Thursday, October 31, 2019

Business Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Strategy - Assignment Example Among the elements research here include self-driving cars and augmented reality glasses. While Google is currently an industry leader, it has received criticism from analysts who argue that the shift between eras of technology will be too great for Google to organizationally manage (Jackson 2012). This essay considers strategic means by which Google can manage the next major paradigm change in technology and ensure its long-term subsistence. Analysis While Google, Inc. will undoubtedly encounter steep challenges in maintaining its industry position in the upcoming decade, this strategic analysis argues there are ways the organization can remain highly competitive. One of the most prominent considerations in terms of long-term strategic management is leadership. Chen & Hambrich (2012) argue that one of the primary determinants of organizational success is successful leadership. Within this spectrum of understanding it is necessary for Google to ensure their leadership and management approach is strategically established. A considerable amount of research has been devoted to Steve Jobs and his organizational contributions to Apple, Inc. Researchers note that his arrogance may have contributed to Job’s ability to inspire others by getting them to view Apple as not just a company, but also a personal mission (Isaacson). What emerges is a consistent articulation of Job’s personality and leadership approach as implementing brash arrogance and perfectionism to advance his overarching vision; as such, Job’s is not entirely concerned with the intricate programming details, but with driving and shaping vertical and horizontal expansion. Such an approach has also been recognized as successful with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. One considers that in terms of leadership theory his approach is largely akin to a charismatic leadership style, as Oliver leverages his intensity for the business to inspire the employees around him (Godwin 2012). There are a n umber of ways that Google can implement the success of these individuals. Their approach could be implemented in different management contexts in Google through ensuring that the organization’s mission and purpose is aligned in a socially responsible way. While Google currently has the ‘Don’t Be Evil’ motto, it’s necessary they further implement such social responsibility. This would encourage employee identification with the leader and the organization’s larger evangelical purposes. Notably, such an evangelical approach has prominently emerged in technology companies such as Apple, Inc. and to a lesser extent Facebook, both of which have achieved great success. While strategic management considerations are essential to Google’s long-term success, it’s also necessary to consider specific business maneuvers. Indeed, Hannan & Freeman (1989) argue that one of the primary reasons organizations fail is because of the large ecological business environment in which they operate. While it’s impossible to specifically predict the future in terms of Internet search, there are a number of strategic directions that Google must pursue as a means of not being left behind in their organizational environment. This strategic analysis specifically argues that future contexts of Internet search will emerge at the intersection of mobile/tablet technology, social media, and customized data analysis. Currently Internet search results in

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The Vodafone New Zealand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Vodafone New Zealand - Essay Example The company charged an exorbitant $3.5 for one music track. Phone battery and storage capacity were also written off as substandard. The company’s arch-rival Telecom NZ registered 60% revenue growth in the same service segment over the review period.Vodafone was relying on its 3G services for sustaining its market leadership position. However, its cellular networks need overhauling for seamless services.Number Availability: Telecom has an edge over VNZ regarding number availability on its 027 networks. While Telecom has nearly ten million numbers in its available pool VNZ has roughly three million. GPRS Speed Limitations: Vodafone’s slogan-â€Å"GPRS Business at full throttle† is somewhat misleading, as speed is a major limitation of its GPRS mobile data network. The average mobile data speed varies between 20 to 50 Kbps to and from wireless mobile devices over the Vodafone network. Therefore, it is too slow for transfer of files like word documents or powerpoint presentations; it could take anything fro eight to ten minutes for a one-megabyte transfer. Yet again, Telecom has an edge over Vodafone when it comes to the speed factor. The average speed of Telecom’s JetStream mobile service is nearly twice as that of Vodafone, - it peaks over100kbps.Vodafone’s GPRS limitations are aggravated by a clogged network. Solution developers suggest the use of compression technology and building intelligence into server environment so that information packets can be transferred keeping costs and transmission light and quick.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Lynn university Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lynn university - Essay Example This makes her independent of her mother and she starts off well on her own. Then she refuses the prime ministers request that he should name her new ladies in waiting leading to his resignation. Riots in the streets arise amongst other constitutional crisis matters. It is Albert who rises to the occasion and restores her self confidence. Having been impressed by Albert’s philanthropy in relation to her desire to help her subjects, she accepts his hand in marriage (Young Victoria, 2009) . Further questions arise in relation to Albert’s role in her life and she finds a solution for this. He proves a devoted spouse and an agent of the much anticipated new reforms that he finally gets approval from the Melbourne. Front stage scenes refer to those scenes that are physically visible to the audience. These are those parts of the movie that the audience is present to witness hence the real stage acting. In the young Victoria movie, the major parts of the scenes are acted front stage where they are visible. Taking for instance Albert and Queen Victoria’s quoting scenes until getting together are front stage. At the end queen Victoria is shown to move alerts desk next to hers in view to show their newly found trusts and unification in ruling the kingdom. The scenes where Albert saves Queen Victoria from being shot and gets injured in the process and where they are playing chess and comparing themselves to pawns are also front stage. This is in view to show their closeness and one of the many crucial reasons why Albert was the chosen one by Queen Victoria amongst many. Back stage scenes refer to those scenes that are invincible to the viewers or audience. These scenes are mainly implied or assumed through the application of dramatic techniques or implication of their results there after. In the young Victoria movie, there are a number of scenes that are backstage. This is mainly in relation to their inability to be front staged due to resource inabil ities or being unnecessary in the movie. During scenes of Queen Victoria in the palace, screams and noises of the riot brought upon by the resignation of the prime minister are heard. There is also mentioned of many suitors who are lined up for Queen Victoria and their messages but not all are shown (Young Victoria, 2009). Another scene is where Watson giggles as he hears laughter from Queen Victoria and Albert’s room. The scene is not shown though assumed to implicate they were together as man and wife. A testimony is a statement that is made by an individual in view of expression of their thoughts and opinions about an issue to themselves. In the movie the young Victoria, the queen Victoria makes a testimony to the council. She states to the council that though she is young, she has learnt a lot and she is ready and counting for their support in running the kingdom. In another scene, she is playing chess with Albert and she expresses on how she feels like a pawn in real lif e. How she sees what people desire of her and what they would do and have her do if she let down her guard and gave them the powers and chance to. Participant refers to the nature of being observant or observing on issues surrounding oneself. This is from just typically being aware of one’s environment and also deducting useful information form observation of others in relation to oneself. In the movie the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Housing Dhaka Essay Example for Free

Housing Dhaka Essay One of the major consequences of rapid urbanization in Bangladesh has been the persistent deterioration of housing situation in metropolitan areas. The concentration of the poor in such areas and the ever-widening gap between the demand for and supply Iand for housing have led to the deyelopment of of low_income settlements on environmentally sensitive and hazard-prone lands. The problem is particularly acute in Dhaka where the poor residents have been increasingly constrained to such marginal land, in preferred sites. The inabirity of the poor residents is largely attributed to the prevailing prolitical situation of the country, ineptitude public as they arc unable to buy or rent land of organizations, nonchalant altitude of the government and predatory nature of the formal land market in Dhaka. The urban poor ofDhaka have come to realise that they do not folm part of the privileged group(s) to which the city authoriries cater their service and that they have been left out to fend for themselves. With this realisation the poor have sought to  provide housing for themselves. In such attempts, unauthorised settlements have developed in various marginal places, especially along and over water regimes in Dhaka. Over the years development of settlements and deliberate encroachment by private and public sector development have led to the disappearance of lakes, canals, flood plains, etc. rhat existed within the city. In thls process numerous ponds and tanks have also disappeared, creating an ecological imbalance with Dhaka experiencing the worst flood in history in r9gg. Dhaka has arso rost much of its beauty and its natural heritage. On the other hand, atlempts to creare spaces or pseudo-land over and along water bodies and swamps without proper planning and design techniques have produced undesirable outcomes and red to serious decline in envrronmental conditions in the immediate and sunounding area where such spaces have been created. Life and health of local residents as well as the city residents have put been to risk. Considering the gravity of the problem the aim of this paper is to investrgate how the urban poor of Dhaka are constrained to marginal places and shed light on aspects which bring about this situation. This paper also aims to highlight the problems produced as a result of creation of spaces over water and suggests measure to reverse such hazardous living conditions of the urban poor in Dhaka. It is assumed that unprecedented urbanization and ineptitude ofconcerned authorities have produced conditions forcing the 55 56 U rbanization in Bangladesh urban poor to live in marginal places. The paper, thus, begins with appraisals of issues related to the urbanization of Dhaka such as its land value and the Prospect of housing provision for the poor in this city before investigating the actual problem of creating unplanned spaces for living. Information for this paper has been collected from both primary and secondary sources. The Exodus Towards Dhaka The rate ofpopulation growth for Dhaka has been. 3 percent, 9. 4 Percent and 7. 8 percent dudng the 196l-1974, 1974-1981 and l98l-1991 pe ods respectively (RAJUK, 1995). This has produced a number of unexpected outcomes in recent decades, such as rapidity of urban growth and mega-population of the city. The reason for such rapid growth is the status of Dhaka as a capital city and the centripetal nature of concentration of major activities and facilities within the city-as a result people from all over Bangladesh are atbacted towards this city. Added to it are the prevailing political situation of the country, stagnant rural economy and nonchalant attitude of the government towards decentralization. The result is that Dhaka is suffering from over-population while other towns and rural areas are suffering for want of industries, factories, etc. Informal job opponunities have declined in areas outside Dhaka The sheer number of people living in this city makes any son of business prosper and thrive. Thus, businesses or jobs mean chances for people to survive.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Criticisms of Disability Legislation in the UK

