had fallen from 19% to 17% (Amazon market hares, same period: from 3,7% to 5,3%). In 2008, John Donahoe took over the firm. Donahoe was a man who liked change. He believed that the firms marketplace sector had reached its maturity and a change in strategy was needed for the firm to move forward. In other words, he believed that the emphasis should no longer be put on the market place sector of eBay but on expanding the business by providing an array of other services. Question 1: Porters’ five forces: When eBay was first set up in 1995, it was the first business in the online auction industry. Since then, the industry has grown significantly. eBays competitors includeAmazon, uBid, Yahoo, and Google. Due to the incre asing interest in the online auction industry, eBay is now facing competition from a number of different rivals, most importantly Amazon. 1. Bargaining Power of buyers: Medium Buyers have the power to negotiate a price which suits them through setting their preferred bid. There is no pressure on buyers to surpass their preferred price limit. However, the number of buyers in the market is vast therefore their power is limited. 2. Bargaining Power of Sellers: Low As a result of endless number of sellers in the market, the bargaining power is low as there are many alternatives which an offer buyers good value and at a low price. Unless dealing with high end items or collectibles, which may be rare, the bargaining power of suppliers is low. 3. Existing Rivalry among competitors: Medium: The online auction industry is oligopolistic in the sense that there are a few large companies who own a large proportion of the market shares (eBay, uBid). However eBay is facing competition from severa l online retailers (Amazon, Overstock). 4. Threat of Substitutes: High Many consumers still prefer to use traditional methods for purchasing and selling items such as in- ­? store purchases. Consumers prefer to use this ype of purchase for many reasons. Firstly for security purposes, there is no risk in giving cash- ­? in- ­? hand to an establishment as opposed to giving credit card details online. Also, buyers have the opportunity to check the value of the good they wish to purchase. Many retail outlets have also extended their market to an online level. 5. Threat of new entrants: Medium The threat from new entrants is medium. As a result of low barriers of entry into the market, it is not difficult for businesses to be created. Businesses find it difficult to generate regular customers, as they must build up a reputation of having a safe nd secure website. In this sense, eBay has a competitive advantage as it has created a strong, trusted environment for its customers. Risin g competition in the market will, in turn, cause improvements in product quality and innovation. Also in order to generate good profits, eBay must focus on the sector of suppliers which regulates the most profits, this being the suppliers of high end items such as collectible products. EBay can differentiate by specialising in the market for collectible goods. Question 2: PEST Analysis:  §? Political: The internet is a tax free environment. EBay is not affected by the governments’ laws on axes. However, eBay is affected by certain policies considering the sale of certain products in different countries. For example, the CNIL in France. Economical: As a result of the economic crisis, consumer behaviour is changing. Consumers have less disposable income to spend caused by problems associated with the economic downturn such as rising unemployment rates, inflation rates etc. Sociological: Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically in recent years. Consumers want a quick and co nvenient way to source their products/services; the internet provides this through online retailers and auctions. The number of internet sers has amplified (insert statistics later? ). Technological: The internet has revolutionised, its range of activities has expanded with time. Along with offering search engines to quickly find products/ services, internet now makes it possible to quickly make transactions between buyers and sellers (PayPal).  §?  §?  §? The combined aspects of political, social, economic and technological will strengthen competition in the industry. In reference to economical, the economic crisis will cause companies to differentiate and work harder to find a competitive advantage over its rivals. In relation to technological, the use of e- ­? ommerce is becoming more and more popular; it has transformed the market place. Changing demographics has meant the internet and e- ­? commerce has become a more prominent force in the lives of consumers. E- ­? commerce is appealing as a more attractive industry as opposed to traditional retail outlets. It is less expensive for companies to create a business online as they can avoid the cost of employing a sales workforce. Also, as technology progresses, there will be the opportunity for firms to globalize, therefore expanding their market reach into different countries, and increasing their consumer base. Online businesses ill be able to target a larger number of consumers worldwide. In the current economic crisis, people need to increase their cash flow. This is an advantage for online auctions such as eBay as people can sell items that they no longer use. It creates a larger market for second- ­? hand items such as worn- ­? once clothing. Question 3: Key Success Factors: Online auctions and retailers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ These key success factors apply to both online retailers and online auctions. However, in the case of the online auctions, a key success factor w ould be the necessity to create a community of trusted buyers and sellers. Online auctions uch as eBay emphasise the importance of good values among their users such as honesty and trustworthiness. A second key success factors for online auctions is the importance of attracting and keeping sellers as without sellers supplying the items, the market would not exist. It is essential that online auctions are made attractable to sellers. This can be done by offering suppliers the option to set a minimal price for their products, further advertisements of their products e. g. eBay will display sellers products on their homepage for a minimal fee. As shown, there are specified key success factors for online auctions. †¢ Necessity to create a community Necessity to attract suppliers Expertise in technology Brand name Generate traffic to the site: by attracting and keeping customers Overcome internet users nervousness about using the internet for e- ­? commerce Security of payment Que stion 4: Our strategic map conveys that this is an oligopolistic market. There are two main competitors who hold strong positions in the market, those being eBay and Amazon. Both businesses have a strong reputation in the market combined with a wide variety of auctions/product categories. EBay is a household name when it comes to online auctions. The map shows hat eBay holds the strongest position in the market. Amazon lacks in number/variety of auctions compared to eBay but it still managed to hold a strong position in the market through its well- ­? established brand name. In comparison with eBay, Yahoo holds a weak position in the market. It lacks in brand recognition as an online business. Yahoo also has a limited variety of auctions paralleled with the market giants eBay and Amazon. Question 5: Swot Analysis  §?  §?  §?  §? Strengths: Global brand for online auctions (Brand awareness). Quality and Quantity of products. Community spirit. Payment security (Paypal). Oppo rtunities:Acquisition of new business. Develop a market in emerging countries (India, Brazil†¦). Increase in online shopping.  §?  §?  §? Weaknesses: Model opened to fraudulent activities. System breakdowns. Increasing customer demands Threats: Substitute products (stores, online shopping web sites†¦). Success attracts competition. Interest and foreign currency exchange rates. Consumers’ fear of fraudulence  §?  §?  §?  §?  §?  §?  §? The SWOT analysis reveals that eBays strengths outweigh its weaknesses. eBays most promising strength is its globally known brand name. EBay has been established as a household name with its continued success in the - ­? commerce industry. It is still possible for eBay to expand and grow in this industry due to the increasing interest in online shopping. A notable weakness of the online commerce industry would be its systems openness to fraudulence. This has been faced by many businesses in the market including eB ay. Even though eBay was subject to controversy over this problem it has still emerged in a strong position nevertheless. Question 6: After computing the current ratio, we found that the company is able to pay its liabilities with its assets. 2005 2006 2007 Current Assets Current Liabilities 3990993 1266792 4970586 2518395 7122505 099579 Current ratio = current 3,15 1,97 2,30 assets /current liabilities It means that in 2007, the company can reimburse its liabilities with its assets 2 times. We noticed that the net income is decreasing (- ­? 70%). In fact, the gross merchandise sales are decreasing (- ­? 20%) and the auction listed too (- ­? 14%). The working capital shows us that eBay has enough cash available for the firm day to day operations. Working capital = current assets- ­? current liabilities 2005 2006 2007 2724201 2452191 4022926 The average collection period in 2007 is about 22 days. That means the company wait just 22 days before receiving the

Any topic concerning government (economy, u.s census, presidential Research Paper