Criticisms of Disability Legislation in the UK Do you agree that mentally ill and disabled people are the poor relatives of anti-discriminatory thought and practice? Introduction Disablism and disability The introduction of new legislation against discrimination of disabled people in 2005 marks a temporary milestone in the heated debate on appropriate legislative measures.[1] The last two decades have seen an enormous transformation of anti-discriminatory policy, theoretical and conceptual approach and attempts to solidify these changes in the practices of public life. Arguably the changes have been long overdue, given that antidiscrimination law was hopelessly outdated (1944) and did not reflect the shift in attitudes towards the notions of social justice and inclusion as it affected the relationship between disabled and able-bodied people in society. Whether the most recent proposals for legislative review (2005) redefine the disability agenda in a sufficiently radical manner is debatable. Yet, it seems a shared view in the literature that huge strides have been made towards achieving more equality for disable persons and that the urgency and validity of constant legislative review is recognised by the government. This essay explores the extent to which the changes in law, practice and general attitudes of the public reflect sufficiently the needs of disabled people for adequate recognition of their social, economic and domestic needs in modern society. It will focus mainly on the debate that has taken place in the UK following the first significant changes introduced by parliament in 1995 (under the Major government) and leading up to the last round of public consultation under the Blair government. It will look at three distinct but interrelated fields that seem relevant for a comprehensive answer to the question: first, what are the legislative changes and how did they affect the status and societal position of disabled people in Britain. Second, what policies are currently favoured by the government and local authority effectively addressing the problems that originate in widespread discrimination against disabled persons. And third, what are the conceptual difficulties that underlie the l egal and practical problems with framing the disability agenda in the UK. The aspects one and three will be discussed in the section below, aspect three will be explored in more detail in the last section of this essay. Prior to sketching all three fields of inquiry, however, we need to introduce a concept that has informed more recent critical discussion of discrimination and disability. Disablism is supposed to denote a particular constellation of cultural values, forms of personal prejudice and social constraints that result in severe but often unnoticed types of discriminating behaviour. Outlining the structure and content of discrimination therefore would allow us to identify hidden components of the problem that may escape critical consideration. Disablism attempts to redefine the nature of the various barriers that are discriminatory in character but unrecognised since they are part of habitual human conduct. A sociological critique of disablism would enhance out understanding of the underlying patterns of discrimination. Sociologists speak of PCS which stands for the three elements that make up disablist attitudes in public.[2] Personal prejudice, cultural values and social stratification th at originates in disability and the exclusion of disabled people from mainstream public life. Theorists also highlight the complex interaction between concepts of disability and the capitalist economy which emphasises wage labour and the pursuit of profit.[3] All these various factors act as building blocs for disablism which in turn diminishes the chances of public participation by disabled persons. It fosters an attitude which frames disability as a personal tragedy and de-publicises its impact. Seen as an individual misfortune disablism tends to ignore the social dimension of disability and hence underplays the social and political leverage in alleviating some of the effects of discrimination. It echoes therefore the predominant medical model of disability and rejects any social involvement in rectifying the various instances of discrimination by disabled people. Law and the concept of disability Ever since parliament passed the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995, the criticism by academics and practitioners has focused to a large degree on the legal foundations and the conceptual basis of the legislation. Although the literature is fundamentally critical to the implementation of the Act (henceforth DDA) the bulk of the literature deals with the profound conceptual flaws of the law. Since conceptual and legalistic facets go together and combine to detrimental effects, this section of the essay will explore both aspects together rather than separately. With the ostensible failure of the previous legislation to tackle the problems of discrimination in any consistent fashion, the Major government brought in the new law in 1995 to base anti-discriminatory policies on a updated and more coherent conceptual framework. The shortcomings of this new legislation in the face of numerous challenges for disabled people in modern society however contributed to an almost universal understanding that another consultation process on new legislation was needed and the Blair government anticipates to pass the new DDA this year. The DDA in 1995 marks a significant shift from the original quota requirement to a more regulatory approach which basically emphasises the individual responsibilities of disabled persons in achieving similar status and positions in society. The state acts only as a regulatory body, placing constraints on players in the economic and social domain. This concurs with the broadly liberal theory of society where similar life chanc es are stressed and any bias against irrelevant aspects of individuals are being removed in considering their abilities to function as social agents. In general, the idea is to minimise subjectivity and standardise any decision-making process. Although the various strategies for intervention take place at different stages in the discriminatory process[4], legislation focuses on providing the broader framework within which discriminatory behaviour is identified and possibly prosecuted. Such a liberal notion of individuals and society can accommodate special treatment under certain circumstances for example when equality of opportunity is compromised by the lack of a level playing field. In fact, most of the anti-discrimination legislation of the 1990s has favoured a similar approach and it will be argued later in this essay that such a convergence of approach when dealing with different origins of discrimination is gravely mistaken and enshrines complex conceptual problems into the DDA. (SDA and RRA were drawn up under the Major government and subsequently superseded by more advanced legislation. New legislation on ‘Incitement of racial hatred’ is being debated currently in both houses of parliament. As such the legislative is pretty much in flux). Let us now look at the problems that the DDA has created for disabled persons in the UK. Practitioners and theorists often locate the main dilemma in what they call the medical model of disability which informs the DDA in its current form. They contrast this medical model with a social model which recognises the social dimension of disability and hence widens the fields of societal responsibilities in combating discrimination considerably. Roulstone remarks: ‘The social construction of when harm occurs is entirely central to discussions about the workings and effectiveness of anti-discrimination legislation.’[5] But why is this so? How exactly do the two models differ? Woodhams and Corby outline the problematic nature of the definition of disability in the DDA. The statutory definition identifies somebody as disabled who has ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term edverse effect on his [sic] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’[6] The core problem with this definition extends to three areas. First, it attributes disability to a form of impairment, second, it contrasts disability against a norm of human behaviour which asserts a complete and paradigmatic functioning of body and brain, and third, it articulates a benchmark for validating disability by introducing the notion of substantiality and long-term affliction.[7] The medical model thus contributes to a certain bias in evaluating the severity of the disability by (a) assuming that disability supposes a lack of ability which spills over into a lack of functioning ‘normally’. It thus presupposes normality as a criterion while failing to define it accurately. The definition enshrines a picture of difference between people who suffer from a disability and those who do not. Impairment becomes tantamount to ‘abnormality’ which is thought to derive from a personal tragedy not to be able to perform certain activities .[8] Consequently this medical model asserts (b) the need to assist and help the disabled person and therefore often exacerbates the tendencies for patronising or as Woodhams puts it, ‘the impaired individual remains subservient to the teams of ‘disability experts’ charged with ‘helping’, ‘rectifying’ (pitying and patronising) them.’[9] In contrast the social model which some theorists advocate as reflecting more accurately the social dimension of any disability, suggests that the origin of any disability lies in the perception of difference that is prompted by notions of normality. Hence, any anti-discrimination strategy must take into account the cultural values and social construction of normality upon which discriminatory behaviour is built. Woodhams writes: ‘As a result, the territory of ‘correction’ becomes society and the environment, rather than the person with the impairment.’[10] Recognising the role of socialisation and perception are central for any serious programme for change. Some theorists even go further and argue that although the social model widens the field of anti-discriminatory policies and correctly acknowledges the responsibility of social attitudes in discrimination against disabled people, it still lacks recognition of another vital element in debasing or derogatory practice. Even the social model, they note, excludes that group of people who may be subject to discriminatory conduct simply because they are being associated with a disabled person or because they are perceived to be disabled.[11] Additionally, there is a lack to have appreciation for discrimination that ‘may be based on other people’s fears of contracting illness’[12] such as HIV. In general the DDA fails to acknowledge the varied and complex nature of disabilities and therefore also falls short in grasping the multifaceted character of discriminatory behavi our. Woodhams concludes: ‘Disability†¦is frequently invisible, indecipherable and unstable.’[13] With respect to the way in which the legislator has framed the notion of disability various problems arise. The essay will summarily point to some but will not be able to explore them comprehensively and in detail. The current practice in employment tribunals (henceforth: ET) illustrates some of the crucial shortcomings of the DDA. ET very often lack the expertise to deal with the complex issues that are involved in disability litigation. The small number of cases (only 2% of ET cases deal with infringement of rights by disabled persons) means that there will be no radical change in this situation and ET personnel will for a long time coming still work under conditions of insufficient medical proficiency. Since the DDA clearly locates the burden of proof with the disabled person, claimants often have to procure (frequently heavily contested) medical evidence, a process which is costly and often prohibitive given the divergence of medical assessment and the vagueness of thresholds of ‘impairments’ in defining disability. In effect, it is noted in the literature that a remarkable gap between the legal stipulation and the practical application of the DDA by human resources has already opened up. Human resources personnel often apply the DDA intuitively and therefore come closer to recognition of impairment than medical experts, consequently undermining the strict and rigorous application of the law.[14] In practice, it seems also customary to ignore the impact of environmental factors which often contribute to the development and persistence of a disability, while hidden aspects of disabilities are failed to be recognised routinely. Sociologists also point out that the DDA places the claimant in a position where decision-making power is firmly located in the hands of defendants. Successful claims are therefore extremely rare, even when taking into account the number of out of court settlements. The DDA works with an underdeveloped notion of judicial harm as well as constructs formidable hurdles when it comes to defining the nature and origins of harm. This often diminishes the confidence of claimants to articulate grievances and contributes to the fact that many unseen or contested impairments are underrepresented in claims. Effectively the success rate of disability litigation is very low, ‘not because treatment less favourable is not established, but because specific legal tests are not met.’[15] The absence of legal aid in many cases exacerbates the problem for disabled persons who feel their rights have been infringed upon and, consequently many practitioners and theorists propose to introduce a set of prima facie criteria which would make it easier for claimants to get a particular impairment acknowledged. Such a set of criteria would also ensure that an unambiguous acknowledgment of rights and their possible infringement would be easier to obtain in particular cases. The small amount of compensation and the small number of successful cases for such compensation in ET indicates that the DDA still failed to define a clear benchmark for discriminatory behaviour.[16] Some sociologists have gone as far as characterising the DDA as being grounded ‘on profoundly social meanings masquerading as pure realms of law.’[17] We do not need to share this slightly Marxist criticism of the DDA to recognise that the current law is heavily biased against disabled victims of discrimination and rests on incoherent conceptual framework. Policy and Discrimination Most policies initiated by the government after the introduction of the DDA in 1995 focuses on the barriers disabled people face in public life and employment. The inbuilt bias of the DDA against disabled persons is exemplified neatly by the underlying motivation for incorporating disabled persons into the competitive labour market. Although participation in the first labour market is as such a desirable intention, it is widely suspected that the government’s motivation to push this agenda forward has more to do with decreasing expenditure than improving the quality of life for disabled people.[18] It is equally regrettable that for comparative purposes there is still no reliable data on the various groups of disabled people across Europe. The reason why this may be important in the future is that the European Union has, after an initial period of hesitation, become a main driver in anti-discriminatory legislation which has full application in the UK. As the EU becomes a more proactive player in the field and begins to formulate policies that are implemented on a European scale, the conflicts between national and European legislation creates problems. Hvinden uses the concepts of crowded and vacant policy fields to distinguish between those policy areas that are likely to creatively absorb new legislation from the EU and those that are not. He argues that, in addition to various disability legislation, anti-discrimination policies often have to take into account that victims are subject not simply to singular dimensions of discrimination but that attempts to discriminate against others are often motivated by concepts of normality which rests on multiple aspects of human existence. For example, discrimination against disabled people can carry significant elements of gendered behaviour, which anti-discriminatory practice must recognise to be effective.[19] The policy instruments available to European governments differ widely amongst the member states, but there seems to be a sort of convergence emerging when it comes to what Hvinden calls the rights and opportunity discourse.[20] Although this is something that the DDA failed to appreciate in all its complexity, practitioners have gradually come to understand this dimension as the inevitable core of anti-discriminatory strategy in the field of disability. As the European Commission redefines its role in the fight against discrimination, national governments are gently pushed towards a notion that equal opportunities for disabled people should occupy the heart of any future legislation. While the DDA was still far removed from stipulating full active citizenship and participation in public life as the main objective and following this up with effective policy implementation, the increasing involvement of European lawmakers in this field may exert considerable weight to such an agenda.[ 21] Much depends on the future decisions of the European Court of Justice and the articulation of legal competence by this body.[22] Conclusion The DDA was clearly based on a flawed definition of disability, resting it on the medical model which made it difficult for disabled persons to articulate the social dimension of any disability. Policies that were supposed to combat discrimination against disabled people were thus misdirected and neglected the cultural and social component in discriminatory behaviour. Although since 1995, the need for further and more sophisticated legislation is almost universally recognised, the current proposals for consultation must place the social construction of disability at the heart of the debate if it wants to avoid similarly misguided policies and ineffective strategies to combat discrimination. Bibliography Bjoern Hvinden. The Uncertain Convergence of Disability Policies in Western Europe, in Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 37, No.6, December 2003, pp.609-624. Carol Woodhams and Susan Corby. Defining Disability in Theory and Practice: A Critique of the British Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Journal for Social Policy. Vol. 32, No.2, pp.159-178. Alan Roulstone. The Legal Road to Rights? Disabling Premises, Obiter Dicta and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Disability and Society, Vol. 18, No.2, 2003, pp.117-131. Liz Sayce. Beyond Good Intentions. Making Anti-Discrimination Strategies Work, in Disability and Society. Vol.18, No.5, August 2003, pp.625-642. Neil Thompson. Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Second Edition. Basingstoke: MacMillan 1997. Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Access to Education and Employment. Monitoring Report United Kingdom. Budapest: Open Society Institute 2005. 1 Footnotes [1] For an overview of legislation cf. Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Access to Education and Employment. Monitoring Report United Kingdom. Budapest: Open Society Institute 2005, pp.51-58. [2] Neil Thompson. Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Second Edition. Basingstoke: MacMillan 1997, p.107-109. [3] Thompson, Practice, p.108. [4] Liz Sayce. Beyond Good Intentions. Making Anti-Discrimination Strategies Work, in Disability and Society. Vol.18, No.5, August 2003, p.633. [5] Alan Roulstone. The Legal Road to Rights? Disabling Premises, Obiter Dicta and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Disability and Society, Vol. 18, No.2, 2003, p.122. [6] quoted in Carol Woodhams and Susan Corby. Defining Disability in Theory and Practice: A Critique of the British Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Journal for Social Policy. Vol. 32, No.2, p.163. [7] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.163. [8] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p. 164 [9] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [10] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [11] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [12] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.165. [13] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.165. [14] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.168. [15] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.124. [16] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.126. [17] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.129. [18] Bjoern Hvinden. The Uncertain Convergence of Disability Policies in Western Europe, in Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 37, No.6, December 2003, p.616. [19] Hvinden, Convergence, p. 612. [20] Hvinden, Convergence, pp.617-618. [21] Hvinden, Convergence, p.620. [22] Hvinden, Convergence, p.624.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Government Essay examples -- Analysis, Locke, Mill

According to Hobbes the need to create a form of government arises from fulfilling the need of security. In order for government to provide this security, it is necessary for government to be able to use its authority in any way it pleases. Locke and Mill on the other hand believe that government should be able to provide security for its citizens, but in order to do this government does not need to be large rather it should be limited. Thus, the question arises of how limited government should be in order to provide security. In this case, should government be able to use its authority in any way it pleases as Hobbes argues or should there be a limit placed on governmental power as argued by Locke and Mill? I believe that a powerful government can exist and provide its citizens with the necessary security while being limited. There is no need for government to be large in order to achieve this. Although both Locke and Mill have a just understanding of what the limits of government s hould be, I find Locke’s understanding more persuasive. Locke writes that while government should restrict our freedom in order for us to avoid returning to the state of nature , the amount of restriction should be limited. For Locke, we are all in the State of Nature before any form of government is created (289). And since humans have a tendency to live in groups as well as desire to avoid the State of War, humans subject to a common power creating a common government and giving up natural power. Therefore, once this contract is created it is only then that we step out of the State of Nature. Hobbes, on the other hand, writes that the sovereign should have as much authority as possible to govern as needed. Nevertheless, Hobbes just as Locke belie... ... to be than just this. Mill has the right idea of balancing freedom and limits but that is not enough. Hobbes, on the other hand proposes a well though out government. However, the fact that he believes that in order for government to work it needs to be huge makes me think of a monarchy right away. I believe the people should have the right to speak up for what they believe in as well as have the right to go against government if and when they feel the laws being imposed by government are not moral. However, if we were to subdue to Hobbes form of government we give up any right whatsoever to disagree with the sovereign. Therefore, Locke’s governmental proposal is a balance between that of Hobbes’s and Mill’s. After all, when a man steps out of the State of Nature it is not to create absolute monarchy, as Hobbes believe but to create o form of civil government.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Correlation Between Music and Math: A Neurobiology Perspective :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Correlation Between Music and Math: A Neurobiology Perspective I remember the first time I heard the statement  ¡Ã‚ ° Did you know that listening to classical music enhances your mathematical abilities? ¡Ã‚ ± I was both intrigued and excited, intrigued because I did not understand how music and math, two seemingly unrelated subject could possibly affect each other. I was also excited because I began to view classical music as some kind of magical potion that would transform my math skills from decent to extraordinary. When I had the opportunity to write this web paper, I immediately jumped into the topic of music and math. The questions that I wish to answer throughout this paper are; does listening to music really help you do better in math? If so, which part of the brain is controlling the correlation between math and music? In addition, how does music stimulate the brain in a way that enhances mathematical abilities? It turns out that there is much evidence that supports the positive effects of music on one ¡Ã‚ ¯s ability to do math. Most research shows that when children are trained in music at a young age, they tend to improve in their math skills. The surprising thing in this research is not that music as a whole is enhancing math skills. It is certain aspects of music that are affecting mathematics ability in a big way. Studies done mostly in children of young age show that their academic performance increases after a certain period of music education and training. One particular study published in the journal  ¡Ã‚ °Nature ¡Ã‚ ± showed that when groups of first graders were given music instruction that emphasized sequential skill development and musical games involving rhythmn and pitch, after six months, the students scored significantly better in math than students in groups that received traditional music instruction. (1) The result of this study posed another important question. How does this type of music that emphasized sequential skills, rhythmn and pitch manage to improve children's ability to do math? It turned out that there are two distinguished types of reasoning, spatial temporal (ST) reasoning and Language analytical (LA) reasoning. LA reasoning would be involved in solving equations and obtaining a quantitative result. ST reasoning would be is utilized in activities like chess when one needs to think ahead several moves. The effect of music on math sometimes termed the Mozart effect. The Mozart effect gain its name after the discovery that listening to Mozart's compositions, which is very sequential, produces a short-termed enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