Any topic concerning government (economy, u.s census, presidential election, congress bill) - Research Paper Example The relevant data for the research design will be taken from the United States Statistical Abstracts -- specifically details regarding incidents of crime and safety concerns in American public schools. By presenting the outlines of a statistical design relevant to this data, including an initial tabular presentation of the descriptive statistics regarding the data, it is expected that this brief paper will illustrate both an understanding of basic statistical processes and a possible experimental approach to understanding the important social problem of bullying. The dependent variable in the proposed research will consist of the rate of bullying evident in a variety of schools having different characteristics, expressed as a percentage. As such the dependent variable will be a ratio-type variable, having the ability to be expressed as a measurable number with fine distinctions possible as to quantity. The independent variables to be utilized for this study will be drawn from data provided in the Statistical Abstracts, including age-level of students (expressed as an ordinal variable measured as elementary, middle, of high school), enrollment of school (expressed as ordinal breakdowns determining the size of schools), and minority enrollment within schools (again expressed as an ordinal breakdown). It is expected that these different independent variables will each have an impact on the rate of bullying, as they determine the developmental age of students, as well as the size and supposed social stresses and intercommunity cohesion of the va rious school types. The proposed relationships of the variables will be as defined in the following section. It is expected that the older the student population, the more likely it will be that bullying will be prevalent, largely because the students will be more likely to be willing to

Performence and reward answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performence and reward answers - Essay Example als include â€Å"high volunteer retention level†, the â€Å"where the company’s going† it could do that by defining appropriate processes, the â€Å"how the company’s going to get there†. These could include award ceremonies to recognize and reward good performers, or set policies on how to conduct appraisals of performance. Finally, the â€Å"Content Level†, or the â€Å"what† needed to achieve the goal, for these could simply include managing difficult behavior of the volunteers or setting their goals. This approach is followed by companies throughout the world, including Microsoft. In the review process, a rater or raters evaluate the performance of the employees. All employees are given goals and targets to achieve. These expected results are compared with the actual results and the individual employee is evaluated based on the targets he could achieve or perhaps, exceed. This performance appraisal is a good source of motivation for employees when salary increases, bonuses, etc. are tied with it. It builds up a sense of trust between the employees and the employers and encourages employees to work harder and more efficiently. (Bauer & Erdogan, 1969) However, it is also possible that the appraisal process backfires. If it is not done accurately and the right kind of work and employees are not appreciated, employees would be highly frustrated and de-motivated resulting in dissatisfaction, low morale, and high turnover rate. (Bauer & Erdogan, 1969) There are theories that relate to the needs that employees have and it is important for managers and organizations as whole to understand these needs and cater to them. The Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory talks about the five differnet levels of needs for individuals and how these needs act as motivators for them (Wagner). The five levels, starting from the bottom, are psychological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization. Once a level is achieved by an individual, those

The Zonk Air Accident Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Zonk Air Accident - Research Paper Example The research paper "The Zonk Air Accident" talks about the air accident that occurred at the Tahoe Airport on the 7th of November 2010. This paper also contains a conclusion, which is a summary of the major points contained in it. This paper takes a stand that there are a variety of factors responsible for the air accident involving the Zonk aircraft. These factors range from poor weather conditions, the inefficiency of the pilot, and poor management from the company. One of the causes that are given for the fatal air accident is the inefficiency of the new pilot, which was brought about because of lack of experience and inadequate training. The pilot was new hired, and he had done a total of 300 hours in flight. Of these 300 hours, the pilot had done 50 hours on twin engine air craft’s, and only 15 hours on the air a model of PA 31 (Weil, 2012). Furthermore, the pilot did not have sufficient training on meteorological conditions. He only had some 5 hours of such kind of training (Weil, 2012). Furthermore, before the accident, the pilot had only flown some three air craft’s for the Zonk Company, and before flying the aircraft, he did not fly for the company for a period of 10 days. This is an indication that the pilot was not experienced and qualified enough to handle this aircraft. Because of inadequate training in meteorology, the pilot was unable to navigate in the harsh weather conditions. And the management is also to blame because they allowed an inexperienced pilot to fly such kind of a plane.

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Performance Management - Essay Example The analysis and better decision making can be done by discussing the components of cost and their effects on the overall cost and final decision to be taken. All the costs that can affect the decision, rather all the relevant costs should be considered in this case. It is important to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant costs for the decision making purposes as it allows better decision making for cost reduction and cost maximization. Additionally overheads allocation should also be done on fairer and activity driven basis so that better decisions can be taken. (DRURY, C. 2008; HANSEN, MOWEN, & HANSEN.2006) The company shall lay150 meters of pipe each week in-house to utilize its labour and machine, however decision has to be taken for the remaining 750 meters for small pipe and 300 meters of large pipe to be laid in-house or subcontracted. Direct Material Cost: The company has an option to subcontract the project where the material cost will be borne by subcontractor, charg ed by UGC in the price quoted. On the other hand the company if undertakes the project in-house the direct material cost will be ?45/per meter on small pipe and ?55/meter on large pipe. Direct Labour Cost: Company can use in-house labour by shifting labour from other departments, there will be no opportunity cost involved as the company has substitute labour to be used in other department on the same rate. The crucial think here will be to decide if it is cost effective to use in-house labor if they are paid on overtime basis or would it be beneficial to subcontract. Also which of the pipes, small or large should be laid by the limited labour provided. (PROCTOR, R. 2009) Variable Overheads: With increasing automation the labour hours and costs have decreased and companies have lost the traditional measure of allocating overheads and therefore activity based costing, that is assigning costs to cost drivers are now used. If company decides to complete the project in-house it will incu r variable overheads on per meter of pipe laid. Small pipe will incur ?5 while large pipe will incur ?10 on each meter of pipe laid. The variable overheads are allocated on the basis of meter, which is on the basis of activity rather than direct labour hours that is overheads are allocated on cost drivers basis. (KAPLAN & ANDERSON. 2007; HANSEN, MOWEN & GUAN, L. 2009) Fixed Overheads: Fixed overheads are irrelevant for decision making purposes and become unchanged regardless of the activity. In the scenario lease rentals are the fixed cost. These will be incurred by the company whatever decision might be taken and are irrelevant to the decision. If UGC subcontracts or undertakes the project in-house, in both the cases it has to pay the lease rentals for the machines. (WEYGANDT, KIESO & KIMME.2009; HANSEN, MOWEN, & HANSEN.2006) Detailed Analysis: UGC has decided to lay 150 meters of each type of pipe using the in-house facility. The remaining will be either subcontracted or will be d one in-house depending on the cost and availability of labour. Direct labour is the limited resource in the project and company has to take its decision subject to availability. After laying 150 meters of each type of pipe which it plans to do, UGC will be left with 72.5 hours of direct labour on normal rate and 100 hours on overtime rate of Machine E and 30 hours on normal rate and 90 hours on overtime rate of Machine J. UGC now has to decide whether to lay small pipe or large pipe in this remaining capacity. For this it shall consider the cost it will incur to outsource the pipes and the cost of utilization of labour on normal and overtime rates. It will cost UGC ?56.83/meter of small pipe and ?89.16/ meter of large pipe using the normal labour. UGC has to incur ?60.83/meter to lay small pi