I Am Legend Essay

I’ve been asked to write an essay on a film. I have been asked to pick a five minute scene from my chosen movie, I will be explaining and talking about how camera shots, miss-en-scene, sound and lightening effects the audience, also what the director want the audience to feel and understand. The movie that I have picked to do my essay on is the 2007 science fiction film I AM LEGEND. This film is based on RICHARD MATHESON'S 1954 novel under the same name and directed by Francis Lawrence.I AM LEGEND was distributed by the WARNER BROS. PICTURES. and released on DECEMBER 14TH 2007 in the USA. however the developing of the movie started way back in 1994 where several actors and directors were lined up to cast and produce the film, however due to financial and other problems the film was put on hold. NEW York City is where the movie was filmed and also included the BROOKLYN Bridge a $5 Million dollar scene which was the most expensive scene ever at that time.The movie begins with ne ws broadcast where a scientist Dr. Alice Krippin played by Emma Thompson, who announce the invention of a new drug that could cure cancer saving millions of lives but does it all sound too good to be true? , then fast forwards three years later to the scenes of a post apocalyptic world where there seems to be no sign of human life. we hear car engine and from a birds eye view looking down on the city we see a moving car and then a close up inside the car that’s the first time the main character DR.ROBERT NEVILE played by WILL SMITH, and his dog SAM are introduced to the audience, through out the movie it becomes clear to the audience watching that the relation ship between ROBERT NEVILE and his dog is a very strong relationship and there are many scenes which showcase the bond between them non more than the scene I have chosen to do my essay on. And the story plays out to the myth that a dog is a mans best friend. The story line of the movie becomes very clear within the earl y moments of the movie and we see what the task ahead of the main character is. veryday he sends out radio message looking for survivors as well as trying to cure the mutated humans otherwise known as Darkseekrs. The death of ROBERT Neville’s dog Sam proves to be an emotional and a turning point in the film as ROBERT NEVILE loses his senses and retaliates with angry as he cannot bare the loss of his one and only companion and goes out looking for revenge at this point he is attacked by hundreds of dark seekers and seems to be in trouble with his car flipped over all of the sudden a bright light nears and ROBERTNEVILE passes out as he is coming back around he is inside of a car and looks up with a shaky n unclear camera angle as if the audience is looking through his eyes. at this point he has been rescued by a women named ANNA and her son ETHAN who had heard his radio message and followed him, they take him home but his blood trail is left by the door as he was brought into t he house next day the Dark seekers followed the smell of the blood and attacked them that’s when ROBERT NEVILE realises that he has to sacrifice himself to save humanity and becomes almost like a religious figure sacrificing his life for the sake of humanity.The scene that I have chosen to do my essay on is when ROBERT NEVILE and his dog SAM are chasing after the deer, as they make there way through the roads and cars the deer takes a turn and enters a dark building and Sam follows it, at this point ROBERT NEVILE is also running after them up until the door way screaming for SAM to stop. In this scene the unstable camera and fast scene and ROBERT Neville’s frightened tone of voice makes the audience fearful and worried for SAM.ROBERT NEVILE then cautiously goes after SAM into the building with a flash light and his gun locked and loaded ready to fire which adds more tension to the scene and makes the audience feel as if something horrible is going to happen, as he is s lowly making his way inside the building with a frightened tone of voice whispering Sam’s name, At this point there is no music, the dark building and deadly silence becomes a perfect recpite for a scary scene, the silence and darkens makes this scene very intense and suspenseful which gets the audience on the edge of their seats waiting for something to happen. n the frightful darkness and science all you can here is the sound of his footsteps and water drops dripping down in the background and the frightening tone of ROBERT Neville’s as he raptly says â€Å"I shouldn’t be here† makes the scene that much more suspenseful and makes the viewer worried for both him and his dog. uring this scene the camera is very unstable as if the viewer was with him watching him from a corner and the other camera angle used is over the shoulder as if we are ROBERT NEVILE and we see through his eyes, this brings the audience much closer to the action and draws the viewers attention to the scene, especially as ROBERT NEVILE is making his way deeper into the dark building we see more tension building on the characters face as he is making his way round he looks down and there is blood on the floor which is a dangerous sign and gets the audience’s emotions started as we believe it could be SAM. s ROBERT NEVILE is making his way round a corner it appears on the ground the head of an animal which the audience see for a very short time and the camera looks up at ROBERT NEVILE as the tense looks on his face and him slightly whispering â€Å"SAM† its creates a very suspenseful moments as ROBERT NEVILE makes his way closer to the animal slowly revealing the head off the deer creates a moments sigh of relief for the character and the veiwer. this plays with the emotions of the audience as being very brightened and scared to the relief and the calming down.As he goes further into the building, over the shoulder shot is used as we see ROBERT Nevill e’s view as he point his gun and flash light into different parts of the room seeing nothing but old pipes makes the viewer anxious and worried to what might be in one of theses corners as the audience is looking from his point of view and changes in-between to a close up of his face which the viewer can see the frightened and fearful look on the characters face, all the way through it there is no music used just the sound of his footsteps, water dripping and him calling his dog the second time he looks up the viewer can see the Dark seekers from the characters point of view and the second shot is from the middle of the dark seekers looking back at him, an just as he raised his gun before and seen the you could hear a sound almost like a sward being drawn which with the camera angle and sight of the dark seekers and hearing them breathing and growling grabs the attention of the viewers. hen ROBERT NEVILE quickly looks this shows that he is very frightened and doesn’t w ant to be spotted and now the audience is very scared and worried for him and there attention is on the screen watching his every move as he slowly takes a few steps back his foot hits a piece of wood on the floor making sound causing the viewer to be on the edge of their seats and very worried this part of The scene is a very suspenseful. As he slowly escapes to the hall the audience is abet more relaxed believing it’s the end of it, As he is making his way though the hall, a whimper can be heard in the distance, echoing through the empty halls of the building. Robert takes a closer look following the sound to find Sam the viewer can see all this as the over the shoulder a very common shot and used a lot in the movie keeps the audience drawn to the action and can see from his point of view, Sam hiding under a desk and looks back at him for a second and we can see this through Sam's punt of view.The relief on his face is short-lived as we can see from ROBERT Neville’s point of view as he is looking at Sam and from Sam angle ROBERT NEVILE notices that Sam isn’t looking at him, but staring at something behind him which creates a very scary a moment, He turns around just in time to see a â€Å"Dark seeker† jumping to attack him. Robert shoots the Dark seeker, killing it, and then he and Sam start running the camera angle that are used one is wide shot as ROBERT NEVILE is running the other is point of view (pov) shot as we can see from ROBERT Neville’s view and also a wide shot from behind watching him run as he is running towards a window a mid shot and close up are used to see the expression on his face. Also as he is running we see the point of view of the darkeners as they are chasing him getting closer and close. he way the end of this scene has been shot it creates a very exciting climax as the they are running the camera is unstable in a lot of it as its from a human or a dark seekers prospective the speed of the shots and the scene creates a very scary and exciting atmosphere which builds up the viewers emotions and excitement. Thought out the scene threes not much music used at the end as ROBERT NEVILE is running you can here really low but fast music almost like a clock countdown other sound affects used are footsteps running and breathing heavily also you can hearer the dark seekers growling and screaming at the running part of the scene. The reason why I picked this film and this scene to do my essay on because it’s a classic movie based on a classic novel. This scene in particular captures all viewer emotions from being frightened to being happy and scared.

Grades do not Reflect Intelligence Essay

As young adults we have been tested many times over the years, whether it be by a parent, friend or life itself however, the most common of tests we receive are from school. Growing up we were taught to believe that A meant smart and F meant dumb. Time and time again this caused distress in students who were very smart but declared dumb by the education system. Contrary, students who were receiving higher marks are not necessarily the most intelligent. Eventually, people came to the realization that the marks received on tests in fact were not an accurate representation of ones intelligence but merely a showcase of their ability to memorize information. Firstly, the education system does not properly reflect ones intelligence due to common inflation of marks. Secondly, while we are all different, the education system provides us with the same learning and thirdly, grades are the result of effort not intelligence. As the years pass the entry level for most elite university programs rise and are currently well over 90 percent, as a high school student this can be very discouraging. Students are under an immense amount of pressure to do well and this rubs off on the teachers. More often then not teachers are faced with the pressure from students and parents asking or even demanding higher grades, many times they often ascribe any lack of high marks as the teachers fault. Coincidently, as of 2007 more than 60 percent of Ontario high school graduates had an A average, and 10 percent had an A+ average. According to Western University professor James Cà ´tà © that’s up from 40 percent in 1980. (Authority) In todays society many are obsessed with the best, resulting in many parents wanting to send their children to the best schools. This ultimately leads to schools feeling pressure to maintain their supreme standing. Many schools use the success of their past students to enhance their title. For both these reasons listed, inflation occurs. Schools and teachers are raising the marks of their students to their benefit. Of course they are just trying to help however, more often than not they are doing the complete opposite. According to a 2010 report from Brock University, students who entered university with a 90 percent or higher average in high school experienced a dramatic drop of 11.9 percent. Whereas students with high school marks in the 60-79 percent range only dropped 4.4 percent. (Statistic) Grade  inflation does not truthfully assess students learning, resulting in greater problems for their future. With the common act of inflation it is hard to decipher the difference in learning abilities between students. As human beings we are all diverse, not one an identical copy, now if this is the case why does the education system treat us like we are? (Rhetorical question) The education system has made some improvements over the years by dividing students based on their learning but there is much more work to be done. In high school there is a lack of diversity in available courses. There are a multitude of academic courses and very little courses related to apprenticeships and trades. High schools push and push for students to take these academic courses and follow suite to university, when the reality is not everyone is meant to go to university, and that is not a bad thing. However, the truth of this is being concealed by all the grade inflations and false hope given to students. After high school many students will come to the unfortunate realization that just because they did well in high school does not mean they will do the same in university and the high school education system will be to blame for that. If high schools represented college in a more positive way, many students would feel more comfortable and confident in taking the appropriate courses to accommodate to their learning needs. In reality, many students aren’t even aware that they have so many more options outside of these academic courses because the high schools are not making them available. This results in students who learn differently to be put in the same classes and tested the same ways, resulting in one being smarter than the other, when this is in fact not true. Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.† (Authority) Therefore, high schools should not test all students equally, but take the time to adhere to their learning abilities and follow suite with appropriate courses and testing. In addition to every student being completely different, it doesn’t help that there are so many of us. There are 105 secondary schools in the Toronto District School Board alone, meaning there are approximately 87, 273 students, and 5, 800 teachers. (Statistic) Now in this whole system of people, one can’t help but wonder, is my A+ the same as you’re A+? (Rhetorical question) If Sally is an intelligent student who doesn’t try hard at all and is managing to pass with  B’s and Julie is at a lower intelligence level but working her butt off to turn her C’s into B’s does this mean t hese grades are equivalent? (Example) Do these grades communicate anything about Sally and Julie’s intelligence, or are they merely a showcase of their efforts? (Rhetorical question) Grades are important yes, but they cannot determine ones intelligence. Grades show teachers how well you are able to retain information; they are an example of who sat down, put the effort in and studied and who didn’t. Yes, it may be easier for an â€Å"intelligent† person to get good grades, but someone of mediocre intelligence can also get good grades with hard work. High schools make test marks out to be everything, when in reality, as stated before; they are not an accurate representation of ones intelligence. Just because John got perfect on a math test and Billy didn’t, does not mean John is smarter, it means they excel in different areas and should be treated accordingly. Time after time many students will find themselves discouraged by their low marks, but that does not have to be the case. With the right amount of effort, and the right guidance everyone has the opportunity to be a genius. It is now time for the education system to put their best foot forward and conjure the effort to make this happen. In conclusion, it is evident that high school grades are no longer an accurate representation of students’ intelligence. Grades are inflated, students who are at completely different ends of the spectrum are getting the same tests and effort now differentiates most students’ grades, how can one possibly believe that this system accurately demonstrates the knowledge of our youth? (Rhetorical question) High schools need to develop a system that can evenly show case everyone’s intelligence. Until that is done, high achieving students will keep being told their brilliant and low achieving students will keep being pushed from, grade to grade. Overall, the question still remains, if academics cannot determine our intellect, what is the true test of intelligence?

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Organizational Behaviour Case Study Essay

Cases: Automation in the Book Store and The Night Owl Answering Service Part 1) The field of Organizational Behavior is one that is very important when it comes to managing people and to make them work effectively. This begins with training. In order to understand these cases it is important to look at both the structure and environment of the company. In the case of the Automation in the Book Store, the company is a medium sized bookstore. Because this company is a bookstore with very few employees there is not a high level of formalization, less specialization and less authority. Therefore, it has an organic structure. Employees don’t have a lot procedures and rules that they must abide by while doing their jobs. In fact the initial company policy required employees to stay with the customer they were serving from the time they walked into the store until the sale was made. Also, there was not a great deal of standardization in that there was not a set procedure on how emplo yees did their work, rather it was a freer organization because there were very few employees and this resulted in greater flexibility. Look more:Â  starbuck problem essay These facts all changed once the new computer system was implemented. This system presented employees with some degree of formalization and standardization in their jobs because now there were precise rules and procedures on how to deal with customers. This includes entering an ID number every time a sale was made and closing the store with the system. Also, because this bookstore was not use to high levels of formalization in the past, the implementation of the training program was affected. There were no instructions on how to close at the end of the day in training. The manager had to come in and prepare a hand-written set of instructions about this routine. This is a sign of bad design and implementation. Also, because the company is more centralized than decentralized, the management must follow head office’s requests. This is the exact same thing with employees who must listen to the manager even though the employees were apprehensive, particularly the older staff, about new system. Again, the design of the training program, which was quoted as pretty skimpy and patronizing, was another sign of poor design. However, because the structure of the company was somewhat centralized they had to the training according to the way head office and management wanted. The structure of The Night Owl Answering Services was that it was between mechanistic and organic. This call center was more mechanistic because it was more centralized and more specialization where each individual had a specific role. Bob was responsible for technology, sales and marketing. Mary was responsible for training. This type of structure affected the training because of specialization. Nobody else was responsible for training, so when Mary passed away, everyone else specialized in a different area which left training to be an open mess. Only Mary knew the system the best because she specialized in this. This left the company scrambling to recover and in turn designed a training program that proved to be ineffective and poorly implemented. There was only one lady responsible for training. In the case of Automation in the Boo k Store and The Night Owl Answering Service it is important to look at the organizations environment. In these two cases, the organizations both faced environmental uncertainty. Every organization has the potential for environmental uncertainty. This uncertainty created a poor design for training. This was one of the major similarities in both of these cases. This is when management or people of the organization can’t really predict what is going to happen. The cases with Automation in the Book Store and The Night Owl Answering Services had faced environmental uncertainty that prove to be frustrating and challenging. However, because both of these companies had static environments, that is a company that remain fairly stable over time and had the least amount of uncertainty, they were sensitive to change. In The Night Owl Answering Service the head of training, Mary, passed away. This was an unpredictable event. It was clearly evident that there was no back up to Mary. Because this company was so used to certainty, it caught them off guard, particularly Bob. In the medium size bookstore the company had followed the same procedures to ring up sales until it introduced its new system. It took one month for the company to adapt. Again, both companies trained employees in such a way that proved to be ineffective. This means these two organizations ability to adapt to environmental change was poor. It’s also important to discuss external environmental factors or outside factors that have a direct effect on the company, which in turn affected training. The answering services company had a good reputation for customer service but when the senior operators started leaving they hired new people and trained very quickly to get people on the phone and take calls. Therefore, the external factor here would be the customer. In The Night Owl Answering Services the customer was always the number one priority because they had a prestige reputation on customer service they wanted to continue providing services in a timely manner. This directly affected the training design and implementation because trainers wanted the trainees on the phone as soon as possible to serve the clients of the company because they were short staffed. As a result of this, the trainers wanted to get trainees on the phone quickly which resulted in an implementation and design that proved to be ineffective. Trainees were expected to learn through trial and error style of training. Senior operators were forced to take calls and train at the same time. This resulted in slower operators and higher errors and more complaints to the call center, which lead to clients (external factor) leaving the call center and find business elsewhere. This company was so focused on getting trainees on the phone, they ignored the fact they lacked the basic phone etiquette and computer skills. Senior Management was continuously on the phone, with out breaks. In The Automation in the Book Store the external environment component that should be discussed is technology. Like every other company, it must keep up with technology and accept current business practices. They were entering an era where technology was becoming widespread and they needed a system to calculate the GST. This is a reason why the bookstore decided to take on the new computer system. The organizations employees were reluctant to have it but didn’t have a choice and had to keep up with external technological factors. The company was highly sensitive to this environmental change, which was external, but when the system was implemented, it became an internal factor. There was systematic turbulence in this organization. There ability to adapt to systematic change, the new computer system would be considered systematic turbulence. Systematic turbulence looks at how a company deals with a change in the environment change. This is evident is the case with Automation in the Bookstore. . Part 2) Motivational effects are very important aspects of an organization. People have to be motivated to join and remain in organizations. They also have to carry out their basic work reliability in terms of productivity, quality, and services, requirements and should always interact to accomplish their goal. These are some examples that if were missing in an organization, employees and members of the company began to lose interest and be less motivated. This was the case with these two organizations. One of the major similarities was that both companies faced poor training design and implementation. In Automation in the Bookstore the training was boring and ineffective, which had motivational effects. Lisa was an employee who worked in a medium sized bookstore and was completely dissatisfied with the design of the training. Unfortunately, the training was a mandatory requirement to understand the new system. The first two days started off by having to watch two half an hour videos which Lisa found to be boring and insulting. On the third day of training it went downhill. The computer system was not on training mode the way it was suppose to be. Also, there were no instructions on how close at the end of the day. The manager had to come in and prepare handwritten set of instructions. This caused a lot of problems and created frustration for all members of the organization including management and head office, who wanted to assign blame to someone. The operation of the system was not going according to plan and this got the trainees upset and confused about the policies of the system. Some parts of the training were vague and the continuous frustration had negative motivational effects. Similarly, The Night Owl Answering Services faced great training problems when Mary died, that evidently created negative motivational problems. Bob was forced to take over training without much knowledge o f how to do so, which was also a big problem. Senior operators were forced to work extra hard with no breaks, while at the same time train a new person. New operators were poorly trained and did not know how to handle calls. All these factors started showing in the office environment. These factors inevitably caused negative motivational effects. For example, intrinsic motivations were clearly not met in this organization. Intrinsic is defined as the direct relationship between the worker and the task. In the call center the task was frustrating and created anxiety. If these factors weren’t here there would be more interested in the position. However, because the training was so poorly done, the intrinsic motivation factor was not being met and created less motivation. It is also important to discuss the Maslow’s Need Theory and how it applies to these two cases. The needs theory states: NEEDS BEHAVIOR INCENTIVE AND GOALS. Both of these organizations both fit the physiological needs, which include the basic human needs. In safety needs it includes freedom from anxiety, and a structured ordered environment. The safety ne eds were not being met. Both organizations faced stress and anxiety, particularly the call center, which effected motivation. Results of poor motivation create poor quality of work. The training was poor and it would reflect on the quality of work being performed because they are no longer motivated to work with all the stress factors. Hertrzberg theory should be looked at as well. The first factor is the hygene factor. This includes relationship with fellow employees, security and other various factors. In order for employees to not feel less motivated or dissatisfied is if all these factors are in place. If all these factors are in place you will not feel unsatisfied but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be satisfied. It just means not being unsatisfied. Both companies didn’t even get past the hygene factor of just not being unsatisfied. The second factor of Hertzberg’s theory talks about is motivation. This is a sense of achievement and recognition, which would play different in each company. This doesn’t have a great effect on the bookstore because their situation w as short term in compared to the call center. If the company can’t even properly trained there is no chance of being recognized or feel a sense of achievement. The cases state that the trainees felt like they were being under attack by the senior staff. That would have a negative affect and create decrease motivation. There is no room for job enrichment that in turn means no enhancement in intrinsic motivation. Overall the similarities with respect to the training and the two companies were that of implementation and design. The training program was poor due to various reasons as stated in the report. One of the major differences to note was that the call center issue was a more complex problem and more of a long-term problem. The bookstore training was more of short-term problem. The problem only lasted about a month. Also another difference to note is that the bookstore had a smaller number of employees, so controlling the problem was a bit easier. In the call center there were various problems that were even more difficult to control because they had to meet client needs. In these two organizations there was lack of leadership. Particularly transformational leadership. This is when a leader makes his/her representative look beyond the task, or in this case the training, by observing the bigger picture or goal. Not doing this would negatively effect motivation because the individual will then began to purse his or her own self-interest. In the case of the The Night Owl Answering Service, when Mary passed away, nobody was able to step up and show leadership. Because this particularity affected training, the person responsible for training should have demonstrated leadership ethics to make them feel more positively motivated. Nobody had the leadership to motivate people to put forth their best efforts. There were no directive and supportive people in these organizations. The coaching was ineffective and the trainees had no proper direction. Automation in the bookstore did not face a great deal of leadership problems because again, it only employed about 6-8 people.