Managing Stress in the Workplace Research Paper

Managing Stress in the Workplace - Research Paper Example Persistent stress in an individual is reflected on the behaviors, responses, result delivery and attitude towards different people within an organization. It is characterized by continued headache, fatigue, lack of motivation to work and deliver severe withdrawal symptoms and depression (Leka, 2003). A number of workplace events create stressful employees and this reduces the overall productivity of the employees as they exhibit severe depression and lack of motivation to work on particular assignments. Stress is caused by time-constrained events, high expectation from the employer, family and relationship problems, job security and related issues and unrealistic deadlines imposed by supervisor. It is worth noting that despite the desire by a company to achieve its objectives within a specified period, the employees are overall responsible for the implementation of the policy and they are psychological beings. Pressure increases the urgency of delivering on a specific assignment but also decreases the productivity as the employees are forced to deal with both job related stress and psychological stress because of the pressures from the employees (Lee, 2000). Stress management at the work place has been given significant time in current management practices at is affects the overall productivity of the business. ... The paper will seek to provide the best approaches that an organization can develop in the management of stress and the different roles the employees play in these approaches. This paper will also seek to persuade organizational managements that stress management begins with the development of positive policies and regulation and not necessarily the adoption of the health and safety policies (Lee, 2000). Impacts of stress to employees and employer Stress is an all round problem that affects both the employees and the employer in equal proportion since the productivity of the employee is of much concern to the employer. Employees are affected in a number of ways by stressful work environments and these have significant impacts on their personal health, work productivity and the overall stat e of wellbeing. Excessive stress affects the normal brain functioning abilities resulting into significant brain related complications on employees. The brain works well in a stable emotional envir onment where an individual views the environment positively and enjoys every moment and responsibilities assigned to them (Leka, 2003). However, stress affects the emotional balance of an employee resulting into increased depression, emotional instability and psychological trauma. This affects the normal functioning of the human brain resulting into loss of coordination and concentration for the employees. Headache, fatigue, loss of interest and concentration, loss of appetite and emotional instability and the resultant effects of stressed brain and this affects the normal health of an employee (Lee, 2000). Employees enjoy working in a free environment free of intimidation, stress, strict and punishing deadline, features that characterize stressful workplaces.

Jazz by Toni Morrison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Jazz by Toni Morrison - Essay Example Morrison is also called a historian because she writes about the African-American life long experience happened with them in American history temporally and spatially. She also depicts African-American female characters as heroes in most of her novels. Even, it is commented that she has proved herself a hero for all Americans because of her marvelous writings. Morrison experienced many tragedies in 1993. Her mother died and her home in Grand View-on-Hudson, New York, was destroyed by a fire. She also experienced a great honor when she received the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in that same year. She was the eighth woman and the first black woman to receive this ("Morrison, Toni" 2) "Morrison's enduring popularity, somewhat rare for a novelist of such high literary stature, became evident in 1996, when Song of Solomon resurfaced on bestseller lists after a push from one of Morrison's more powerful fans, the talk-show host and one-woman media empire Oprah Winfrey, who also starred in the 1998 film version of Beloved" ("Morrison, Toni" 2). After graduating from college, Morrison went on to teach English. She eventually married and started a family. She continued teaching while taking care of her family. All of her novels are woven with many themes. She communicates the sense of loss that African-Americans experienced after the end of slavery. Often Morrison's characters struggle and fail to find their true selves. They seem disconnected from their community and past. Ancestry is also evidently important to Morrison and she believes that it is characteristic of black writing. Morrison is constantly placing her characters in extreme situations that we think human beings cannot bear. These extreme conditions show their true nature. She weaves several other messages throughout her novels. She believes that to be free, one must take risks. Morrison does not advocate irresponsibility. She believes in being responsible for one's choices. She also believes that innocenc e has to be lost in order for the person to grow. The Setting of Jazz The setting of Jazz is in Harlem during the 1920s. This was a place of promise of a better life for Black Americans, which turns to disappointment for most when they get there. The city was full of excitement, chaos and energy. There were Jazz Clubs everywhere and music all the time ("Editorial Reviews" 1). The story begins with Dorcas' funeral. Violet has just tried to slash the dead girl's face with a knife. Her husband Joe had been having an affair with Dorcas and shot her after she rejected him. The overall atmosphere is bittersweet. The story is not written in a chronological order. It goes from the present, back to the past when Dorcas was still alive and back to the present again. It is written in different points of view that when put together tells a bigger story. The story is written in third person and the narrator has omniscient knowledge. (Treherne, 208) The narrator tells not only what is in the char acter's mind, but also what is going on outside of them. The narrator at times seems to not have any more control over the story than the reader. The major themes in the novel are youth versus age, music and memory. Youth versus age is one of the central themes. The main relationship in the novel is between "Joe Trace, a fifty year old man, and Dorcas, who is in her late teens" ("Jazz Major Themes" 1). Dorcas becomes a symbol of youth throughout the

Literature review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Literature review - Coursework Example l development to the economic growth and on the other Robinson (1952) and Lucas (1988) opined that financial development at most might qualify as a supplementary condition to economic growth and at times extremely over emphasized. Again, MacKinnon (1973) and Shaw (1973) provide theories on how distortion in financial market hinders growth. The present paper choses to conduct a comprehensive study of empirical literatures on financial development and economic growth nexus related with China; relates the findings with the present theories on the same domain and thereafter moves to reach a conclusion. Shan and Morris (2002) used panel data for 19 OECD countries along with China over the period 1985 to 1998 to test the association between financial development and growth through a VAR model. The empirical result obtained this way depicts weak association between financial development and economic growth and cast doubts on the much celebrated association between the two. The results obtained this way is in tune with the theoretical proposition of Robinson (1952) and Lucas (1988) who have mentioned that financial development can at most be a supplementary condition to economic growth and not the propelling factor for the same. Liang (2005) has developed a theoretical model at first referring that financial intermediaries can affect economic growth. Then the author has empirically tested the model using panel data for 29 Chinese provinces over the period 1990 to 2001 through applying GMM techniques of panel data analysis. The result obtained this way refers to the fact that financial development together with government deregulation in financial sector have contributed significantly and positively to Chinese economic growth. Regarding the theoretical support; the empirical results are in tune with theoretical propositions of Bagehot (1873), Schumpeter (1912), Hicks (1969) and Grossman and Miller (1988) regarding the relation between financial development and economic

Learning Styles Essay Example for Free

Learning Styles Essay * Did your personality spectrum profile surprise you? Why or why not? I was and was not surprised on what the results of my personality spectrum were, I have always been aware that I’m an organizer. What surprise me is that organizer is my strongest personality; I would have thought that adventurer would have been my strongest. But after reading the description of the organizer is, it all makes sense and I see why it is my strongest personality. Although adventurer is my second strongest personality, I get a relief to know that adventurer was not too away from being my strongest personality. * How can you alter your study techniques to take advantage of your particular abilities and skills as determined by the personality spectrum? Now that I know what my strongest personality is, I plan on keeping it that way and staying organized. I believe that staying organized would help me through my journey in school and in my future career, especially in the career field I chose to be in, organization is very important. Also by staying organized I will be avoiding all the stress and headaches that I will probably encounter in school and in my future career. By keeping to the results of my personality spectrum, I believe I will be taking full advantage of my abilities. * How can knowing your skills and abilities indicate on the personality spectrum help you adapt your study habits? Knowing that my skills and abilities indicate that I’m an organizer, I will be able to use that skill and better prepare myself to adapt to my study habits. By staying organized and preparing in advance, I will be able to manage my school schedule and personal schedule more efficiently and in terms I will be avoiding all unwanted stress. * How would you approach collaborative work in the future given what you now understand about your skill and abilities from the personality spectrum? The way I would approach collaborative work in the future will be, by advising our group to implement a work schedule. By having implemented a work schedule I believe that it will allow us to stay organized. By being prepared and effectively using my organizational abilities and skills will allow us to accomplish our intended goal of getting our work completed on time.