Family Health Assessment Essay

Introduction Family is considered the natural and fundamental unit of the society. The family members make up the family as a structure. Family includes members of different age group from newborns to elders. The family’s activities and reactions influence the patterns of the family as a whole (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle 2014, p.2014). The ultimate goal of the nursing is to expedite the health of the family. Family health assessment defines the assessment of actual and potential problem of individual (Gordan 1994). The goal of nursing is giving direct and indirect care to the person and community in terms of assessment, diagnosis, nursing interventions, implementation and evaluation. Historically conceptual models are using to assess the family in nursing practice. Health assessment included with subjective and objective data. Here Gordan’s 11 functional health assessment patterns are using to assess this family. The Gordon’s functional assessment patterns are a valuable tool for assessing and evaluating the family’s traditional health patterns, and permitting the health care provider to look at the inside of the overall health of the particular family. Family Background The family I selected belongs to an African ethnic group. This essay discuss the health pattern and functions of Nyennoh’s family. This is a nuclear family with mother of age 32 father 34 and three children of age groups eleven years old boy, nine years old girl and five years old boy. Both of the parents are working, and splitting their days to taking care of the children. Mother is working as a nurse at the hospital for three days and father working as a respiratory therapist at the neighborhood hospital for  three days. They all going to neighborhood school. Among their three children nine year old girl is diagnosed with sickle cell anemia since her birth. They are Christians and true believers in God. â€Å"Values and Health perception means the level of the individual’s level of commitment to maintain health’’ (Gordon 1994). Read more:  Essays About Assess Individual in Health Care This particular family is very efficient to manage their day today living effectively regardless of the health issues. They both in health field, they know how to manage the condition and their perception of sickle cell anemia is excellent. Assessment of nutritional status is the intake of healthy eating and drinking pattern and adequate amount of healthy food. Types of food including the growth and development of the family and restrictions and concerns about their perception of health. They maintain healthy eating habits through having restrictions. Their main food items include vegetables, rice, fish and fruits. They are very attentive to balance their diet to prevent anemia as a family. Parents always encourage kids to eat healthy food and drink plenty of water to keep them healthy especially the girl with sickle cell anemia. Adequate rest and sleep is essential to maintain good health. Inadequate sleep may lead to physiological problem and psychological problems. A person should sleep average 6-8 hours at night. Nyennoh’s family has no sleep deprivation. They go to bed at 9 o’clock and get up 6 o’clock in the morning. They have a good sleeping pattern so they never use any medication to induce sleep. The elimination pattern is varies in individual. This family is not experiencing any bladder or bowel problems. There is no evidence of diarrhea or constipation in the family. Bowel movements and regularly in every day. Parents always take special attention to the children to avoid constipation especially girl with sickle cell anemia to prevent any cuts and bruises. To maintain the concept of health activity and exercise pattern are the effective indicator of individual’s life. This family is very active. They are very particular about activity and exercise. They go for walks everyday as a family 30 minutes in the neighborhood or park. The girl with sickle cell has some restrictions to away from vigorous activities to prevent any dehydration or joint pain or cuts or bruises. She is a very knowledgeable girl about her illness.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Killer Films

Killer Films The film production company, Killer Film, is regarded as one of the most successful companies producing indie films. The films produced by the company often receive positive critical response.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Killer Films the Film Production Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some films get mixed responses, but it is possible to state that films of this company do not leave viewers intact. All the films produced by Killer Films are evoking and sometimes even disturbing. They make people think of really important issues revealing the most unconventional aspects of people’s life. The company was founded in 1995 by Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler. Vachon notes that she fulfilled a variety of film crew tasks in the 1980s and then she realized that she â€Å"wanted to make stuff† (Macaulay n.p.). The films made in the 1990s were a great success. For instance, I Shot Andy Warhol (19 96), 2001 film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 2002 film Far From Heaven and many other films were nominated for several Academy Awards. It is necessary to note that the films are acclaimed worldwide as they get awards and nominations at different film festivals all over the world. Vachon claimed, â€Å"What keeps independent film alive, what it has to be charged with now, is true originality, alternative, truly original voices† (qtd. in Hopewell n.p.) These words can be regarded as a certain kind of manifesto for the company. Killer Films produces films devoted to a variety of issues that have become a part of the contemporary society. However, there are themes that are similar to almost all films produced by the company. These themes are loss, sexuality, love, friendship, self-identification, self-realization, and, of course, murders and death. It is necessary to take a closer look at some of these themes to understand peculiarities of the films produced by the company.Advertisi ng Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Crime can be regarded as one of the most prominent themes articulated in the films by Killer Production. The majority of the films deal with different stories associated with crime. However, as Vachon noted the independent films are meant to be original. Therefore, films by Killer Films are not concerned with ordinary crimes. For instance, 2007 film Savage Grace deals with the story of Barbara Daly Baekeland, or rather the story of her death. This is not just a murder. This is a murder of a mother by her son. The film explores the depth of mother-to-child relationships. The film displays cruelty, hopelessness, certain tyranny within a family. Apart from murder and crime, the films explore issues connected with sexuality. Sexual diversity is often displayed in films by the company. One of the most suggestive films is the 2001 film Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The film focuses on relationships between people. A homosexual young man has to undergo a sex change operation and has to suffer because of this act for his entire life. Notably, homosexual characters are often displayed in the films by Killer Films. For instance, the 2004 film A Home at the End of the World is another film that explores issues young people have to face. Self-identification is a very important theme as well. The characters of the films try to understand who they really are. They become happy only when they find their real self. It is possible to note that the films by the company provide a certain kind of lesson to learn. The company sends the message that people must understand who they are, otherwise they can never be truly happy, or they can even be destroyed. One of central themes in all movies by the company is interpersonal relationships. More so, loneliness is the major topic of most of the films produced by Killer Films. The films’ cha racters strive for friends, family and partners. Basically, the films suggest that one of major goals for an individual is to find oneself and to find a close one.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Killer Films the Film Production Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The 2002 One Hour Photo is one of the most conspicuous films, in this respect. The protagonist of the film is a very lonely man who develops affection for a family. He sees himself as a member of this family and strives for being a part of this family. In fact, the protagonist develops a severe obsession with the family. Again, the company produces the film that explores the deepest emotions of a lonely person. The independent film reveals an aspect of human life which is known to millions. At the same time, the story is unconventional and evoking. Importantly, the films produced by the company reveal different social groups of people. The stories of artists, rich people, poor people, business people, working people, females and males are displayed. It is possible to state that the films do not focus on any particular social or any other group as the films are about aspects of life that are universal, i.e. all people have to face the issues addressed in the films. What is more, the company produces stories of different people to explore the way different people (pertaining to different social, ethnic, cultural groups) cope or fail to cope with these issues. Importantly, the films depict quite unconventional characters who are members of absolutely ordinary groups. The films highlight the life of people who could be ordinary, but somehow stand out from the rest. It is possible to note that the company creates a certain kind of mosaic of the human society with its controversies and conventions. It is necessary to note that apart from specific themes, the independent films produced by the company do not give answers. This is one o f the most important peculiarities of the company’s films. For instance, the film One Hour Photo does not give a specific answer concerning the future of the protagonist. The viewer is welcome to create a variety of possible stories. Any film of the company raises a number of questions which should be answered by the viewer. Any film produced by the company is concerned with several questions to be answered. The stories revealed illustrate an issue. The stories may have certain ending, but the ending is not the answer, but rather a question.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In conclusion it is necessary to state that Killer Films is the company that produces conventional independent films that dwell upon unconventional aspects of human life. These unconventional issues are often ignored or even neglected by the society. The company Killer Films has a very specific role. They make people think of these neglected issues. The company highlights such aspects of people’s life as loneliness, self-identification, self-realization, crime, interpersonal relationships. Admittedly, these issues can hardly be solved in the nearest future. However, it is a must of people to consider them as this may help people become happier. Hopewell, John. â€Å"Vachon Talks Price of Indie Pics.† Variety. Sep. 2012. Web. Macaulay, Scott. â€Å"12 Tips from James Schamus and Christine Vachon at IFP Film Week.† Filmmaker. Sep. 2012. Web.

INTERNAL CONTROL essays

INTERNAL CONTROL essays The purpose of the system of internal accounting controls is to make sure a business is operating according to the policies and plans of management in regards with measures that have a direct relation to the protection of assets and to the reliability of accounting information. A system of internal control in a business is set up to safeguard the business?resources against waste or fraud, to guarantee the accuracy of accounting information, to assess performance of the company and to make sure that company policies are being followed. To attain well functioning internal control, there are certain guidelines that can be used. The first would be to establish clear lines of responsibility. Businesses should assign responsibilities to an individual or a department. Clear descriptions of each department should be recorded to avoid any possible problems later. Each type of transaction should have routine procedures to be followed in order to direct activities of the business as planned, a ccording to company policies. Every transaction should be authorized, approved, executed and recorded. The most important measure to take is probably the subdivision of duties. By making sure that the same person or department does not handle a transaction completely from beginning to end but instead duties are divided amongst employee, the data is more reliable and will have fewer errors. With the subdivision of duties businesses should also separate accounting function from custody of assets. What this means is that an employee who has access to or is in charge of an asset should not keep the accounting record for the asset. This guideline protects the assets from inefficient use, wasting or theft. Subdivision of duties also aids in the prevention of fraud. This way one employees work verifies the work of the other reducing opportunities for engaging in fraud are restricted. Organizations could also adopt measures like internal auditing, financial f...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Using Readability Formulas

Using Readability Formulas Any readability formula is one of many methods of measuring or predicting the difficulty level of text by analyzing sample passages. A conventional readability formula measures average word length and sentence length to provide a grades and Observations, below. Five popular readability formulas are the Dale-Chall readability formula (Dale Chall 1948), the Flesch readability formula (Flesch 1948), the FOG index readability formula (Gunning 1964), the Fry readability graph (Fry, 1965), and the Spache readability formula (Spache, 1952). Examples and Observations: Because researchers have been examining readability formulas for almost 100 years, the research is comprehensive and reflects both the positive and negative aspects of formulas. Essentially, research firmly supports that sentence length, and word difficulty provide viable mechanisms for estimating difficulty, but they are imperfect. . . .As with many tools that work with normally developing readers, readability formulas may require some tweaking when the target population includes struggling readers, learning-disabled readers, or English language learners. When readers have little or no background knowledge, readability formula results may underestimate the difficulty of the material for them, particularly for English language learners. (Heidi Anne E. Mesmer, Tools for Matching Readers to Texts: Research-Based Practices. The Guilford Press, 2008) Readability Formulas and Word Processors Today many widely used word processors offer readability formulas along with spell checkers and grammar checkers. Microsoft Word provides a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Many teachers use the Lexile Framework, a scale from 0 to 2000 that is based on average sentence length and average word frequency of texts found in an extensive database, the American Heritage Intermediate Corpus (Carroll, Davies, Richman, 1971). The Lexile Framework circumvents the need to perform ones own calculations. (Melissa Lee Farrall, Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy, and Cognition. John Wiley Sons, 2012) Readability Formulas and Textbook Selection There are probably more than 100 readability formulas currently in use today. They are widely used by teachers and administrators as a way of predicting if a text is written at a level appropriate for the students who will use it. While we can say with relative ease that readability formulas are fairly reliable, we need to be cautious in using them. As Richardson and Morgan (2003) point out, readability formulas are useful when textbook selection committees need to make a decision but have no students available to try out the materials on, or when teachers want to assess materials that students may be asked to read independently. Basically, a readability formula is a quick and easy way to determine the grade level of written material. However, we must remember that it is only one measure, and the grade level obtained is only a predictor and thus may not be exact (Richardson and Morgan, 2003). (Roberta L. Sejnost and Sharon Thiese, Reading and Writing Across Content Areas, 2nd ed. Cor win Press, 2007) The Misuse of Readability Formulas as Writing Guides One source of opposition to readability formulas is that they are sometimes misused as writing guides. Because formulas tend to have just two major inputs- word length or difficulty, and sentence length- some authors or editors have taken just these two factors and modified writing. They sometimes end up with a bunch of short choppy sentences and moronic vocabulary and say that they did it because of a readability formula. Formula writing, they sometimes call it. This is a misuse of any readability formula. A readability formula is intended to be used after the passage is written to find out for whom it is suitable. It is not intended as a writers guide.(Edward Fry, Understanding the Readability of Content Area Texts. Content Area Reading and Learning: Instructional Strategies, 2nd ed., edited by Diane Lapp, James Flood, and Nancy Farnan. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2004)Dont bother with the readability statistics. . . . The averages of sentences per paragraph, words per sentence, and characte rs per word have little relevance. The Passive Sentences, Flesch Reading Ease, and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level are computed statistics that dont accurately assess how easy or hard the document is to read. If you want to know whether a document is hard to understand, ask a colleague to read it. (Ty Anderson and Guy Hart-Davis, Beginning Microsoft Word 2010. Springer, 2010) Also Known As: readability metrics, readability test