African American and Black Women Essay Example for Free

African American and Black Women Essay The article â€Å"Hip-Hop Betrayal of Black Women† was written by Jennifer McLune and appeared in Z magazine Online in the July 2006 issue. McLune argues that sexism in hip-hop’s culture is a big part and has helped make the industry what it is today. This article can be divided into 5 different sections. In the first section, she talks about Kevin Powell and how he writes how men talk about women in hip-hop. McLune goes on to say that even wealthy white boys talked about African American women in their songs, yet its okay with society. The second section she gives examples of entertainers that talk down on women and some that do not. Common, The Roots, and Talib Kweli are the artist are the artist she names that don’t talk bad about women, but they don’t stop other artist from doing so. Also they back up the artist that does degrade women so in reality they aren’t doing enough. Even black female artist are right along with the men talking about other females (McLune, 297). In the following section, McLune talks about the protest that women have done with little help to the situation. The misogyny is an attack on a woman’s character and it makes the black community looks bad as a whole (McLune, 298). The fourth section is about the acceptance of the hip-hop culture towards black women. Everyone makes excuses and tries to justify what’s going on in hip-hop, but few have actual answers to help. At a point black women writers were called traitors for writing articles and complaining about what was going on (McLune, 299). The author concludes that hip-hop thrives around the fact they bash black women and if they didn’t do this then black women would be more respected in today’s society. After careful examination of McLune’s use of rhetorical appeals, evidence of pathos, logos, and ethos were used throughout the article. McLune wrote about the discrimination of black women throughout hip-hop. The dominate rhetorical appeal used by McLune is pathos, which â€Å"is an emotional appeal that involves using language that will stair the feelings of the audience† (Hooper, etal 86). She complains about being a black woman and hearing the excuses for men when they talk about women in hip-hop and how it is just okay with society. McLune is also irate about the fact that Eve, who is a female rapper raps about women in a bad way and doesn’t seem to think that, that is not right. Another type of appeal McLune uses is logos â€Å"which demonstrates an effective use of reason and judicious use of evidence† (Hooper, etal 86). Back in the 60s it was wrong and considered unfair to demonize colored men, but yet the men in today’s society are disrespecting colored women. The author explains how record labels exploit this and benefit off of the disrespect artist show black women. The least used appeal by McLune is ethos â€Å"which establishes the speaker’s or writer’s credibility† (Hooper, etal 86). Hip-hop owes its success to woman hating. Few artist dare to be different and not speak badly about women and the ones that do, they don’t make it clear that they feel it’s disrespectful for rappers to demoralize women which is not good in itself. McLune uses evidence to support her claim, one type of evidence she uses is examples she brings up Jay-Z rap lyrics and how he talks about women in his songs, â€Å"I pimp hard on a trick, look Fuck if your leg broke bitch, hop up on your good leg. † Also talks about good rappers such as Talib Kweli and how he has been praised for his song â€Å"Black Girl Pain†, but at the same time McLune feels he isn’t fully aware of the pain a black girl goes through. Another type is when McLune uses expert opinions such as Kevin Powell, she quotes him in â€Å"Notes of a Hip Hop Head† he writes that you’d think men didn’t like women as much as they talked about them and how they refer to them as baby mommas, chickenheads, or b*****s (McLune, 297). McLune believes that hip-hop has benefitted from the woman bashing and Powell believes that it has spawned on its own terms of making something out of nothing. A third type is comparisons between other women writers that have spoke about this topic whose articles have been pushed away and they have been called traitors for refusing to be silent about the disrespect the rap community has given black women. Finally, several types of rhetorical fallacies are apparent in this article. One type is ad hominem â€Å"which refers to a personal attack on an opponent that draws attention away from the issues under consideration† (Hooper, etal 93). McLune talks about Jay-Z and his rap lyrics how they are degrading women and explains that he is one of the worst ones in the industry. Another type of fallacy is bandwagon â€Å"which is an argument saying, in effect, everyone’s doing or saying or thinking this, so you should, too† (Hooper, etal 93). For example, she says that same rappers don’t talk about women in their raps, but they don’t say anything to the rappers that do. In reality they know if they were to say something to those rappers that they probably would have a hard time getting somewhere in the rap industry. A final type of rhetorical fallacy is red herring â€Å"that means dodging the real issue by drawing attention to an irrelevant one† (Hooper, etal 95). Kevin Powell blames the negatives in hip-hop on everything but the hip-hop culture itself, he thinks it is another reason for that. McLune also talks about rap lyrics that are bad, but doesn’t bring up the good rap lyrics about women. As a result of man’s betrayal of black women in hip-hop the black women is not respected in today’s society which has been talked about in several articles. Another author who addresses this issue is Johnnetta B. Cole in â€Å"What Hip-Hop has done to Black Women† Cole explains that it has been a growing war between Black men and women since the 60s and hip-hop is a significant and influential site of contemporary gender battles (Cole 90). Both authors state that hip-hop has generated a lot of profit from the way that rap artist talk down on black women. We can follow McLune’s proposal to boycott rap music and maybe just maybe they will realize what they are saying in their songs actually have an impact on the black community and that to make things better artist have to respect woman. Music is a big part in everyday life and it would be hard to get everybody on the same page as to boycott it, but something must happen because black women do need to be treated much better by black men. If society can manage to boycott rap music then artist would be forced to listen to the peoples concern and change their music for the better (McLune, 300). Works Cited Cole, Johnnetta B. â€Å"What hip-hop has done to Black women. † Ebony Mar. 2007: 90. Print. Hooper, M. Clay, Teta Banks, D. Marzette, Beth Arnette Wade. Eds. Analytical Writing: A Guide to College Composition I. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. 2011. Print. McLune, Jennifer. â€Å"Hip-Hop’s Betrayal of Black Women. † Analytical Writing: A Guide to College Composition I. Ed. M. Clay Hooper, Teta Banks, D. Marzette, Beth Arnette Wade. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2011. 296-300. Print.

Chapter two homework

Chapter two homework Chapter Two Homework 1. What are some typical technical goals for organizations today? Scalability, availability, Performance, Security, Usability, manageability, adaptability, affordability. 2. What does availability mean? Its can be expressed as a percent uptime per year, month, week, day, or hour compared to the total time in that period. It does also be expressed as a mean time between failure (MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR). 3. If a network is up for 835 hours in five weeks, what is the availability? In the week = 24 x 7 = 168 hour in one week So, 168 x 5 = 840 hour So the availability is 835 / 840 = 0.994 x 100 = 99.4 % 4. Using the five nines availability, what is the down time in second per four weeks? One weeks in second = 60 x 60 x 24 x 7 = 604800 second 4 Weeks = 604800 x 4 = 2419200 second Availability = 1 0.99999 = 0.000001 second So the downtime is 0.000001 * 2419200 = 24.192 second. 5. What does the term hot-swapping means, and what the reasons for using it? 6. A customer requires 99.999% availability, how would you carry out maintenance for such a network? Assume that hot-swapping is not possible 7. What are the typical bit error rate BER of a fiber link copper link? 8. If a load is 115kbps where a packet switch needs to transmit it over an ISDN circuit (128kbps), what is the utilization? How many packets in the queue? Utilization = 115/128 = 0.898% Average number of packets in queue = (0.898) / 1-0.898) = 8,804 Packets 9. How do bandwidth and throughput differ? Bandwidth: is a data carrying capacity of a circuit, usually specified in bits per second Throughput is the quantity of error free data transmitted per unit of time, usually specified in packets per second 10. How can one improve network efficiency? More the packet is larger more the efficiency of the network will be. 11. What are the security threats if a network device is compromised? Data flowing through the network can be intercepted, analyzed, altered, or deleted, compromising integrity and confidentiality. Additional, related network services, which rely on trust among network devices, can be compromised. For example, bad routing data or incorrect authentication information could be injected into the network. User passwords can be compromised and used for further intrusions and perhaps to reach out and attack other networks. The configuration of the device can be altered to allow connections that shouldnt be allowed or to disallow connections that should be allowed. 12. What tradeoffs may be necessary in order to improve network efficiency? Implementing good throughput for one application might cause delay problems for another application. The cause of the efficiency of the (network) throughput is the packet size, so if one application have large packet size to make it efficiency the other packet for another application may dont have capacity on the network. 13. Redundancy is not one of the network goals, what is meant by redundancy? Explain to what network goal is related and why? Redundancy means adding duplicate links or devices to a network to avoid downtime. Redundancy is linked to Availability, but redundancy is not a network goal, but redundant network topologies are becoming more and more significant for many networks design client who want to make certain business continuity after a major fault or disaster.

Equality: Free at Last! Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and, therefore, brothers.† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached this to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I found this to be true on a trip I took to the Deep South with a group I am in called Operation Understanding Hampton Roads. OUHR promotes the interaction between Jewish and African American students in order to learn about each others cultures. In the Deep South, my OUHR group visited several cities which were significant to the civil rights movement, such as Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, and Atlanta. Since I have grown up in a racially tolerant house, I felt I had nothing to gain from the trip besides an enjoyably week with my new OUHR friends. Much to my surprise, it was in these cities where I learned the true meaning of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words. It is important to be a participant in life rather than a bystander hel d fast by prejudice and convention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The city that changed my perspective the most was Birmingham, Alabama. Our tour guide showed me the light. We arrived in Birmingham in the pouring rain and stopped in front of an old church on 16th street. Suddenly, a very warm and hearty woman’s voice rang over the speaker in the bus; â€Å"Aight boo’s, er’rybody best get off this bus befo’ I start crackin’ em!† This was my first glimpse of Joanne Bland. She lined my group up on the stairs to what we soo... Equality: Free at Last! Essay -- essays research papers â€Å"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and, therefore, brothers.† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached this to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church. I found this to be true on a trip I took to the Deep South with a group I am in called Operation Understanding Hampton Roads. OUHR promotes the interaction between Jewish and African American students in order to learn about each others cultures. In the Deep South, my OUHR group visited several cities which were significant to the civil rights movement, such as Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham, and Atlanta. Since I have grown up in a racially tolerant house, I felt I had nothing to gain from the trip besides an enjoyably week with my new OUHR friends. Much to my surprise, it was in these cities where I learned the true meaning of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words. It is important to be a participant in life rather than a bystander hel d fast by prejudice and convention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The city that changed my perspective the most was Birmingham, Alabama. Our tour guide showed me the light. We arrived in Birmingham in the pouring rain and stopped in front of an old church on 16th street. Suddenly, a very warm and hearty woman’s voice rang over the speaker in the bus; â€Å"Aight boo’s, er’rybody best get off this bus befo’ I start crackin’ em!† This was my first glimpse of Joanne Bland. She lined my group up on the stairs to what we soo...

Effective Media Communications In a Technologically Advanced Society Es

Effective Media Communications In a Technologically Advanced Society The first appointment of an individual to a position similar to that of today's local government manager occurred in 1908 in Staunton, Virginia, where a â€Å"general manager† was employed to oversee the administrative functions of the municipality (http://www.icma.org ). In 1908, technology in the United States was thought to be visionary. Cameras were available to take photos. Newspapers were read across the country. Magazines were coming of age. Newspapers challenged local leaders daily. From the smallest communities to large metropolitan communities, newspapers competed for the news of the day. Reporters put pressure on local leaders as they covered national and local politics. Newspapers were the main resource for communicating with the public. Eastman’s marketing of his Kodak camera in 1888 opened a new era. Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope of 1889 used Eastman film to produce a 50-foot peep show and by 1896 his Vitascope was used for the first public showing in the U.S. theater of a moving picture show (Emery 191). From 1915-1925, radios also became another venue for politicians and leaders to be put in the public spotlight. Governmental leaders might have believed they were under intense media scrutiny with the daily questioning from newspaper and magazine reporters. These leaders had it easy when compared to the mediums used today by the modern media. City and county managers have access to the highest level of technology ever available in the history of mankind. These technologies can be used to better communication with the public. In fact, our technologically advanced society is going to force no... ...c Journalism. The Pew Center for Civic Journalism. www.pewcenter.org Emery, Michael. The Press and America (Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1992) p. 191. Finberg, Howard I. Editor and Publisher. We Need Multimedia, Instant Publishing Dec. 13, 2001 International City/County Management Association Website. www.icma.org. Insiders Guide to Using Information in Government, Technology Area; Center for Technology in Government. http://www.ctg.albany.edu/guides/usinginfo/Technology/technology.htm Is Your Local Government Plugged In? Highlights of the Electronic Government 2000 Survey Conducted by the International City/County Management Association (revised 3/7/01). www.icma.org. Yudof, Mark G., When Government Speaks: Politics, Law, and Government Expression in America (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983) p. 16.

Early American Literature By Stephen Crane And Robert E. Lee About War :: essays research papers

Early American Literature by Stephen Crane and Robert E. Lee About War American Literature consisted of many well known writers. These writers wrote excellent pieces of literature which are widely read today. These writers wrote about some aspect of American life, and they depicted America very well. Some of these writers are Stephen Crane and Robert E. Lee. Lee wasn't exactly a writer, but he wrote a good piece of literature which really showed the peoples attitude during this time. War was a major topic in American Literature. During this time America was just developing and many wars occurred. The wars affected the people and their everyday lives because many of their loved ones were dying. The Americans didn't like war and they were tired of sending their people out to war. Two authors that conveyed this war time really well were Stephen Crane and Robert E. Lee. Stephen Crane depicted the attitudes of Americans at that time really well. In his poem "War Is Kind" he shows us how tired Americans were of war. This poem is very strong and emotional because he gives us mental images of how horrible war is. In this piece Crane keeps repeated "war is kind". These three words really show how he and other Americans felt about war. He is not saying that war is good. He is saying this in a sarcastic way. For example, he talks about how peoples loved ones are dying. And then later he says "Do not weep. War is Kind." In this poem he really shows us that Americans were really tired of war. In the "Letter to His Son" Robert E. Lee also depicts his attitude, as well as other Americans, towards war very well. Many Americans hated war, but still some were very patriotic. Robert E. Lee was definitely one of them. In this letter he talks about how he hates war but he will fight for his country if he has to. Many Americans at this time felt this way.

English as the Official Language Essay

For so many years in the world, it is undeniable that the English language has been used as a medium of communication. Many countries are using the English language for its people to understand each other. Today, the American English is peculiarly influential, due to the fact that the United States has become the center of excellence in terms of popular music, television programs, business and technology, film making and many others (â€Å"History of the English Language†). Although there are myriad kinds of English language spoken around the world like Australian English, Indian English and Canadian English, the dominance of the English language is the primary reason that its utilization as an official language in the United States of America should be pushed through. Therefore, it is claimed in this paper that it is proper and tenable for the American English to be considered and approved by the government as the official language of the United States of America. There are three major reasons why it is proper for the American English to be approved as the official language of the United States of America. First, American English is widely used in many countries in the world that makes the United States of America as a melting pot of many races. Second, the American English is the best communicative tool for the understanding of individuals in terms of political, economic, spiritual, physical and educational development. Third, it has been proven for so many years that the use of America English has caused improvement of the country in general. With that, it cannot be denied that the most influential and dominant language in the world is American English. The Dominance of the American English Language American English is widely used in many countries in the world that makes the United States of America as a melting pot of many races. There are many people around the world who have chosen to migrate in the United States of America. The reasons of their migration are to find a greener pasture or to enjoy the freedom and affluence that they can get in the country by chance or opportunity. The country is known for its democratic and representative governance, such that many races are confident enough that America can make their dreams come true. In connection with that, speaking the American English language is an indispensable tool to become a successful immigrant in the country. Therefore, majority of immigrants are also speaking the same language as used by the Americans, making the language the most widely used communicative tool in the land. A study was conducted by the U. S. Census Bureau and released findings that literacy and fluency in English is necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency (Burt 1). Immigrants who can speak well in American English language are most likely profitable in their jobs and business while staying in the United States. Since almost 22% who held jobs in the United States are foreign-born, their ability to speak English has a great impact on the economic improvement of the country (Burt 1). That is the main reason why immigrants wanted to learn English as a second language, which adds to the dominance of the same language in the United States of America. Is it not a sign of additional resources for the economic and political progress of the country? Yes, it is. The numerous foreign-born workers in the country contribute to the economic development in one way or another. The native-born workers and businessmen can communicate well with immigrants adding more chances for economic improvements.  Ã‚     Hence, making the American English Language as official in the United States is proper. American English Language: The Best Communicative Tool The American English is the best communicative tool for the understanding of individuals in terms of political, economic, cultural, spiritual, physical and educational development. It has been said that a language is a systematic medium of communication through the use of sounds or conventional symbols (Manivannan 1). For so many years, the American English has been considered as one of the principal assets of the country for political, economic, cultural, spiritual, physical and educational development. There are myriad reasons why American English language is the best communicative tool in the whole world. In order to conduct political activities such as elections, foreign affairs, decision-making and policy-making, the use of the American English language is necessary. Journals and books on business matters and other economic conditions are generally printed in American English language, which makes all the people to learn the language. Tourists are enthusiastic to learn the same language because it could help them in enjoying the wonderful sites of the country. The enjoyment of American literature depicted in films and television programs reached across many nations which is the means for other races to learn the richness of the American culture. The American invasion is still effective by the dominance of our language which makes our products and services appealing to the whole world. Aside from that, there are many students in other countries who wanted to study in the United States of America. Their contribution in the academe is very important as well as their willingness to learn the language. Hence, all the people who live in America become united due to the influence and dominance of the American English language. Do we need to prevent the approval in making the American English language the official one, knowing that it is useful to us? No, we cannot afford to do so. Therefore, the arguments to support the approval of making the American English language as official are meritorious. The Advantages of the American English Language It is not denied that the American language is a principal asset for political and economic development of the country. The English language is also used as a preferred language for the conveyance of international business and scientific studies (Lian 1). In addition, it is easy to sell American products for American English language is widely used in advertisements and promotions worldwide. A foreign-born individual mentioned that, being fluent in American English is a ladder to successful business and other carrier endeavors (â€Å"The Importance of English in Modern World†). We were able to attract many intelligent individuals through the English language and everything we have is a standard for other countries. In all aspects in life, the said language is useful and also pervasive that it reaches in all parts of the world. Conclusion We are all fortunate to have a language that makes our country a center of commerce, excellence in education and culture and influential in politics. Our country is a strategic place because the American English is widely used in many countries in the world that makes the United States of America as a melting pot of many races. Since the American English is the best communicative tool for the understanding of individuals in terms of political, economic, spiritual, physical and educational development, we are confident that we remain in power all over the world. Finally, the use of America English has caused improvement of our country in general. As conclusion, there is still no doubt that making the English American language as official in the United States of America is proper and meritorious.   Works Cited Burt, Miriam. â€Å"Issues in Improving Immigrant Worker’s English Language Skills†. December 2003. 2 February 2009 â€Å"History of the English Language†. 2009. English Club. 2 February 2009 . Lian Li, Khaw. 2008. Khawlilian. 2 February 2009 < http://www.khawlilian.com/>. Manivannan, G. 2006. Using English Website. 2 February 2009 < http://www. usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/importance-english-language.html>. â€Å"The Importance of English in Modern World†. 17 November 2007. MSN Content Website. 2 February 2009 .

“Non dare call it education” by John A. Stormer: a review

The vast majority of American children are educated in public schools. Now, many parents start asking themselves: what’s happening to our schools. Why do schools produce children, who are unable to read, write or calculate, why do schoolchildren risk to be killed in shooting, what are the reasons for dramatic fall of moral between American teenagers. The book â€Å"Non Dare Call It Education† by John A. Stormer was aimed to investigate the adverse events, which take place in the public schools throughout America. The author brings in â€Å"horrible examples† of ignorance, illiteracy, criminal activities (including shooting at schools), alcoholism, drug addiction, moral downfall, early pregnancies and other failures inside our educational institutions. Having analyzed statistics, tests data and newspaper reports, witnessing the above stated, the author makes a conclusion, that American educational system appeared in a state of deep crisis, caused by crude educational innovations. Stormer determines two basic reasons for degeneracy of school system. The first reason is simplification and primitivization of teaching process. For example, no attention is longer paid to correct spelling. Children are encouraged to guess how words are pronounced and written, when they look at the pictures in spite of being taught to read and write the word. Correct spelling in such approach is said to be a work of computer. Mathematics textbooks teach children, that correct calculation is also not important, because it can be done by computers, so children are tolled to guess of the result, not to count it by themselves[1]. Downfall of students educational level results in downfall of teachers level. Stormer brings an example of Massachusetts’ testing for incoming teachers in 1998, where 56% of candidates failed. In order to help more teachers pass, the State Board of Education had to lower the standards of tests[2]. The second problem with recent educational reforms is that even the smartest children have to undergo manipulative techniques, which change their thinking values. They have to adopt faulty â€Å"humanistic† and â€Å"universal† values, to become future leaders of â€Å"new social order†. Stormer points, that there are many devoted teachers at schools, however, the system of education itself is ill due to government attempts not only to educate, but to change the thoughts and feelings of students to make them â€Å"correct†. The most destructive element of such manipulative changes, as Stormer believes, is undermining of traditional values, resulting in destructive social processes. Comparing textbooks, which were issued 40 years ago and modern ones, the author pointed 12 basic values, which appeared to be undermined, including marriage an family, paternal authority, substitution of situational ethics with absolute terms of good and bad, change of attitude towards national independence and sovereignty. In chapter 2 he gives an example of Illinois State Board of Education, which gave a test to 11th grade students in Illinois schools with provoking questions about their sexual behavior. The tests caused much public indignation, and the newspapers blamed, that educational bureaucrats were â€Å"determined to force their vision of permissive sex education on parents and students – even when the vision conflicts with Illinois law†. However, almost no reaction of authorities followed, and an information was passed, that the Illinois State Board of Education acted under instructions of supreme bodies[3]. Stormer specially notices, that he does not write about a conspiracy, because educational reforms are conducted openly with a declared aim to substitute intellectual development with vocational development. Public schools are substituted with Schools-to-Work. As Henry Hyde a Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee noticed, â€Å"Behavior modification is a significant part of restructuring our schools. School children will be trained to be â€Å"politically correct,† to be unbiased, to understand diversity, to accept â€Å"alternative life-styles..[4].† The modification of school system under Stormer is a systematic action, openly and deliberately conducted by the government to change the entire American society. The main value of the book is that it attracts attention to the destructive phenomena in our education and provides a good factual summary of such phenomena. Stormer attempts to explain those trends systematically and in a way succeeds. However, he does not provide any strategy of actions to overcome the situation. The book is written from traditional position and attributes all failures to â€Å"undermined values† and government efforts, not taking other factors into account, such as massive migration of poorly educated persons or objective factors of social change in the postindustrial era.   Moreover, the book concentrates only on the worst things, not analyzing positive effects of educational reforms, therefore, it appears to be a little overweighted. References John A. Stormer (1998), None Dare Call It Education, Florissant MO, Liberty Bell Press [1] John A. Stormer (1998), None Dare Call It Education, Florissant MO, Liberty Bell Press, p.- 17 [2] John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p- 21 [3] John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p-56 [4] John A. Stormer (1998), supra note, p-117

Change Process Theories

Change Process Theories: A Review Outline Introduction Four types of Organizational Change Theories: Van de Ven and Poole †¢ Dialectical: Kurt Lewin †¢ Evolution: o Lippitt, Watson, and Wesley o Bartlett and Kayser †¢ Teleology: o Edgar Schein o Prochaska and DiClemente †¢ Life Cycle: Ichak Adizes Conclusion Introduction An enduring quest of management scholars is to explain how and why organizations change. The processes of change or sequences of events have been difficult to define, let alone manage. Researchers have borrowed many concepts from many fields of study, including sociology, biology, and physics. Van de Ven and Poole (1995) proposed four categories of organizational change: dialectical, evolution, teleological and life cycle. Dialectical theory is the development of an organization through the conflict, competition, and/or collaboration of internal or external interests, wherein the status quo is changed regardless of the overall benefit or detriment to the organization. Evolutionary theory views organizational change as the cumulative change brought about through the continuous cycle of variation, selection and incorporation, and retention, caused by competition for scarce resources, environmental change or imposed conditions. Teleology is the purposeful development of an organization towards a defined end result or in line with a predetermined collective ideology by means of repetitive sequences of goal definition, implementation, evaluation and modification. Finally, Life Cycle theory is the linear, organic development of an organization from a homogenous, undefined entity to a differentiated, structured entity through accumulated experiences arising from the pressure of external events as mediated by internal logic, rules or programs. Within these four categories, I present six theories of organizational change to illustrate the underlying concepts within each category. Dialectical Theory Kurt Lewin is widely regarded as one of the pioneers in the study of change processes. A social scientist, Lewin postulated that human behavior is based on a relatively stationary equilibrium of two groups of forces. While driving forces facilitate change by pushing in the desired direction, counterforces known as restraining forces immediately sprout to hinder the change. When a significant change in these forces occurs, behavior must also shift to maintain equilibrium. After equilibrium is reached, the new behaviors gradually become the standard for maintaining the status quo. Lewin described this process in his article, Frontiers in Group Dynamics: â€Å"A change toward a higher level of group performance is frequently short lived; after a â€Å"shot in the arm† group life soon returns to the previous level. This indicates that it does not suffice to define the objective of planned change in group performance as the reaching of a different level. Permanency of the new level, or permanency for a desired period, should be included in the objective. A successful change includes, therefore, three aspects: unfreezing (if necessary) the present level, moving to the new level, and freezing group life on the new level† (p 34). The Evolutionary Theories Lippitt, Watson, and Westley expanded on Lewin’s work by introducing the idea of a relationship between the change agent and the ‘client’ or organization to be changed. Lippitt et al. ’s theory proposes seven phases. The first phase focuses on developing a need for change. A client must not only be aware of a problematic situation, but must believe a better state of affairs is possible, and that the change agent (whether a consultant or method) is relevant and available. Phase two is the establishment of a change relationship. As with any human relationship, one of the most delicate yet absolutely crucial elements in forming the change relationship is the first impression. â€Å"Often the client system seems to be seeking assurance that the potential change agent is different enough from the client system to be a real expert and yet enough like it to be horoughly understandable and approachable† (Lippitt et al. p 134). Phases three, four, and five are an elaboration on Lewin’s moving stage, and can be grouped together under the heading: moving toward change. These straightforward phases are (3) Clarification or Diagnosis of the client’s problem (4) Examination of the Alternative Routes and Goals and Establishing Goals and Intention s of Action, and (5) Transformation of Intentions into Actual Change Efforts. Lippitt et al. return to Lewin’s Refreezing stage with phase six: The generalization and stabilization of change. A critical factor in the stabilization of change is the spread of change to neighboring systems. A change is much more likely to be retained if reinforced by colleagues’ usage. The final phase, achieving a terminal relationship, focuses on preventing a dependency on the change agent for support and developing a form of client self-reliance for future problem-solving. Lippitt et al. issue a final caution, noting that the seven phases present are not always sequential, and the phases can overlap or repeat themselves throughout the change process. Bartlett and Kayser (1973) propose that successful change depends on a reactive redistribution of power within the structure of an organization. This power redistribution optimally occurs through a six phase series of stimuli and reactions. Stimulus 1: Pressure on top management takes the form of both internal pressure (such as union strikes, low productivity, high costs or interdepartmental conflict) and external pressure (such as lower sales, stockholder discontent, or a competitor's breakthrough. When these pressures offset one another, e. g. high sales despite employee grumbling, there is little incentive for top management to induce change. However, when internal and external pressures are aligned, Reaction 1: Arousal to take action senior management seeks a consultant or other diagnostic tool to discover the problem. Stimulus 2: Intervention at the top – While long-term managers tend to look for individuals and groups to blame, â€Å"outsiders† tend to see the org anizational structure or processes as equally likely culprits. The â€Å"outsider†, presumably hired and respected for his expert ability to improve organizational practices, is in an ideal position to Reaction 2: Reorient top management to internal problems. In order to Stimulus 3: Diagnose problem areas effectively, top management speaks with multiple levels of the organization. This step largely determines the success of the change. Top menagers who only consult their immediate subordainates gather little to no new data. Managers who conduct a comprehensive hierarchy-spanning feedback search not only acquiremore information but have a positive reinforcing effect on the change to come. By consulting all hierarchy levels, managers achieve employee buy-in, drawing employees to believe that not is management itself willing to change, but actual important problems are being acknowledged and ideas from lower levels are being valued by upper levels (Bartlett and Kaser, 1973, p. 58). In contrast, manager who take a unilateral approach are making changes based on limited viewpoints with little to no employee buy-in. Perhaps even worse is the CEO who delegates the change to a subordinate, who potentially has less information, less clout within the organization, and the lingering uncertainty that top management isn't sincere about the change. Reaction 3: Recognition of specific problems found through the diagnosis process will cause deliberation resulting in the Stimulus 4: Invention of a new solution. Suggestions for solutions can be gathered in phase 3. Barlett and Kayser place particular importance on group collaboration for generating potential solutions. Through this collaboration, there is greater Reaction 4: Commitment to the new courses of action. Stimulus 5: Experimentation with new solutions inevitably produces occasional setbacks and/or outright failure. During this period, the multi-level employee endorsement of change becomes critical as the organization Reaction 5: Reviews the results of the change. While non-effective ‘solutions' are thrown out, effective solutions are propagated and expanded. Ideally, the quietly discarded solutions only briefly demoralize their advocates, while the retained superior solutions have an infectiously positive effect. Finally, this Stimulus 6: Reinforcement from positive results ushers in a full scale Reaction 6: Acceptance of the new practices. Teleological Theories Edgar Schein further defined Lewin's three stage theory, proposing that the Unfreezing stage can be subdivided into three steps: Disconfirmation, Induction of Guilt or â€Å"survival anxiety†, and Creation of Psychological Safety. Disconfirmation is characterized by the dissatisfaction and/or frustration with the current state of affairs. Survival anxiety occurs when the dissatisfiers are accepted as valid and linked to the nonattainment of goals. The primary restraining force at this stage is learning anxiety – having to admit that the current behaviors are â€Å"wrong† and the additional fear that attempting a new process may result in failure and a loss of esteem. The Creation of Psychological Safety step is the addressing and overcoming of this fear. Schein further subdivided Lewin’s theory by splitting the moving process into three phases. The first phase, Cognitive Redefinition is typified by organizational members discovering that the definitions, concepts and other anchors previously relied upon are not absolutes. While the unfreezing stages create motivation for change, the second phase, termed Imitation and Identification with a Role Model, determines whether the change is beneficial or harmful, depending on the role model chosen. However, if there are no attractive role models, the third phase, Scanning of Alternatives and Trial and Error, comes into play. Occasionally, if there is sufficient psychological safety, spontaneous insight into a solution may occur. This spontaneous insight is highly valuable because such insights often take into account both stated and hidden unique obstacles to a change, unlike process consultants who often can only address the stated barriers. With regard to the Refreezing stage, Schein notes that the new behaviors must be at least somewhat compatible with the remaining behaviors or the cycle of disconfirmation may restart, potentially reversing the progress made, or devolving into an endless cycle of new behaviors. Prochaska et al (1992) developed a change behavior model for the health care field which has gradually been extended to other disciplines. Much like Lewin's model, their model defines the general process of change. Unlike Lewin, Prochaska et al. present their five stages of behavioral change as cyclical in nature rather than as a simple progression. Please see figure 1. Precontemplation (PC) is the stage at which there is no intention to change behavior in the near future. Typically, an external force such as a lawsuit or technological advancement occurs to push an organization into the next stage. Contemplation (C) is the stage where the problem or undesirable behavior is recognized, and serious consideration is given to change the behavior. This stage is characterized by the weighing of current opportunity costs against the actual costs of modifying the problem. Preparation (PP) is a stage that combines intention and initial attempts to change behaviors. The organization intends a full transformation of the indicated ‘problem behaviors' in the very near future. The cessation of undesirable behaviors and embrace of the new behaviors marks the advent of the Action (A) stage. The Maintenance (M) stage is often, and incorrectly, viewed as a static stage. In truth, this stage is the continuation and reinforcement of the new behaviors. This stage becomes particularly pertinent when the initial attitude of ‘new and improved' begins wearing thin and organizational members consciously or subconsciously attempt to return to the ‘old and trusted' methods. This backslide can continue (precontemplation) until the problem is once again addressed (contemplation). Life Cycle Theory In his 1998 book, Adizes presents one of the clearest descriptions and in depth refinements of Life Cycle organizational development models to date. Based on ten sequential stages of development, he addresses the attitudes, issues, and threats at each stage of life. These life stages are categorized into the growing phase, second birth and coming of age, and aging organizations. Please see figure 2 for reference. (In the interest of brevity, a few potential alternative stages have been omitted. ) The Growing Phase begins with the courtship stage where the organization is only an idea in the founder’s mind. At this time, the founder is building inspirational momentum – revving his courage so that when the time comes to make the decision to take the risk, he has the internal commitment to survive the external doubts and hardships. During the courtship stage, this commitment determines whether the idea will result in a healthy organizational child or if it is merely an affair, a momentary infatuation with entrepreneurship. Once the risk has been undertaken, the nature of the organization mutates drastically. At this Infancy stage of the organization, there is an overriding emphasis on doing rather than thinking; thinking of new products may be useful in the future, but sale of current products ensures a future will exist. The organization is incredibly personal, with little hierarchy. Formal procedures are non-existent except for those imposed by outside forces, i. e. laws and government regulation. Like an infant, the organization requires periodic infusion of milk (cash) and the constant tending of its creator. The period of infancy is necessarily short. The energy level required plateaus as brand loyalty builds, suppliers stabilize, and the production problems are no longer a daily crisis: the baby begins sleeping through the night. The infant organization moves into the Go-Go stage. With the idea working, ends meeting, and sales flourishing the founder and the organization become arrogant. The struggle to survive fades to the back of the mind and every opportunity becomes a priority: after all, if one dream came true, why not other dreams as well? The toddler shoves every opportunity into its mouth, without regard for nutritional value. Whereas in the infancy stage there was no hierarchy, the Go-Go stage begins development of a structure. At the beginning of the stage, the responsibilities are shared and many tasks overlap: the organization is organized around the people not the tasks. The CEO risks falling into the Founders Trap: failing to realize the organization has moved beyond a one-man show, that decentralization and delegation have become imperative. The signs of imminent crisis, the arrogance, uncontrolled growth, lack of structure and centralized decision making, are obfuscated by soaring sales, overconfidence from success, and the residual stubbornness of an entrepreneur fighting for his dream. When the crisis hits, the company falters and a second birth occurs. The Second Birth and Coming of Age Phase begins with Adolescence: an awkward period that is more painful and prolonged than infancy. Like a teenager trying to establish independence from his family, the adolescent organization’s characteristic behaviors include conflict and inconsistency. In delegating, the founder must content himself with offering advice instead of taking control: he must allow his organizational child to make mistakes in order to learn from them. Gradually, the organization establishes its sovereignty, with the occasional clash with ‘old management’. This can precipitate a divorce, especially if the founder decides that the organization's goals have become incompatible with his own. The adolescent organization experiences a shift from merely generating more sales, to generating better sales with less overhead and more profit. When the overall structure of the administration stabilizes and leadership roles become institutionalized, the organization moves to the next stage of development: Prime. Prime is the optimum point on the life cycle curve, combining the vision and aggressiveness of a Go-Go with the structure solidified in Adolescence to back it up. This is not to say that a company in its prime has stopped growing, but that growth has become planned and controlled. The challenge of Prime is to continue the momentum, and not become complacent and ride the inertial growth from previous stages. If a Prime organization does not refuel this momentum, organizational vitality will level off, and will enter the stage called Stable, the end of growth and the beginning of decline. The Stable stage is first in the Aging Phase in the organizational life cycle. The organization slowly loses flexibility; the persistent sense of urgency departs and is replaced with a feeling of security in the relatively stable market share acquired over the years. Several changes slip in: the developmental spending budget grows while the product and market research budgets decline, management training is substituted for management development, and there is a power shift to the finance department from engineering, marketing, or research and development. Despite these changes, there is markedly less conflict in the Stable stage. There are no major transitional events in the Aging phase as there were in the Growing phase. Instead, there is a slow process of deterioration. As the organization draws back from personalized attention to each client, it slides into Aristocracy. The organization is often cash rich, leading organizational members to misclassify themselves as in the prime stage. â€Å"Don’t make waves† becomes the company motto, and uniformity of thought, dress, and address becomes the norm. While Bob and Mary may be on a first name basis outside of the office, or behind closed doors, during meetings it is inevitably Mr. Smith and Ms. Jones. Another notable communication change is that focus is placed on how something was said, rather than what is said. Because of the organizational taboo against sparking conflict, consultants are brought in to give voice to the deadly trend of expecting external forces to increase market share without the executives having to admit anything. The consultant reports are often read, but ignored until the advent of Early Bureaucracy. With revenues and profits plummeting and a high turnover of good people, the Early Bureaucracy witch hunt begins. Internal conflict, back stabbing and paranoia obliterate any remaining customer focus. The organization focuses on who caused a problem rather than on what to do about it. The remaining creative individuals jump ship or are fired as though they were the source of the problems. The organization has two options remaining: Bureaucracy or Death. If a company is subsidized or nationalized, it has attached itself to life support: autonomic (administrative) functions are kept moving, but the vital spark from the infancy stage has been extinguished. The organization has become a Bureaucracy; its only purpose is to perpetuate its existence. Eventually, through internal decision making or government reallocation of funds, the organization quietly dies. Conclusion As theories develop, they become more specific and therefore more limited in scope. Scholars examining these theories develop a form of tunnel vision, and can become stymied by unexplainable behavior outside their specialty. Van de Ven and Poole's taxonomy of change theory types helps to reacquaint researchers with the wide variety of possibilities. Further research on the meta-analysis of change theories is indicated. References Adizes, Ichak. (1988). Corporate Lifecycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to do About It. Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs: New Jersey. Armenakis, Achilles and Bedeian, Arthur. (1999). Organizational Change: A Review of Theory and Research in the 1990s. Journal of Management. 25. 293 – 315. Bartlett, Alton and Kayser, Thomas. (1973). Changing Organizational Behavior. Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs: New Jersey Lewin, Kurt. (1947). Frontiers in Group Dynamics. Human Relations. 1. 5-41. Prochaska, James, DiClement, Carlo, and Norcross, John. In Search of How People Change: Applications to Addicitive Behaviors. American Psychologist. 47. 1102 – 1114. Romanelli, Elaine. (1991). The Evolution of New Organizational Forms. Annual Review of Sociology. 17. 79-103. Retrieved November 29, 2006 from JSTOR. http://links. jstor. org/ sici? sici=0360-0572%281991%2917%3C79%3ATEONOF%E2. 0. CO%3B2-M Van de Ven, Andrew. (1995). Explaining Development and Change in Organizations. Academy of Management Review. 20. 510-540.