Conditioning and Learning Essay Essay Example

Conditioning and Learning Essay Essay Example Conditioning and Learning Essay Essay Conditioning and Learning Essay Essay â€Å"Learning. geting cognition or developing the ability to execute new behaviours. It is common to believe of larning as something that takes topographic point in school. but much of human larning occurs outside the schoolroom. and people continue to larn throughout their lives. † ( Gregory. 1961 ) Conditioning is the term used to denominate the types of human behavioural acquisition. Since the 1920s. conditioning has been the primary focal point of behavior research in worlds every bit good as animate beings. There are four chief types of conditioning: ? Classical Conditioning? Operant Conditioning? Multiple-Response Learning? Insight Learning. Conditioning and Learning 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Classical Conditioning â€Å"Classical conditioning. besides called associatory acquisition. is based on stimulus-response relationships. A stimulation is an object or state of affairs that elicits a response by one of our sense organs. like how a bright visible radiation makes us wink. Associative acquisition allows us to tie in two or more stimulations and alter our response to one or more of them as a consequence of coincident experience. † ( Moore. 2002 ) â€Å"According to classical conditioning. acquisition occurs when a new stimulation begins to arouse behavior similar to the behaviour produced by an old stimulation. Surveies into classical status began in the early 1900s by the Russian physiologist Ivan P. Pavlov. † ( Klein. 1998 ) Pavlov trained Canis familiariss to salivate in response to two stimulations: noise or visible radiation. and nutrient or a rancid solution. The dogs’ salivation is automatically elicited by the nutrient and rancid solution. so these were called the unconditioned stimulation. However. when the noise or visible radiation ( conditional stimulation ) was repeatedly paired with the nutrient or rancid solution over an drawn-out period of clip. the Canis familiariss would finally salivate at the noise or light entirely. This is a premier illustration of a learned response. Unconditional stimulations. such as the nutrient and rancid solution. let the acquisition to happen. while besides functioning to reenforce the acquisition. Without an unconditioned stimulation in his experiment. Pavlov could non hold taught the Canis familiariss to salivate at the presence of the noise or visible radiation. Conditioning and Learning 3 Classical conditioning is peculiarly of import in understanding how people learn emotional behaviour. For illustration. when we develop a new fright. we have learned to fear a peculiar stimulation. which has been combined with another scaring stimulation. Operant Conditioning. â€Å"Operant conditioning is purposive behaviour. We learn to execute a peculiar response as a consequence of what we know will go on after we respond. † ( Blackman. 1975 ) For illustration. a kid may larn to implore for Sweets if the beggary is normally successful. There is no individual stimulation that elicits the beggary behaviour. but alternatively it occurs because the kid knows that this action may ensue in having dainties. Every clip the kid receives Sweets after imploring. the behaviour is reinforced and the inclination of the kid to implore will increase. During the 1930s. American psychologist and behaviourist Burrhus F. Skinner performed several of import experiments into operant conditioning. Using what is now termed a Skinner Box. he trained rats to press levers to have nutrient. A hungry rat would be placed in a box incorporating a particular lever attached to hide nutrient. At foremost the hungry rat would roll around the box. look intoing its milieus. Finally it would by chance press the lever thereby let go ofing a nutrient pellet into the box. At first the rat would non demo any marks of tie ining the two events. but over clip its researching behavior becomes less random as it begins to press the lever more Conditioning and Learning 4 frequently. The nutrient pellet reinforced the rat’s response of pressing the lever. so finally the rat would pass most of its clip merely sitting and pressing the lever. This type of acquisition is based on the thought that if a behaviour is rewarded. the behaviour will happen more often. There are four chief types of operant acquisition: Positive Reinforcement. Negative Reinforcement. Punishment and Omission Training. Observational Learning â€Å"When we learn accomplishments. we must foremost larn a sequence of simple movement-patterns. We combine these movement-patterns to organize new. more complicated behavioural forms with stimulations steering the procedure. † ( Domjan. 1995 ) For illustration. efficient typing requires us to set together many finger motions. which are guided by the letters or words that we want to type. We must foremost larn to type each missive. and so larn to set the motions together to type words and so phrases. To look into this type of larning. psychologists have observed animate beings larning to run through labyrinths. An animate being first wanders aimlessly through the labyrinth. sporadically coming to a choice-point. where it must turn either left or right. Merely one pick is right. but the right way can non be determined until the animate being has reached the terminal of the labyrinth. By running through the labyrinth legion times. the animate being can larn the right sequence of bends to make the terminal. It has been found that the sequences of bends near the Conditioning and Learning 5 Two terminals of the labyrinth are learned more easy than the parts near the center. Similarly. when we try to larn a list of points. we normally find the beginning and the terminal easier than the center. Insight Learning Insight refers to larning to work out a job by understanding the relationships of assorted parts of the job. Frequently insight occurs all of a sudden. such as when a individual struggles with a job for a period of clip and so all of a sudden understands its solution. Therefore insight acquisition is work outing jobs without experience. Alternatively of larning by trial-and-error. insight larning involves tests happening mentally. â€Å"In the early 1900s. Wolfgang Kohler performed insight experiments on Pan troglodytess. Kohler showed that the Pan troglodytess sometimes used insight alternatively of trial-and-error responses to work out jobs. When a banana was placed high out of range. the animate beings discovered that they could stack boxes on top of each other to make it. † ( Schwartz. 1983 ) They besides realized that they could utilize sticks to strike hard the banana down. In another experiment. a Pan troglodytes balanced a stick on terminal under a clump of bananas suspended from the ceiling. so rapidly climbed the stick to obtain the full clump intact and unbruised ( a better technique than the research workers themselves had in head ) . Kohler’s experiments showed that Primatess can both see and utilize the relationships involved to make their ends. Conditioning and Learning 6 CONCLUSION There are many differences and similarities between each of these learning procedures. For illustration. classical conditioning involves merely nonvoluntary or automatic responses where as operant conditioning involves both nonvoluntary and voluntary physiological reactions. These diverse acquisition procedures can be used independently in many different state of affairss. Where classical conditioning may be highly effectual in one state of affairs it might be uneffective in another. For this ground each of these learning procedures. classical and operant conditioning and experimental and insight acquisition are each as of import and effectual as the other. Conditioning and Learning 7 References. Kimble. Gregory: ( 1961 ) Conditioning and Learning. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Inc. John W Moore: ( 2002 ) A Neuroscientist’s Guide to Classical Conditioning. Stephen B. Klein: ( 1998 ) Contemporary Learning Theories: Pavlovian Conditioning and the Status of Traditional Learning Theory. Chap. 5 ( Perceptual and Associative Learning ) . Derek E. Blackman: ( 1975 ) Operant Conditioning: Experimental Analysis of Behaviour ( Manual of Modern Psychology ) . Michael Domjan: ( 1995 ) The Necessities of Conditioning and Learning. Tighe. Schwartz: ( 1983 ) Modern Learning Theory. Psychology of Learning and Behavior 2nd edition.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Creating Compelling Characters

Creating Compelling Characters Creating Compelling Characters Creating Compelling Characters By Guest Author This is a guest post by Ali Hale. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. The success of a story rests on its characters. We remember truly compelling, vivid characters long after weve finished reading a novel or watching a movie: Im sure you can recall characters from books you read in childhood. Great characters can compensate for a weak plot or a so-so writing style – but if readers dont care about your characters, theyll put your story down. That clever plot twist or beautiful passage of writing might hook them briefly, but without characters that leap off the page, readers wont stay engaged. If you need more evidence that characters are crucially important, search Google for fan fiction. Many, many books, TV series and movies have spawned a huge amount of creative writing by fans – and this writing is all about the characters. The plots and sometimes even the settings are different from those in the original, but the characters remain the same. Simply knowing how important characters are doesnt help you much, though. You need to figure out how to create truly compelling characters who readers care about, laugh about, even cry about. Heres how: What Does Your Character Need? All compelling characters have a strong need, longing or desire. They should have a problem to overcome. They may not recognise this need (and indeed, many stories are about person coming to understand themselves better – for example, learning that they need companionship). I picked up a great tip on figuring out what characters need from Holly Lisles Create a Character Clinic. Use Maslows hierarchy of needs. Pick a level on the pyramid (you can find all you need to know on Wikipedias page) and then figure out what your character is seeking. At the most basic, physical level, your character might be in a survival situation and need food and water. Going up a level, you might have a character whose security is threatened: perhaps shes lost her job, or hes facing a health crisis. Quirks Dont Equal Character Many beginning writers make the mistake of thinking that giving a character a set of mannerisms or physical quirks is characterisation. It can be amusing and diverting, certainly. Sure, you can give your character a habit of whistling a particular tune, or jangling his keys, or peering over her glasses. But these alone dont make your characters compelling. When your characters do have unusual quirks, these need to be relevant to their back story – the things which happened to them before they appeared in your book. (Compelling characters need to be like icebergs: the reader has to have the sense that theres a lot more under the surface: characters shouldnt feel like they didnt exist before page one.) For example, Harry Potters scar is an important feature because it relates to his history and to the broader plot of the stories. Giving your character a mysterious scar which has no relevance to your story, however, isnt a shortcut to becoming as popular as J.K. Rowling In general, focus on who your character is rather than what they look like. Draw From Life – But Not Too Much So where do powerful, vivid characters come from? Often, the best place to start is yourself. What do you dream about, fear, desire? What secrets do you have? What are you most ashamed of – and most proud of? If youre trying to convey a characters internal thoughts, then you must be willing to draw on your only source of direct experience: the inside of your own mind. Dont go too far in drawing on real life, though. Beginning writers sometimes make the mistake of writing a version of themselves into their stories – often a perfect, flawless character who theyd quite like to be! While this might be emotionally satisfying to the writer, its either very irritating or very boring for readers. Some other tips when drawing on your life are: Were all complex people who may, at times, behave in contradictory ways. Dont make your characters too one-dimensional Most of us have quiet, even boring, lives. Your characters need to do more exciting things in order to engage the reader. Dont worry about describing your characters physically. Mention anything thats important (eg. a characters physical size may have a bearing on the plot and on their self-confidence) but dont burden the reader with details. Watch people when youre out and about, and make up stories about them. Let the Reader Empathise Your reader doesnt necessarily have to like your characters, but they should be able to feel a sense of empathy for them. Even your villains shouldnt be purely evil: there needs to be some explanation for why theyre such awful people – this often forms part of their back story. On the flip side, your heroes shouldnt be too perfect. We like to read about people with flaws, doubts and struggles – because when we read, were imagining ourselves in their place. Characters are compelling when we can share their struggles and cheer on their victories. Some quick ways to build empathy are: Show a character suffering (either mentally or physically) Include a brief flashback to an unhappy childhood or traumatic incident Write about your characters thoughts – especially if their actions might be hard for us to understand or treat sympathetically Use the first-person or third-person limited (deep) point of view Show a character being misunderstood by others Frustrate a characters attempts to meet their need Finally, have fun with creating your characters! If you find yourself writing about a character who bores you, then rewrite them – or recast them as a new character entirely. When you write characters that are truly compelling to you, theyll be compelling to the reader. Ali Hale is a writer whose posts getting more from life at Aliventures have been called so true, exactly what I need and exactly at the right time for me (click to grab the RSS feed here). When shes not blogging, shes working on her novel and other projects, including an MA in Creative Writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†The Possessive Apostrophe5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers