Leadership Principles Essay

Abstract This paper explores the definition of leadership, and how applying the principles of leadership can yield more success for teams in the workplace. It also serves to further explore personality self-evaluation and how personality traits help to define an individual’s leadership likely traits and strengths. Reference will be made to personality assessments such as the â€Å"Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator† (MBTI) and the â€Å"Big-Five Approach to Personality Assessment†, and what those assessments imply about an individual. While individuals tend to demonstrate particular trends and traits in relation to the personality assessments, the results are not absolute, and in no way offer definitive information about an individual’s specific characteristics (Scholl 2002). Detailed exploration of particular aspects and principles will yield a more refined working knowledge of leadership and practical applications in the workplace, specifically self-awareness and perso nal recognition of individual characteristics and learning styles. A summary with findings and conclusions will conclude the paper. Leadership Leadership is the ability to get a group to achieve greater accomplishments and achievements than the sum of individuals’ actions. Leadership means taking advantage of opportunities and finding ways to improve upon a situation, whether or not someone else gave you the empowerment to accomplish those goals (Blanchard, Fowler, and Hawkins, 2005, p. 15). Leaders have the innate ability to observe a scenario, realize what needs to happen to realize results, seize the moment and guide others to work together to accomplish a common goal. Ultimately, â€Å"a leader is anyone who can give you the support and direction you need to achieve your goal.† (Blanchard et al, 2005, 133). Self-Evaluation Every person is an individual, and as individuals they naturally have unique personality traits that affect how they interact and interact with others in the world. Personal assessment is a valuable tool that allows an individual to realize their own unique traits and tendencies, allowing them to be aware of precognitive tendencies that they might demonstrate in given situations. For me personally, I was assessed using the MBTI method to be an introvert, who tends to be slightly sensing, somewhat thinking, and strongly judging (https://www.typefocus.com). At first, I took some offence to being categorized in this method, but after researching the general description of my personality, as well as specific definitions of the preference categories, I came to realize that this information would ultimately empower me to become a stronger and more capable leader in the future. A summary of careers suggest that I could become a strong manager that would enjoy a workplace where I could use m y knowledge and organizational skills. I am likely to enjoy occupations that involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. (https://www.typefocus.com). I am able to ascertain that my personality traits suggest I am a person who is capable of teaching others my knowledge and other applicable skills. I am a leader who possesses both information power as well as expert power (Yukl, 2011, p. 193) Another assessment that helped me to understand about my character was the Big-Five Approach to Personality Assessment (Scholl, 2002). The Big-Five assessment provided five factors, along with several more specific traits and facets that help individuals understand and recognize concerning their personality. The five factors, or domains, are neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. My low scoring on the neuroticism portion suggests that I am a confident, optimistic individual who is even tempered and relaxed; able to face stressful situations without becoming upset (Scholl, 2002). I had a low extraversion score, suggesting that I am reserved and interpersonally formal; an independent thinker rather than a follower (Scholl, 2002). In the domain of openness, my score was almost dead center, suggesting that I do not have strong tendencies one way or the other (Scholl, 2002). I believe that this suggests that my reaction depends on the situation and the environment surrounding it. I can be curious and imaginative about certain situations, but cautious and conservative for others. Personal morals and ethics strongly influence my openness, whereas I am open to new ideas and thinking about scenarios, as long as they do not violate my personal ethical standards. For agreeableness, my slightly higher than center score suggests that I am for the most part a generous, trusting person who is sympathetic to others. At the same time, I can be suspicious and impatient with those who have disappointed me in the past. This is one aspect that I need to be aware of my past, and how it influences my present and future. I once had an assistant who I trusted complicity attempt to stage a mutiny to attempt to remove me from my position. Thankfully, my employees had enough ethical standards to make me aware of the decision, so that I could deal with the situation through the proper channels. However, as a result of that situation I have found it much more difficult to trust subordinates, and I tend to be suspicious of actions that could be viewed as disloyal and insubordinate to me as a manager and leader. For the final domain, conscientiousness, my score was again dead center, but the results for this particular section made me think more deeply about myself. I had always thought that I demonstrated the traits associated with someone who scores high for conscientiousness, but I must accept the fact that I may have tendencies that are normally for those scoring low. For me to be successful, I must constantly be aware of these traits, and be able to recognize and adjust my actions when I act in a way that is not conscientious. The guidelines representing how to promote emotional intelligence in the workplace (https://www.eiconsortium.org) suggested twenty-two steps to assess the situation, instigate change, then transfer power and evaluate how everything worked. The company I formerly worked for must have been influenced by these guidelines, as I had been introduced to the process years ago, and was a continual body of work for me as a retail manager. For every employee that was hired, whether full or part time, I had to assess them as an employee, and implement a training program that would yield the best results for the company. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, and I enjoyed showing how every employee had an impact on our store, and their effort and personal pride could have far reaching impact on our daily success, both for sales and customer satisfaction. The process of encouraging transfer and maintenance of  change was mainly designated for the management team, but that was an essential process for our team. I simply could not do it alone: I needed every member of the management to perform to their potential, so that we could function as a team, and each member of management would learn and better their skills for the next advancement opportunity that might come along. It was through this process that I was able to train and advance several members of management, many of whom are now store managers with their own stores to run. Leadership Style My personal leadership style is supportive leadership. I will always try to empower others around me to be aware of their potential, and support them when they need assistance. As Yukl suggests, I use my interpersonal skills to be supportive and compassionate with others as they try to get their work done (Yukl, 2011, p. 64). I attempt to learn more about an individual’s personality, so that I can find a way to best assist them in their own growth and leadership potential. That requires a being a coach who is sometimes there to boost their confidence, and at other times kick them in the rear when they are not putting forth their best effort. At the same time, I realize that it is not possible to provide the motivation for everyone. Every individual has different motivations, and ultimately must take responsibility for creating their own work environment (Blanchard et al, 2005, p.29). I am aware that to be a successful leader, I need to be able to not only empower others, but to show them how to be leaders unto themselves. Every individual needs to be aware of their own strengths and powers before they can lead themselves (Blanchard et al, 2005, p.62), and I plan help others find their way to lead themselves, and ultimately lead others to success. References Blanchard, K., Fowler, S., & Hawkins, L. (2005). Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Self Leadership. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishing, Inc. Buckingham, Marcus (2005). The One Thing You Need to Know†¦About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success. New York, NY: Free Press. Lencioni, Patrick (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Scholl, Richard (2002). Dispositions: The Big 5 Personality Assessment. Retrieved from University of Rhode Island, Labor Research Center Web site: http://www.uri.edu/research/lrc/scholl/webnotes/Dispositions_Big_5.htm Yukl, Gary (2011). Leadership In Organizations, Eighth Edition. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Nathaniel Hawthorns use of symbolism in The Hollow of Three Hills Essay

Nathaniel Hawthorne turns the perhaps often ignored topic of adultery into a compelling story that keeps the reader enthralled by using various literary techniques. He focuses on using colour and sound as a way to activate the audience’s imagination and create a somewhat magical picture that only the mind could produce. He describes certain things and places in a precise manner, using symbolism that can foreshadow the themes of the story. In the introductory paragraph, he describes the Hollow as being â€Å"†¦almost mathematically circular,† this allows the reader to deduce that an aura of the supernatural can be seen in the story. Hawthorne uses colour not only to create an image in the readers mind about what they are reading, but also to create a mood and tone to the story. For instance, he describes the hollow as a place full of dark greens and browns, setting a rather dark and gloomy mood. He describes the scene at the bottom of the hollow, â€Å"One of these masses of decaying wood, formerly a majestic Oak, rested close beside a pool of green and sluggish water at the bottom of the basin.† The greens and browns described in this sentence, along with the description of the rotting wood and stagnant water creates a picture of mould, death and decay, an overall miserable colour scheme, creating a miserable mood. This miserable mood is then expanded on when it is mentioned that the old woman has grey hair, a rather drab colour. The first vision is also set in darkness with the only colour being mentioned being the grey ashes and orange embers, however, these oranges seem to create a feeling of fright rather than warmth. The second vision also brings on a notion of fear and resentment, the grey colour of the chains lingers on the readers mind. The third vision seems to be the darkest of all, the theme of a funeral immediately focusing the readers mind to the colour black. The darkness throughout the story seems to flow into this third vision, encompassing the readers mind, creating a black space for the reader to focus solely on the sounds being created in the story, yet another technique used to grab the emotions of the reader. Hawthorne carries the feelings of the adulteress; sorrow, grief, despair and suffering throughout the story by using various sound devices and excessive descriptive techniques. A feeling of fear is brought into the readers mind as they imagine the intimidating voice of the aged crone as the story is introduced. The sound of a prayer being uttered under her breath and the voices of the vision begin to take over the readers mind as well, and one is brought inside the head of the woman. One hears the crackling of dying embers and the voices of the woman’s parents, as well as the old crone’s prayers, almost as if there is a merging of two dimensions. We then break away and are brought back to the deathly calm of the Hollow. As one reads on, the mind is forced to enter the second dimension again. Here Hawthorne uses strong onomatopoeic words to elaborate on the intensity of the sounds being created. â€Å"Shrieks pierce through the obscurity of sound†. Through this sentence, Hawthorne is able to derive a bloodcurdlingly pitched scream inside one’s mind. The voice of insanity is encroaching upon her. Calm is one again brought on by the sound of singing, often associated with calm due to the fact that an infant is calmed by lullaby. The voice of her husband becomes the dominant voice, indicating his feelings of absolute betrayal. The third vision contains perhaps the least noise, but in turn, speaks the loudest. The funeral bells tolls the sound of death, and the tread of the coffin bearers create an ominous miser, however it is the deathly sound of silence that follows, that echoes loudest in the readers mind. Nathaniel Hawthorn also uses symbols throughout the story to accentuate the miserable tone, and the severity of the adulteress’s crimes. He uses three hills, and three visions to show reference to the Holy Trinity, which was sinned against when the woman committed adultery. A funeral sermon was given by a priest, extending the Christian connotations. A large religious role is also given to the use of the power of the super natural, and black magic. The ‘‘almost mathematically circular’’ hollow bears reference to the use of the circle in witchcraft. The woman also places her head upon the crone’s knees, a power that was not god, an evil deed that would have sold her soul to Satan. They stood around â€Å"†¦ a mantling pool, disturbing its putrid waters in the performance of an impious baptismal rite.† This sentence creates an uneasy feeling that they were standing in the areas of hell, or belonging to the devil. The use of the sound and colour in the story create a vivid layout and deeply emotionally stirring images in one’s mind that remain in the sub conscious for further thought, this impact could not have been achieved without such extensive use of these devices. The symbolism added understanding to this emotionally stirring story, and created an undertone of resentment for the adulteress, as one was able to realise the crimes that she had committed in relation to religion. Overall, the use of black magic, and the miserable light, as well as the impeding sound of death in the story, allowed Hawthorn to create a work of literature that excellently portrays the critical consequences of this woman’s tragic mistake and her deep feeling of regret are echoed in the sound of her silence at the end of the story.

Personal statement for applying MBA programme and Master in Finance

For applying MBA programme and Master in Finance programme - Personal Statement Example In order to accomplish this goal, I have taken the opportunity to serve as an intern for a number of different businesses and organizations. Some of my most valuable intern experiences have been in surprising places. These internships have helped me to grow and mature. I can say that I know myself better now as a result of this work. I have always been highly motivated by money. I do not feel that this is something I need to apologize for. I love capitalism and feel that it is the very foundation of freedom throughout the world. Without capitalism, there is no real democracy. As a result, I have always measured my career goals and my level of success by the amount of income and investment potential each possible career could offer. Perks of the position mean very little to me. My career is going to be my life, so I do not care about time off, special parking spaces or the latest technological gadget. I want to earn money and I am willing to work hard to get it. My first internship was in a bank. I shadowed a loan officer for several weeks and thought I would lose my mind with boredom. I found the process to be fascinating but redundant. There seemed to be very little variety in the job. When my mentor shared the salary range, I knew that this was not the work for me. I was able to work then for a national financial services company that provided guidance to massive institutional investors. Working with vast sums of money was so exciting yet humbling. I couldn’t help but feel I was out of my league. The thing with this job was that everyone there seemed to make me want to feel like I was out of my league. The work environment was competitive and stressful. My final, and most powerful internship was with a moderately sized non-profit institution. Learning about non-profit financing and business administration was actually quite interesting. What made an unexpected impact on me was the amount of good that this non-profit

Classical Era Reflection Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Classical Era Reflection - Research Paper Example The major theorists of scientific (management) perspective believed there is one best way to do everything – and that is the most efficient way Those theorists believed they could determine that method via whatever means they were using or purported was the best method to study the task. Those theorists of the scientific perspective discussed first are F. W. Taylor, H. L. Gantt, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and Hugo Munsterberg. Frederick W. Taylor’s philosophy led the way for many others in using scientific and mathematical methods applied to workers, attempting to match a person’s abilities to a job in the best way possible, instituting a mutual self-interest mind-set that had never existed and improving employee productivity through incentives (Locke, 1982; Wren & Bedeian, 2009). Crain (2003) says that Taylor was noted for his scientific approach, his ability to solve problems, and his ability to invent things. His thought was that â€Å"measurement increased productivity† (p. 45). In one example, the test subject â€Å"increased production by 400 per cent while receiving 60 percent more in pay†. Taylor was best known for his stopwatch, but he believed that money is what the workers craved and they were determined to get it. Companies at that time glossed over the downside of Taylor’s efficiency gains and put increased productivity over ethics. Philosophical discussions took place and he wrote about it in The Principles of Scientific Management. He believed that ultimately improving efficiency improved society. Hodgetts (1995) analyzed ten U.S. organizations against Taylor’s principles and found that â€Å"each in its own way used Taylor’s four principles to help focus their total quality management strategy† (p. 218). The four principles are summarized as follows: 1. Develop a science for each part of a person’s work, replacing â€Å"a rule of thumb method† (p. 218). 2. Scientifical ly pick and train employees rather than allow employees to arrive and work as they wish. 3. Cooperate with employees to ensure work is done according to scientific guidelines. 4. Divide work as equally as possible. Allow management time to oversee the work of the employees and shoulder the responsibility of holding others accountable. Henry Laurence Gantt worked closely with F. W. Taylor. Gantt brought a human quality into the scientific side of Taylor’s work. Gantt developed a bonus pay structure for the employee who completed their piece rate work for the day and was able to complete more than the assigned tasks. With Gantt’s methods of the use of incentives for employees â€Å"production was often doubled† (Wren & Bedeian, 2009, p. Fax 2). Frank Gilbreth differed from Taylor in that Gilbreth used time motion studies where Taylor used a stop watch and was using only time rather than time motion. Gilbreth was best known for establishing the hope of finding the one best (most efficient) way to do any and every task (Wren & Bedeian, 2009). Lillian Gilbreth, PhD, continued the work the two of them conducted even after Frank’s death and she later became published. Hugo Munsterberg was the father of industrial psychology as we know it today. He believed psychological themes could be applied in the workplace. In 2009, The New Yorker published an article describing in detail the events of Classical

Discuss the key challenges for social workers in working in Essay

Discuss the key challenges for social workers in working in partnership with parents and protecting children in Northern Ireland - Essay Example However, social workers have not been without challenges in their daily work. Among the challenges social workers face in Northern Ireland comes from partnering with parents in protecting children. Examples are physical violence, abuse, violent attacks, aggressive clients, criticisms and intimidation (Davey, p.34). Over the year there have been reviews and establishment of laws and policies that affect the children’s rights and duty of care. This has brought misunderstanding between the social workers duties, those of the parents and those of the state. 1. Under the Kids and Younger Individuals Act (Northern Ireland) 1950, the generalist welfare authorities were accountable for rendering of services to children and young persons in need of proper care or security (cited in Geen, p.15). 3. The Ingleby Report outlined the need for power to fight neglect, ill treatment and child offending in all manners. This led to the Kids and Younger Individuals Act 1963 in Britain and Wales and, in turn, to the Children and Younger Individuals Act (Northern Ireland) 1968. Both established prevention as an actual concept in childcare exercise (Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board. Serious Case 2010, p.45). 4. The Report of the Panel on Regional Power and Allied Personal Social Services 1968 (the Seebohm Report) suggested that professional local authority divisions should be taken off by overall social services divisions offering society care services to families, children and other grownups in need of proper care or support. It was envisaged that a single public employee could deal with all the public problems within one family. In North Ireland in Europe generic welfare divisions had since 1948 offered an extensive set of public services for family members, children and grownups in need of proper care and protection(Cited in Ferguson, p.56). 5. The Kids

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Case Study Example The separation of the Lakeberg twins put forward a number of ethical issues related to saving lives at the slimmest chance of survival. When Reitha was observed to be carrying Siamese twins, doctors recommended an abortion due to the limited chances of survival for the babies. This recommendation poses an ethical issue relative to the doctors’ choice that seemed to highly influence the parents. This situation was worsened by the underlying financial challenges that the couple was going through at the time the doctors made the recommendation. The doctors failed to assess the couple’s family situation, given that their consent to abortion may have been forced by their financial situation. On the abortion issue, a critical dilemma emerges. Both Ken and Reitha had a difficult decision to make. This decision would consequently measure their ethics and respect for human life. Although Reitha never undertook the abortion, her ordeal was not set to end at that point. Seven weeks after she delivered, the couple took its chance to have the Siamese twins separated. With slim chances of one baby surviving, if not both, the move to separate the twins puts medical ethics on the spot. A combination of high medical costs and slimmest survival chances in cases of medical practice might present doctors as money-oriented and patients as medically irrational (Snyder, 2005). However, doctors have a duty to save lives, attend to patient needs, and satisfy patients’ will. The dilemma in this case lies in deciding the point at which such provisions fail to hold. Given that the Siamese twins had a fused liver and a shared heart, it was medically obvious that one of the babies would be sacrificed to save the other. In this case, Amy would be saved subject to the doctors’ medical decision. The parents were provided with an already made decision, an aspect that questions whether it was ethical to make that decision on behalf of the couple. Notably,

The 4As Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The 4As - Essay Example 4A’s always attempts to improve the agency business. With 750 members and 1250 branch offices, approximately 80% of 4A’s members are placed in all national advertising agencies. Virtually all of the large multinational agencies are members of the 4A’s. While at the same time, along with addressing the expectations of shareholders and stakeholders, the organization fulfills its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as well. The association represents advertising agency business to public service work of the Advertising Council, Inc. and Spencer, AAAA Educational Foundation which offers allowances and fellowship to graduate multicultural learners studying advertising at college or graduate school levels. It also runs a group insurance and group pension/profit sharing plan for the benefit of employees in agencies. 4A’s has its individual composition of constitution, mission statement, by-laws and standards of practice approved by the Board of Directors along with membership together (American Association of Advertising Agencies, 2013). Mission and Purpose of 4A’s The mission of 4A’s is to improve and to strengthen the advertising agency business in the United States by counselling members on operations and management by offering collective experience of the many to each. It strives to establish high creativity and business standards by attracting quality workforce to the business. Considering itself as a management oriented agency, the association is focused on providing leadership, support and assistance to the advertising community in serious areas such as compensation, agency operation, talent management, business development, government policy and technology. The organization divides its purpose in short-term and long-term bases. Short-term goal includes endorsing friendly relations within the entire associated agencies and maintaining as well as preserving honesty along with fairness. Moreover, working with the govern ment and consumers on matters which affect advertising is also a key short-term goal. Long-term goal includes fostering social responsibility of advertising and marketing, and fostering scientific research along with innovation to continually improve advertising. Moreover, to provide their members with unlimited access to their full time team of information specialist, which helps a client to meet all the secondary research needs, such as industry statics, creative work, and demographic data, original research, surveys and white papers, comes under their prime purpose (American Association of Advertising Agencies, 2013; SlideShare Inc, 2013). Services Offered by 4A’s 4A’s provides insurance and pension/profit sharing plan for the welfare of their associates in agencies. The agency is mainly involved in planning, producing, creating advertisement and performing research along with selecting media. The 4A’s runs its own research departments. Consulting and advisor y services on a variety of management related topics, training and professional development programmes and research services, including access to specialists and numerous databases are a few more services offered by 4A’s. 4A’s devotes a part of its time and energy in facilitating government on matters that have an impact on advertising and marketing communication industry. It has committed a substantial effort in creating responsible practices in two vital areas, food and beverage related advertising to the children along

MKTG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

MKTG - Essay Example Though humorous, the ad depicts an overweight father who tends to his crying baby, only to find that the baby confuses its father’s chest with its mother’s. The ad contains a strong message however; the execution has been done through a wrong mode which may be demeaning for the target audience. An ethical way would have been to show a person facing health problems or social problems because of being overweight. This is because the ad awkwardly defies the society’s natural gender roles and a lot of overweight individuals may find the ad offensive as well. The customers who are overweight would feel bad about themselves and even the brand will have a tendency to create negative associations as the target audience will not respond positively when they are being made fun of. Bibliography Maecat. â€Å"4 Banned Commercials†. YouTube.com. 6 March, 2007. Web. 2 May 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiYkwtBK34&feature=related

Metaphors on Teens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Metaphors on Teens - Essay Example Communicating with your teenager on a regular basis Communication is blinding family with love, care, support, and bringing a parent-teen relationship to harmonious respect. Teens are spending less time talking with their parents and more time with peers, deteriorating and disconnecting their relationship. In this scenario, communication is needed to prevent relationship from being torn. Just as food and air are necessary for human survival, so is communication necessary for the development and sustainment of a relationship. Thus, communication is like a bridge that connects two separate ways into one. Communication is a tool for showing love and interest, resolving conflicts and issues and a means of building close relationships. As supported by Norbeck and Fitzpatrick (125), in a parent and adolescent relationship communication is a commonplace means of understanding. Meanwhile, teens of today are more exposed to negative influences through factors such as technology and peer press ure --destructing powers that increase as time ages. Therefore, teens must be parented properly and should be treated and comforted like a pillow. How to parent your teens with love and compassion Children are highly precious people to their parents’ lives. ... â€Å"Am I a controlling parent? Do I listen to my child?† parents often wonder. Parents, especially those who are autocratic, want their teens to follow every command and rule they impose. However, just as if too much weight is placed on a bridge it will break, so will parents acting too strictly result in cracks in the relationship. Indeed, if parents are too strict in not considering teens’ feelings, desires and opinions, conflict may arise. Parents must show love and compassion to their teens despite disobedience. Teens want to be loved and cared by parents, and see their parents as their protective shield when it rains. There are many ways parents can show love and compassion to their teens. According to Taylor (2005), parents must teach love and compassion so that teens understand its essence. Second, parents must plan activities that establish compassion and increase love, such as family outings, family prayer and scripture study, and watching movies together etc . Meanwhile, teens might get mistaken, so it is a perfect time for parents to show love and compassion through comforting, teaching teens how to make decisions, and â€Å"encouraging them to rise after having stumbled down.† How to parent the stubborn and argumentative teenager through peer pressure At their age, teens are like the ball that keeps on rolling. Peer pressure greatly influences teens’ behavior as they might apply what they have learned from peers. Some teens are stubborn and very augmentative. Parents of this kind have hard times negotiating with them. According to Thompson (2006) some teens often love to argue and persist in their ideas. They want to be always right, and do the things they want. Parents want the best for them, so generally what they consider is the best and

Have Technology Taken over Some People Lives Essay Example for Free

Have Technology Taken over Some People Lives Essay Is there a concern about people becoming too dependent on technology? Do you think too much technology is too much for your children? Does technology affect the brain? Some of us think that there is a possibility that too much technology is affecting our children. They seem to not get the concept of things. Kids today can’t seem to think in a rational way. Everything done for children is through some type of technology. Technology is taught at such a young age that kids don’t get the opportunity to learn on their own and by the time they arrive teenage it seems to become more evident. Sarah Harris in a MailOne article â€Å"Too much internet use can damage teenagers brains† says, â€Å"Excessive internet use may cause parts of teenagers’ brains to waste away, a study reveals. Scientists discovered signs of atrophy of grey matter in the brains of heavy internet users that grew worse over time. This could affect their concentration and memory, as well as their ability to make decisions and set goals. It could also reduce their inhibitions and lead to ‘inappropriate’ behavior. Researchers took MRI brain scans from 18 university students, aged 19, who spent eight to 13 hours a day playing games online, six days a week. The students were classified as internet addicts after answering eight questions, including whether they had tried to give up using computers and whether they had lied to family members about the amount of time they spent online. compared them with a control group of 18 students who spent fewer than two hours a day on the internet. One set of MRI images focused on grey matter at the brain’s wrinkled surface, or cortex, where the processing of memory, emotions, speech, sight, hearing and motor control occurs. Comparing grey matter between the two groups revealed atrophy within several small regions of all the online addicts’ brains. The scans showed that the longer their internet addiction continued, the ‘more serious’ the damage was. The researchers also found changes in deep-brain tissue called white matter, through which messages pass between different areas of grey matter in the nervous system. These ‘structural abnormalities were probably associated with functional impairments in cognitive control’, they say. The researchers added that these abnormalities could have made the teenagers more ‘easily internet dependent’, but concluded they ‘were the consequence of IAD (internet addiction disorder)’. ‘Our results suggested long-term internet addiction would result in brain structural alterations,’ they said. The study, published in the PLoS ONE journal, was carried out by neuroscientists and radiologists at universities and hospitals in China, where 24million youths are estimated to be addicted to the internet. Wake-up call: Dr Aric Sigman said it was a shame that we needed photos of brains to realise that sitting in front of a screen is not good for childrens health In Britain, children spend an average of five hours and 20 minutes a day in front of TV or computer screens, according to estimates by the market-research agency Childwise. Dr Aric Sigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, described the Chinese research as a ‘wake-up call’. He said: ‘It strikes me as a terrible shame that our society requires photos of brains shrinking in order to take seriously the common-sense assumption that long hours in front of screens is not good for our children’s health. ’ Baroness Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, described the results as ‘very striking’. She said: ‘It shows there’s a very clear relationship between the number of years these young people have been addicted to the internet and changes in their brains. ‘We need to do more experiments and we need to invest more money in research and have more studies like this. The neuroscientist has previously warned there could be a link between children’s poor attention spans and the use of computers and social-networking websites. She is concerned that not enough attention is being paid to evidence that computer use is changing young people’s brains. Professor Karl Friston, a neuroscientist at University College London, told the Scientific American journal the techniques used in the small-scale study were rigorous. He said: ‘It goes against intuition, but you don’t need a large sample size. That the results show anything significant at all is very telling. ’

Exploring Asian Cinema Film Studies Essay

Exploring Asian Cinema Film Studies Essay Asian cinema basically refers to films produced in the continent of Asia. East Asian cinema, Southeast Asian cinema and South Asian cinema consists of what is called Asian cinema. Nowadays, Asian cinema continues to thrive because of the so-called globalization of Asian cinema. The globalization of Asian cinema allows people from all around the world to view and experience Asian films. Hollywood is even making remakes of films from Asia, some of which include Eight Below, The Lake House, The Grudge and Dark Water. Furthermore, Asia has been producing films that are slowly catching the attention of viewers as well as scholars from all around the globe. Everywhere in the world, Asian films are being shown on an almost regular basis in film screenings, festivals and the like. But this was not always so. Most Asian countries spent the first five decades of the 20th century producing films that are largely focused on national audiences. These were the times when there were no international film festivals, the only prominent film festival prior to World War II being the Venice International Film Festival. It was in1938 when the film Five Scouts from Japan won a special prize at the said festival, paving the way for Asian cinema representation in other festivals around the globe. In 1951, Asian cinema was brought into world focus when the film Rashoman from Japan bagged the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and the best foreign language film at the Oscars (Nandgaonkar). And the rest was history. Asia is said to be the largest producer of films worldwide in terms of volume (Ciecko 1). Because of the enormity of the continent, Asian films vary in content and topic. Asian films contain universal themes such as love, life, revenge, death and poverty. They also contain slices of Asian culture, and the stamp of each Asian micro-culture can be found in each groups respective films. The micro-cultures of Asia are varied and diverse, so diverse that each is of different character and quality. This can be seen in the films made by each country. Korean cinema has been historically invisible to the rest of the world, and to some extent, to its own people. Today, the spotlight is on the country whose cinema is the heart and soul of its nations culture (Rist). In its early stages, Japanese cinema produced many documentary films or news reels including scenes of the city, dancing geishas, Sumo, royal or celebrity funerals and the Russia-Japan war (Tadao). Today, the Japanese film industry is one of the largest in the world. The films of Hongkong are popular for being action-packed and filled with martial arts stylings. The cinema forms survival depended on several factors. Martial arts films are artistically unique and are influenced by artifacts of kung fu culture as well as superstitious beliefs. In a sense, martial arts cinema can be considered as escapist, but it satisfies a more tangible cultural need which is the desire to link with tradition no matter how tenuous or imaginary (Garcia). This explains the phenomenon behind martial arts cinema. Taiwanese cinema examines the various problems that Taiwanese people have to cope up with in a modernized society. In order to create films with a more realistic relationship with history and memory, most new films are shot on location. Minor and non-professional actors are also cast to evoke a more true-to-life atmosphere. The filmmakers draw deeply on their life experiences to make their films. Today, almost every new film tries to reconstruct history to some extent (Taiwanese Cinema). The independent films of the Philippines, on the other hand, are socially relevant and contain touches of realism. There has been a recent blossoming of independent filmmaking in the Philippines, and these films have earned the Philippines international recognition and prestige. Asian Films are sorted according to genre. The genres of Asian cinema include action, animation, comedy, crime, gay films, historical epics, horror and romance. Action Action films in Asia are films centered on high physical activity and include martial arts for the most part. An example is Internal Affairs form Hongkong and most of the movies of both Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Animation Animation in Asia includes the anime industry in Japan and is directly influenced by manga or comics in Japan so that the characters have big eyes, small faces and long limbs. Example of Asian animation is Pokemon. Comedy Comedy in Asia can be found in any genre of film. There usually has some element of comedy in any Asian film. Examples of Asian comedy films are Ngem Ngem Ngem and Luang Phii Theng from Thailand. Crime Crime films in Asia are common and usually star high-profile actors such as Jackie Chan. Example of an Asian crime film is Gunman from Thailand. Gay films Asian gay films are usually comic in style and gay characters are often comic relief or villain in Asian films. Gay films such as Beautiful Boxer, however, are less comic and focus on issues of gender and identity. Historical Epics One of the staples of Asian films. Example is the Ramayana from India. Horror Recently, there was a boom in the horror film genre as films like The Grudge and The Ring were remade in Hollywood. This goes to show that Asians are very creative and that their films have spawned numbers of like films because of their originality and uniqueness. Romance One of the Asian audiences favorite genre. Example is White Valentine from Korea. When one talks about Asian cinema, one talks about the Asian culture, tradition and beliefs embedded in the films. As it is, there is no doubt that Asian culture is prominent in Asian cinema. This is why Asian cinema is a great source for understanding Asian culture. Asians incorporate Asian culture into their films by showing viewers the Asian culture, tradition and way of life. This way, viewers are able to know about the micro-cultures of the continent. For example, in the culturally significant film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which is a China-Hongkong-Taiwan-US co-production, the customs, beliefs and traits of the Chinese during the Qing Dynasty in China were flawlessly depicted. The characteristics of Asian cinema vary as well. Vital, diverse and changing these characterize contemporary films from East Asia which reflect the times of the region today. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia is home to a blossoming industry of independent films. South Asia, on the other hand, is home to the largest film industry in the world which is India (iFilm Connections: Asia and Pacific). Generally, strong themes characterize the films made in the continent of Asia. One of these is nationalism, a theme that can be found in almost all Asian films. Nationalism in Asian films is shown by the use of national language in Asian films. This shows the pride Asian have concerning their mother tongue. Moreover, ethnicity is shown in each film by the language used. The films are then enjoyed by foreigners through subtitles. The incorporation of Asian values and traits into their films also characterize Asian cinema. For example, family is extremely important in Asian culture (Becquet-Rasmussen). This is why in the film Tokyo Story from Japan, audiences are made to realize that family is important and to show affection to the parents while they are still alive is of grave importance. Asians are extremely friendly and helpful, as depicted in the film Seven Samurai from Japan when the samurai himself agrees to help the mountain villagers fight their oppressors in exchange of nothing but three meals a day. Asians also have respect for authority. They also have respect for their ancestors and the elderly. They are patriarchal, and in olden times females are valued less than males. These are Asian qualities seen depicted in most Asian movies, because of which foreigners are able to know Asians even more. These depictions also prove the nationalism Asians have when it comes to making films. Spirituality would also characterize Asian cinema. This is the case in point in the film Sister Stella L from the Philippines where faith and spirituality is shown by the protagonist who is a nun. Other Asian films with implicit spirituality include The Road Home from China, Departures and Throne of Blood from Japan, Apu Trilogy from India, The Cave of the Yellow Dog from Mongolia, Phorpa from Bhutan and Ghani from Bangladesh (Film and Faith 4 Seminar Explores Spirituality in Asian Films). The martial arts film emerged as a characteristically Hong Kong medium of artistic expression in the 1950s (iFilm Connections: Asia and Pacific). Asian martial arts movies, despite the recent advances in special effects technology, have two secrets great camera work and well-planned choreography (Parish). Asian cinema has a highly developed star system. Films of superstars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li dominate the industry and, in turn, earn a lot of money. This is because people flock to the theatres to see their favorite stars whom they trust to give them quality viewing experience. In these times of environmental and political uncertainty, people are looking for assurance in their lives, something that they find in the public figures that they trust. In terms of technology, Asian cinema, particularly Japanese cinema, has created a new cinematic environment that is most apparent in film production and distribution. In place of 35mm film, high definition digital video is often used to bring down production cost and is then blown up to 35mm for theatrical release. Lightweight cameras, less equipment and smaller crews are also used (Wada-Marciano). When it comes to marketing, Asian filmmakers tend to allocate less to marketing as compared to Hollywood. In Hollywood, 40% of a films total budget is allocated to marketing whereas in Asia, only 10% of a films total budget is allocated to marketing (QA Asian Films and Product Placements). Most Asian films are also marketed by first targeting the audiences in Asias three biggest most self-contained film markets China, Japan and South Korea (Frater). This has become even more so with the blossoming of Asian cinema and the fact that Asian films are being launched in film festivals around the world. Nowadays, marketing Asian films is done by using Hollywood marketing machinery to penetrate Asian territory (Frater). Today, the list of acclaimed Asian films is growing longer as more and more Asian films are being shown in festivals around the world. Foreigners get to appreciate and understand Asian culture and tradition by watching these films. According to the 1992 Sight and Sound Critic Poll, some of the greatest Asian films Asia has ever produced are: Tokyo Story from Japan This is the story of a couple who came to the city to visit their children and grandchildren. The children, however, are too busy to for their parents. After the parents return home, the grandmother dies. It is now the turn of the children to take the journey and visit their parents (Ebert). Pather Panchali from India The first film of the Apu Trilogy, the film depicts the childhood of the protagonist in the rural countryside of Bengal in the 1920s (Pather Panchali). Seven Samurai from Japan This is the story of a samurai who was hired by poor mountain villagers to fight a gang of bandits in exchange for three meals a day. He then recruits six more samurais to complete the seven needed to defend the village. Ultimately, the battle is won for the villagers and singing and rejoicing is heard while the remaining samurais watch the villagers planting the next rice crop (Synopsis for Shichinin No Samurai). Ugetsu from Japan This is the story of two ambitious peasants who want to make their fortunes. A potter intends to sell all his wares in the city in exchange for profit while his brother-in-law wishes to become a samurai (Plot Summary for Ugetsu Monogatari). The Music Room from India This tells the story of a middle-aged aristocrat in India whose estate is suffering financially but continues to engage in indulgences (Synopsis for Jalsaghar). Charulata from India The film tells the story of a lonely housewife who falls for her husbands cousin after her busy husband asks his cousin to keep her company (Charulata). Ikiru from Japan This film is about a minor Tokyo bureaucrat and his final quest for meaning (Ikiru). Sansho the Bailiff from Japan This tells the story of two aristocrat children sold into slavery (Sansho Dayu). Yellow Earth from China The film is about a Communist soldier who is sent to the countryside to collect folk songs for the Communist Revolution (Huang Tu Di). The Life of Oharu from Japan This film is about the life of a seventeenth century samurais daughter (Saikaku Ichidai Onna). Indeed, Asian cinema is slowly capturing the worlds imagination. Consider the continent of Australia. Australia is neighbor to some Asian countries like Indonesia and East Timor. Because of the geographical location and because Asian films are slowly gaining the notice they deserve, Australian filmgoers will get a dose of Asian films through the Sydney Asia Pacific Film Festival, the Hongkong Film Festival in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and the Chinese Film Festival in Melbourne where several Asian films are being shown. As a result, Australians can get to enjoy and appreciate Asian cinema in all its majestic glory. Cinema is where people go to in order to relax and enjoy. This may be viewed by some as being escapist, but there is more to be benefited from cinema than mere escapism. Because of cinema, a micro-culture is revealed to unsuspecting viewers and filmgoers. Watching a film from Japan, they discover the samurai and geisha cultures. Watching a film from the Philippines, they discover that there is more to the country than Manny Pacquiao. Cinema is magical and can transport viewers to places unimaginable to him or her. Asian cinema is even more magical because the culture of an entire continent is represented in these films. Asian cinema is rich in culture and tradition, the reason why Asian films are a good media in conveying to the world a particular countrys voice. After years of being in the dark, the time of Asian cinema has come. Asian films are slowly coming out of their shells to be viewed and experienced by the whole world. This is an important key to globalization as people throughout the world are able to understand and accept cultures other than their own. The era has come when the micro-cultures of Asia will be seen by the world through a magnifying lens with no less than the use of a camera.

Essay --

Dante’s Judgment of Edward Teach In Dante Alighieri’s The Devine Comedy, he explains his nine stages of hell based on different sins. They are limbo lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. In Alighieri’s epic, limbo was the least serious level of sins and treachery was the highest level of sin. Edward â€Å"Blackbeard† Teach was a famous pirate who would have been considered to commit all of these sins. In Alighieri’s eyes Teach would have been put in the highest level of hell for committing all of the sins including treachery. Edward â€Å"Blackbeard† Teach was born in Bristol, England around 1960. Most likely has name may have actually been Edward Drummond but he introduced himself as Teach. He took the sea when he was a teenager and was recruited as a privateer for Queen Anne’s War. (Minster, â€Å"Biography of Edward â€Å"Blackbeard† Teach†). The time of Blackbeard’s life took place during the early 18th century and was referred as â€Å"The Golden Age of Piracy†. In order to stay a successful pirate, he wanted to be intimidating. Teach would always carry multiple weapons...

Right Before My Very Eyes :: Vision Brain Seeing essays

Right Before My Very Eyes "I'll believe it when I see it:" is one of many common catch phrases included in our every day vernacular. A person who declares this is asserting that they will not be fooled by another's assumptions or perceptions of the world. This understanding raises a great sense of security within us, concerning the things that we do see, and inversely, an unavoidable sense of insecurity in those beliefs that are not supported by vision. Do you believe in Ghosts? Angels? Out of body experiences? Would you believe if you could see them? Maybe not. But it is possible to offer those who are withholding there stamp of approval on things that exist but cannot be seen, a better summary of evidence, which could make the inability to see something an invalid criteria for belief. Could a summary of evidence be compiled that would support this: Our vision is incomplete, incorrect, and can even be as misleading as to create something within the brain that does not exist at all, shedding light on a b rain that is more of a visionary, and less of a reporter. Human beings rarely contemplate the significance of their own blind spot, a place where processes of neurons join together and form the optic nerve; it is here that the brain receives no input from the eye about this particular part of the world. What I discovered while entertaining myself with a simple eye exam aimed at divulging the capabilities of the brain in the face of the eyes blind spots was fundamental in my exploration of the trust we place in vision, and so I will explain it briefly. Our brain can ignore a dot that exists on the page and "fill" the spot with the color of its surroundings, no matter what the color. However, it is not that our brain cannot conceive of an image or of a shape to fill this place. Continuing with the experiment leads you to find that the brain will continue the line that is obstructed with the black dot, covering the sides of the dot in the surrounding color, and transforming the image before you into a line within your brain. A line that i s absolutely not there. This reveals more than just a weakness in the eye, but an ability of the brain! (1)

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) :: essays research papers

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Table of Contents (Clicking on the links below will take you to that part of this article) * Life * Philosophical Writings * Theology Life The father of medieval scholasticism and one of the most eminent of English prelates was born at Aost Piedmont in 1033. Anselm died at Canterbury, England on April 21, 1109. While a boy he wished to be a monk, but his father forbade it. When he was about twenty-three Anselm left home to live in Burgundy and France. After three years he went to Bec in Normandy where his celebrated countryman, Lanfranc, was prior. Here he became a monk (1060). He succeeded Lanfranc as prior in 1063, and became abbot in 1078. The abbey had possessions in England, which called Anselm frequently to that country. He was the general choice for archbishop of Canterbury when Lanfranc died (1089). However, the king, William Rufus, preferred to keep the office vacant, and apply its revenues to his own use. In 1093 William fell ill and, literally forced Anselm to receive an appointment at his hands. He was consecrated December 4 of that year. The next four years witnessed a continual struggle between king and ar chbishop over money matters, rights, and privileges. Anselm wished to carry his case to Rome, and in 1097, with much difficulty, obtained permission from the king to go. At Rome he was honored and flattered, but he obtained little practical help in his struggle with the king. He returned to England as soon is he heard of the death of William in 1100. But a difficulty arose over lay investiture and homage from clerics for their benefices. Thought a mild and meek man, Anselm had adopted the Gregorian views of the relation between Church and State, and adhered to them with the steadiness of conscientious conviction. The king, though inclined to be conciliatory, was equally firm from motives of self-interest. He had a high regard for Anselm, always treated him with much consideration, and personal relations between them were generally friendly. Nevertheless there was much vexatious disputing, several fruitless embassies were sent to Rome, and Anselm himself went thither in 1103, remaini ng abroad till 1106. His quarrel with the king was settled by compromise in 1107 and the brief remaining period of his life was peaceful. He was canonized in 1494. Back to Table of Contents Philosophical Writings As a metaphysician Anselm was a realist, and one of his earliest works, De fide Trinitatis, was an attack on the doctrine of the Trinity as expounded by the nominalist Roscelin.

Causes of stress and its solution

The circumstances that cause stress are called stressors. Stressors vary in severity and duration . For example the responsibility of caring for a sick parent may be an ongoing source of major stress , whereas getting stuck in a traffic Jam mat cause mild short term stress . Some events such as death of a loved one are stressful for everyone . But in other situations ,individuals may respond differently to the same event.Stressors can be classified into 3 general categories: l)catastrophic stress )MaJor life changes 3)Daily hassles In addition simply thinking about unpleasant past events or anticipating unpleasant future events can cause stress for many people. 1)Catastrophe: Is a sudden , often, life threatening calamity or disaster that pushes people to do outer limits of their coping capability example earthquakes ,tornadoes ,fires ,floods and hurricanes as well as wars ,torture ,automobile accidents , violent physical attacks and sexual assaults .They often continue to affect the individuals mental health long after the event has taken place. 2)MaJor life changes: The most stressful events for adults involve major life changes such as death of a spouse ,family member ,divorce , imprisonment ,loosing ones Job and major personal disability or illness . The most stressful events for adolescents are death ,imprisonment or divorce of parents ,personal disability or illness .Getting married is a positive experience but planning the wedding ,deciding whom to invite ,and dealing with family members may be stressful for the couples. 3)Daily hassles: Much of the stress in our lives results from having to deal with daily hassles ertaining to our Jobs ,personal relationships and everyday living circumstance . Many people experience the same hassles everyday example living in a noisy neighbourhood ,commuting with heavy traffic ,disliking ones fellow workers ,worrying about money , waiting in a long line and misplacing or losing things .

I Can See Clearly Now Essay

Flannery O’Conner argued that â€Å"[Distortion] is the only way to make people see†. This famous statement is initially contradictory and incongruous, but in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 it is easy to see the truth of this paradox. The pages of Catch-22 are lined with distortion and each instance provides for a new kind of clarity. Catch-22 is simply a war story illustrated by ridiculous behavior and illogical arguments and told in a flatly satirical tone. Though the book never states outright that matters are funny, the reader is always aware of how outrageously bizarre the characters and situations are. Heller uses out of sequence narration, a confused distinction between appearance and reality, and the irrationally logical paranoia of characters to create his corrupt military world. Distortion is found first in the very organization of the novel. Many events are out of sequence and Heller discusses events as if readers were already aware of their details, though merely mentioning them for the first time. Often times Heller references events multiple times before one ever reads about it in it’s entirety. For example, the death of Snowden is slowly explained throughout the book. The death is first referred to early on in chapter four when Yossarian asks, â€Å"Where are the Snowdens†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Heller 35) at an educational meeting. This question is asked without context and the reader is unsure of what a Snowden is, let alone how it died. By creating this dialogue without context, Heller leaves readers to question the seemly incoherent question and the idea of Snowdens is planted in their brains. The death is mentioned in chapters five and seventeen and though more information is provided each time, the reader does not fully understand what took place until chapter 30 when the details and context of Snowden’s death are given. At first, this way of structural organization creates some confusion for readers but as they continue on a greater focus and understanding of an event such as Snowden’s death is found. Snowden’s death is an incredibly critical event for Yossarian because he not only loses his friend in the airplane; he loses his will to fight. With Snowden lying dead in his arms, the truth of war becomes even more frightening and real and Yossarian becomes truly paranoid. Without the focus that the scattered and repeated storyline of Snowden provides, one may not have been able to grasp its true significance. Often times Catch-22 is characterized by a very loose grip on reality. The line between what is apparent and what is real is continually indistinguishable, even to readers. One aspect that contributes greatly to this effect is the distortion of justice and the military technicalities. In the military world created by Heller, what is written on paper is what is true, even if it can be defied by reality. Throughout much of the book, Yossarian is found complaining that there is a â€Å"dead man†(24) in his tent. When the concept of the dead man is first introduced, the readers are led to believe that there is an actual dead soldier sitting in Yossarian’s tent, which the military refuses to remove. However, later clarification shows that is not the case at all, but rather, after setting his luggage down, the soldier was killed in the air before he even got the chance to sign in. The grim irony of the situation is that according to the appearance based logic of the military, it is as if the man was never there at all, and his things can therefore not be processed. Another example of such distorted reality is found in McWatt’s plane crash. Doc Daneeka had lied about flying with McWatt, due to his fear of flying, but the documents had it that Daneeka died in the plane crash (338). Everyone can visibly see that Doc Daneeka is alive, in the flesh, and yet he is reported as â€Å"killed in action†(344), and Daneeka is treated like he is dead for the remainder of the novel. The reality of the military has been so contorted that they are more willing to accept the truth they read than the truth they can see. This confusion between appearance and reality demonstrates the deteriorated state of the military government and forces readers to give a greater attention to the details of such storyline. A third kind of distortion are the irrational and paranoid statements and thoughts of the book’s protagonist, Yossarian. Though Yossarian likely entered the army a sane man, he apparently loses his grip on reality as he watches his friends die in the war surrounding him. Yossarian is often referred to as â€Å"crazy†(20) and yet there is irony in the fact that every paranoid thought he has is true. Yossarian has a sole goal through the duration of the book: staying alive. He goes up into the sky and finds airplanes shooting at him from all directions, and so he goes as far as to see himself as a potential murder victim. â€Å"They’re trying to kill me†(16), he argues to a fellow cadet. Though the other cadet insists that â€Å"they† are simply partaking in a war, Yossarian’s paranoia illustrates a sky full of strangers who want him dead. Though Yossarian’s thoughts are irrational, they also prove to be somewhat reasonable. The truth is, every time Yossarian goes on a mission his life is in grave danger, and people are trying to kill him. Though his thought process is distorted by fear, this fear is in turn what proves his sanity. Catch-22 is not a book that can be rightfully summarized. It is not the remarkability of the plot but rather the distinct form of literary distortion that makes it such a classic. This novel illustrates the corruption of wartime and a particular squadron, but in end, it illustrates much more then that. The book uses often-comic distortions of structure, reality, and mind to give readers a profound sense of universal flaws and truths.

Letter to Best Friend About Not Quiting High school Essay

I have been thinking about what you announced to us and I wanted to help you out. I am willing to help and encourage you to not drop out of high school because you need have a good future. Dropping out of high school is not the best way to give up because your having problems, failing a class or just feel that you don’t like school. You yourself need to set your mind that you can do it ! I believe education is important because you learn new things, it prepares you, and orientates you through the right path. In order to be successful in life we have to focus and be perseverance. In the first place, I’m going to convince you of staying in school and earn that diploma. Earning that diploma can give you many opportunities. With a diploma you can get a job. Its sometimes difficult to apply to jobs without them seeing you didn’t finish your high school. Its important to get that diploma because it says a lot about you that you didn’t give up and tried your best throughout high school to earn it. With a diploma you can go to any college or university. It shows schools that you conquered to complete your high school to move onto the next level. Also, it basically proves to that you completed your four years of high school education,which is important. Second, you need to continue with your education because it is important that you learn all the materials you need to know including mathematics, history, English , science and others courses. It is necessary that you stay in school because without you knowing any of this it might confuse you in future exercises including those subjects. It is important that you learn these subjects because it useful for everything. For example, mathematics, is going to be needed for the rest of your life. Math is needed in everything as in counting money, and other things. All types of jobs need mathematics like cashier and accountants. History is also important to learn for those who maybe want to become a history teachers to teach their student about our the history of the U. S or other countries. Science is also useful in anything you maybe want to work in a science lab investigating and looking deep into your research. English is kind of like math English is used everywhere. Learning grammar and punctuation is very important also, you don’t want to misspell a word. What I’m trying to do is just convince you that finishing these courses can help you in whatever you want to become either it is becoming an accountant, history teacher, work in a science lab, or just not make any errors in your English it is important that you learn all these materials that are going to prepare you for your future. Third, going through high school might me hard , difficult , and confusing at times but it also makes you think about life. It makes you think about what you want to become as in your career. With time you start realizing what you like and dislike. Also, I believe that finishing your high school and getting your diploma makes you feel special. It makes the people around you happy that you accomplished and finished. It shows that you never gave up and tried your best to make them happy and yourself. It says a lot about you that you got a diploma and it can open many doors for you in the future. To conclude, I encourage you friend to finish your high school and earn that diploma. High school teaches you new things, it prepares you, helps you decide what you want to be become in the future. Earning your diploma gives you many opportunities, learn all your basic courses needed, and it makes the people around you happy because you showed them and your self that you can do it and acconplish your goals. I’m encouraging you to not quit and think about it twice and not drop out look at all the opportunities you have and all you can do it !

A Worst Teacher

I have a terrible teacher in my middle school life, his name is Jian Yang. Mr. Yang was my Chinese teacher, he has model stature, but every time I bethink his face, I feel nausea. I had dreamed about him several times, his face was clearly emerging in my mind, I will never forget his pair of fierce eyes and that wicked mouth. Mr. Yang was the worst teacher in my middle school, although most my middle school’s teachers are not very good. My middle school is a private school. When I was sophomore, Mr. Yang and our Music teacher had been espousal at same year. We all think they will have a ceremonious wedding soon. But the fact is not what we think. In Chinese school, every teacher has an assistant in each class, those assistants help teacher pick up papers and books, or take homework from us and edit then. My friend Yu was Mr. Yang’s assistant. Yu was a cute girl, she have nice voice and smooth long hair. But I detected a strange thing; every time she back to classroom from Mr. Yang’s office, her emotion had been changed, sometimes glad, sometimes displeased. â€Å"Mr.  Yang must did something to her,† I thought, anyway it’s not my business. Five years later, once all my middle school’s friends and I went to my birthday party, I began to ask our middle school career’s mysteries of the unknown. Yu began to crying, I understand why, and ask her â€Å"you cry because Mr. Yang, right? † â€Å"Yes. † She answered. Then I took her to side. She said as she cried â€Å"He is my boyfriend. † I been shocked, doesn’t he have fiancee? Is this the reason why Mr. Yang and our music teacher haven’t done their wedding yet? I have a thousand questions to ask Yu, but it isn’t right timing. Yu kept telling me, and my eyes being opened more and more large. â€Å"Wait; did you just say you went to hotel with him? † I ask her. â€Å"Um†¦ He also asks me some excessive demands. About†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At same time, I can’t inhibit my dander. I tried to call my friend and go find him, but Yu stopped me. â€Å"Let him go, we were just break, I believe that he won’t have a blest wedding. † Right, I thought, he did once, and then he will do twice, until he die, he will never find true love. Whenever I bethink of this event, I can’t stop to think and image Mr. Yang’s lousy eyes. I remember once my classmate Henry and I got a fight in second floor of our school’s hostel. This event becomes a legend in my middle school. The source of the story is, one day afternoon, my friend Bob and I were playing soccer in ours room. After 30 minute Bob has accidentally kicked our roommate Henry’s kettle. We looked at each other’s face and slackened about ten seconds, and then he hastily said, â€Å"Hide it! And never mention this kettle, or†¦ stay it, anyway no one knows. I nod immediately because I felt like I am an ant on a hot pan, but after half hour, this guilty feeling has gradually disappeared. â€Å"I didn’t break anything,† I thought, â€Å"but I won’t tell anyone Bob did it. † Until to evening, we were all going to class, suddenly, a loud voice came â€Å"Who did it! Who break my kettle!? † â€Å"No one break your kettle! Go to your sit and sit! † our math teacher stand behind Henry and said; Henry have got to do so. After evening class, Henry walked to me and asked about his broken kettle. I pretend to do my homework and said â€Å"Don’t know. Then I were peeping him once when he walked away. Second evening class was Mr. Yang’s Chinese class, After this period, every student began to walk back to school’s hostel; I followed people until to second floor of the hostel, a soft and cold voice came to my right ear, even I can felt that breath, â€Å"I know is you, swindler. † â€Å"What did you just said?! † I yelled. And then he yelled back â€Å"I know is you broke my kettle, Bob told everything to me. † Suddenly, I felt I been insult, I lost my mind, clenched my fist and gave his nose a full power punch, and he punched back of course. The result of this fight was disastrous, Henry’s nose bone been broke by me, and my right calf been cut and the wound is about three inches. That’s why this event becomes a legend in my middle school. We two have been taken to hospital then, two hours later we two back to our room. Henry’s bad is below mine, a kind of heavy atmosphere around this room for whole night. At 12 o’clock Mr. Yang came to our room, he punched my right calf and yelled â€Å"you! Get up! † And this punch such as rubbing salt in my wound. I groan out â€Å"what are you doing?! † â€Å"What did you do,† he asked back to me, â€Å"You just broke a nose bone, don’t you know it? â€Å"I know, but he cut my leg also,† I watched his angry eyes and keep groan out; â€Å"you even don’t realize the fact and conclude it my fault? † â€Å"The fact is you hurt Henry,† he said. I hesitate two second, it’s really my fault? Henry didn’t hurt me? I know the fact is Henry cut my calf, and Mr. Yang punched at same wound just 10 second ago. I was hardly getting up and trying to debate with Mr. Yang, â€Å"He was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Yang interrupts my speech and yelled â€Å"You have nothing to argue, school will expel you! † Then he shut the door hardly. I can’t believe it, he such a dictator and gave m e a conviction. While I’m thinking, Henry laughed. Then he said â€Å"deserved nemesis, you know who am I? My dad and our president are old friend. I can even call the president dad. † I was silenced. At that time, I understood everything. I understood why Mr. Yang says that, but why does he punch my calf, will he get his wage growth up? By this point, I classify Mr. Yang is a lackey. A teacher teaches student a lot of things; include morality, not just education. You may never meet a teacher such like Mr. Yang. Something that cannot be publicity, but I must write about it. I will never meet a teacher â€Å"great† then Mr. Yang.

THE ROLE OF SOUND IN EIGHT DESIGN GUIDELINES OF MULTIMEDIA LEARNING Essay

THE ROLE OF SOUND IN EIGHT DESIGN GUIDELINES OF MULTIMEDIA LEARNING - Essay Example This paper presents a review of relevant literature along with the design guidelines of multimedia learning by the instructional designers in order to investigate what, when, and why they prefer to use sound in to their multimedia based learning courseware. The verbal information can be presented in multimedia learning courseware through various options. Latest techniques like streaming media files and podcasts, which require increased bandwidth, have also augmented the possibilities of integrating sound in to online-multimedia-learning-environments. The educational technology generally employs three basic audio elements which are music, speech, and sound effects (Mann, 2005). These elements enable the multimedia-learning-application to deliver information, convey emotions, attain direct attention, and provide feedback. The most powerful and expressive medium available to the designer for instructional messages is human speech (Mann, 2008). The instructional designers can make use of the attributes of sound such as pitch, loudness, tone and pace to motivate, educate and inform the students. The instructional designers must consider numerous variables while deciding for the sound or audio to be incorporated into their multimedia-learning courseware. Often, the sound to be selected as an instructional medium is self-evident, due to the characteristics of the target audience or the content of the course (Alessi & Trollip, 2001). For instance, sound is necessary for learning a new language, studying music, or discriminating sound effects such like sonar signals or heartbeats. Moreover, adults who are visually challenged or are incapable of reading or children who have not yet learned to read can benefit from the audio instructions (Beecue etal. , 2001). 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this research paper is to determine the role of sound in eight design guidelines of multimedia learning. This research objective can be achieved through investigating the following three r esearch questions: 1. What types of sound are implemented by the instructional designers? 2. Why sound is incorporated into multimedia learning? 3. When do instructional designers choose to incorporate sound into their multimedia based courseware? 2. What is Multimedia? Multimedia refers to the use of more than one media that includes text, animation, graphics, video, pictures and sound to provide information (Bagui, 1998; Clark & Feldon, 2005). Bagui (1998) suggests that the relationship between the multimedia and the natural way of human learning can be illustrated through the information processing theory that describes how human-mind receives and learns information, a process which can be related to an electronic computer (p. 3). Technology employed in computer-based and multimedia education has the potential to deliver massive information, however, the processing of such information by the human receptor – the learner may be limited. A study by Clark (1994) about the inf luence of media over learning investigates that whether or not the multimedia technology really works in learning? (Clark, 1994). According to the Dual-coding theory, people independently process separate channels of communication whereas the cue summation theory speculates that the human mind

Switching from Insulin to Oral Sulfonylureas in Patients with Diabetes Lab Report

Switching from Insulin to Oral Sulfonylureas in Patients with Diabetes Due to Kir6.2 Mutations - Lab Report Example Diabetic patients have a KATP channels with decreased sensitivity to ATP inhibition because of KCNJ11 mutations. As a result of this, their channels remain open in the presence of glucose, thereby reducing insulin secretion. Ketoacidosis or marked hyperglycemia is seen in such patients with low levels of circulating endogenous insulin and are therefore treated with insulin. A class of drugs called Sulfonylureas, close KATP channels by an ATP-independent route, thereby causing insulin secretion. The authors hypothesized that sulfonylureas may represent a suitable therapy for patients with KCNJ11 mutations. The purpose of the study was to assess i) glycemic control in 49 consecutive patients with Kir6.2 mutations who received appropriate doses of sulfonylureas ii) to investigate the insulin secretory responses to intravenous and oral glucose, a mixed meal, and glucagons in smaller groups and iii) to assay the response of mutant KATP channels to the sulfonylurea tolbutamide in xenopus oocytes. A total of 49 consecutive patients from 40 families were identified as having diabetes caused by a heterozygous KCNJ11 mutation through sequencing performed in molecular genetics laboratories in Exeter, United Kingdom (34 patients), Paris (5 patients),and Bergen, Norway (10 patients) were the study participants. All 49 patients either switched from insulin to sulfonylurea therapy or were unable to switch but received an adequate dose of sulfonylureas before October 2005 were included in the study. No other selection criteria were applied. No exclusion criteria were defined by the authors and the study did not include randomization technique. As it was a cohort study, it was not possible to compare the groups. Patients with a successful switch (n =44) had the following mutations F35V, H46Y, R50Q, G53N, G53R, V59M (6 patients), K170T, R201C (5 patients), R201H (23 patients), R201L, E322K, Y330S,

Enjoying horror movies Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enjoying horror movies - Article Example Furthermore a person does not literally experience the brutality but is more of enjoying the pain that another person in undergoing. Torture porn is fairly a new concept that has emerged in recent times. It claims that, it is human nature to enjoy the suffering of another. When we see another person suffer it helps us arouse psychological feelings such as curiosity and anxiety which causes comfort to see someone else in pain. Furthermore these movies are merely exaggeration and mostly do not have any practicality linked to them. The only thing that attracts people is the persona that it tends to creates in other words it craves the scare or merely develops feelings which excite a person. Aesthetically horror movies tend to polish the feelings of fear in a person. Pleasure is sought by watching something scary. At times horror movies become more than an obsession than source of pleasure. It has been observed that the young generation is mostly fond of watching horror movies the reason remains very obvious that young individuals are undergoing a constant process of developing physically and psychologically. When they watch such movies it helps them to transform the hormones which are in excess. Apart from this horror movies are a way of expressing emotions. Those who prefer watching horror movies enjoy the most frightening scenes as it enhances their overall experience. Another reason why people love to watch horror movies is that when individuals watch such movies they engage in some sort of pleasure that arouses their psychological state developing anxiety and curiosity which I mentioned earlier. But these movies do not have any reality and thus no risk of life or anything else. Although there are many negatives such as long lasting impact on the mind of individuals or developing phobias but usually those who enjoy such movies tend to ignore the adverse effects. It is also said that individuals tends to engage in watching such movies because when people watch t hese horror movies eventually they engross in terror for the sake of acquiring euphoric sort of relief in the end.(University of Chicago Journals) Through such movies a viewer tends to experience two emotional states at the same time that is being happy and unhappy. This weird combination enthralls the human mind and does the work of a sedate which relaxes the human mind. Some also believe that love for horror and stab is inborn as the darker side of an individual encourages them to enjoy filth and pain. Some individuals also believe that gender and gender bending also contributes in the enjoyment of horror movies. Masochistic tendency is also very common amongst people these days. The sexual gratification one acquires which watching physical and mental abuse tends to encourage and attract individuals to watch such movies. One of the most common reasons why people enjoy watching horror movies is that it allows them to escape from reality, their everyday lives to a world full of exci tement and anticipation causing a change in emotions and state. The rushes of adrenaline that occurs in the body makes people enjoy the far and treachery. These movies can act as a positive reinforcement to release tension and pressure without the fear of any practical damage what so ever.

Comparison of Economy Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Comparison of Economy Organizations - Essay Example While credit unions are regulated by cooperatives regulations, insurance companies are regulated by incorporated entities regulations. By seeking financial assistance from a credit union, individual entities become owners of the financial institution which is not the case with insurance companies which are not owned through seeking insurance cover or any other financial assistance. Interest rates at credit unions are very attractive since they aim at initiating development among members. On the other hand, insurance companies charge high interests since they are profit oriented. Both institutions are established to offer financial security in a certain way to their clients. In a similar end result, both the credit unions and insurance companies offer a clear savings channel that is not as clear in many other financial institutions. The operation of both of these financial institutions seems to be providing a secure means to invest since the risks involved are considerably shielded from several risk types. In contrast, on one hand, credit unions ought to spur development among the members through the offering of cheap financial services. On the other hand, financial services offered by insurance companies are geared towards maximization of profits through the delivery of a range of policies and other financial services. Management is vested in the hands of a board of directors in all of the above mentioned financial institutions, with the sole responsibility of protecting the shareholders. In distinguishing open-end mutual funds from the rest, it is clear that the fund operates on a self-liquidating manner, in that it is always willing and able to purchase and sell investors’ shares any day of operation. On the contrary, closed-end mutual funds are not bound by the provision of liquidity, a factor attributed to having caused a serious performance slump at the helm of Crush of 1929 (Haslem 2009, p19).

Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Discussion Board - Essay Example It is actually at this point that the women begin acting as detectives. Mrs. Peters made inferences on a loaf of bread left in there, as well as on the possibility that Minnie Wright was actually preparing a quilt and that she was actually making nervous sewing patterns on it, which was a sign of a possible mental problem or anxiety. The rising action continues until the part where both female characters find an empty birdcage and finally a bird in the sewing basket whose neck was wrung. The falling action is the part of the play where the men return from their search while the women pretend not to know anything especially about the dead bird with a broken neck. The men still make fun of the women as they overhear them talking whether Minnie Wright was going to quilt it or knot it. The men thought that the women were just discussing trifles but what they did not realize was that it was the actually the most important piece of evidence they needed. Basically, it is the female characters’ actions and curiosity that advance the play’s plot. Had Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters not been curious or inquisitive enough, they would not have started looking around the kitchen among Minnie Wright’s things for anything that could satisfy their curiosity. This eventually led them to the bird with a broken neck. Moreover, the indifference of the men towards the women – by regarding them as merely interested in trifles – somehow helped advance the plot too, for, had they been different, they would have searched the kitchen first and the play could have ended there if they had found the bird

Critically assess whether ecological modernisation is essential, or Outline

Critically assess whether ecological modernisation is essential, or not, for the achievement of sustainable development - Outline Example much agreement among all stakeholders that this is a necessity that cannot be overlooked.2 The problem however arises when talks of approach to attaining sustainable development is made.3 This is the core problem that the research paper will seek to address, by outlining the place of ecological modernisation as an important modern day approach to achieving sustainable development. Ecological modernisation is selected as the approach to sustainable development due to the clear and distinct differentiation the concept makes between ecology and economy, and how these two cannot be used together if sustainable development can be achieved.4 A. The evolution of sustainable development shall be taken from the perspective of the Brundtland Report, which defines sustainable development as a state of â€Å"Global economic development sufficient to meet current needs while allowing future generations to achieve their needs†.5 B. The need for an evolution on the approach to sustainable development has largely been influenced by rising activities of humans that pose great threat to the sustainability of the environment and for that matter the economy of the future.6 The evolution of sustainable development shall also stress on various global interventions that have been put in place to achieve sustainable development. Examples of such discussions include the Stockholm Declaration Principle 1, Nairobi Declaration (1982), World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg (2002), and Rio +20 (2012). C. From the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development, 3 pillars of evolutionary sustainable development are identified, which are economy, environment and social7. All these pillars shall be discussed by the writer in the evolution of sustainable development. B. An underpinning claim and pragmatic approach to ecological modernisation emphasises that economic growth and environmental protection are not compatible and thus the need to use a modernised approach that

Parent-Adolescent Relationships. Piaget's Cognitive Development Essay

Parent-Adolescent Relationships. Piaget's Cognitive Development - Essay Example From this it can be concluded that both an understanding of the process of human development psychologically and also socially is required for a fair and balanced scientific analysis or consensus on the process. Mead’s theory compliments Piaget’s by adding a perspective of interpretation based in the social role of the individual and not only the mental processes of psychological development. The process of individualization occurs with the a priori of formal operational thought and through this process an unconscious awareness of the difference between the body-self and environment is conditioned in infancy through exploration. The trial and error process that characterizes environment exploration, operant conditioning, and memory is variable in the family or community environment, but the social role and operational ability represents a further level of complexity residing in the learned rules and codes of conduct of the social conditioning rather than the environment al exploration period. The Me-I dialectic reflects the epistemological function in human development when the self is seen as forming or becoming defined through knowledge verification. Epistemology is also used in self-knowledge valuation when it is applied to social roles by the individual in the adolescent experience or young adulthood particularly, as this is when the widest range of community exploration will occur as the individual seeks for definition in social roles. Social Intelligence refers to different aspects of the community, group, or personal relationships of an individual such as awareness of the symbolic base and logic of a culture, subtle gestures, habits, expectations, or linguistic accents, etc. The majority of these are transmitted as language but differ from alphabetic speech and formal grammar so that there may be multiple languages related to social role identities. Understanding the interplay of the symbolic, subliminal, informal, and cultural languages, as well as their modes of operation, is an aspect of semiotic interpretation. Social Intelligence is different than semiotic interpretation as it relates to the community, group, and individual and the complexity of language, meaning, and interpretation as reflected in human individuality in operant behavior. Vygotsky’s contribution is to recognize how the social definitions also evolve over time and change, as well as to illustrate how different social and community environments and groups differ in complexity of organization. Essay #2 - Ultimately, individuals must enter the larger society, using what they've learned about the world and their place in it. Explain how an individual can cognitively move from self-centered child to an adolescent who is able to 1) maintain social relationships and 2) use those relationships to further develop. Feel free to use your own development for examples if you wish. In human development, the exploration of the natural

State of Confusion Paper Essay Example for Free

State of Confusion Paper Essay Determining the difference between personal jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction will help to determine which location a lawsuit should be filed in. Defining interstate commerce and which level of government has the right to place restrictions on the commerce is important when discussing a lawsuit. Understanding how lawsuits work as well as what lawyers will try to introduce within the court will allow the defendant to be able to better predict the outcome of the lawsuit. Personal Jurisdiction Personal jurisdiction also known as personam jurisdiction is the courts authority over the parties involved in the dispute (Melvin, S. P., 2011, p59). Personal jurisdiction, defined in this manner, the parties involved can be a business or an individual. It is the courts responsibility to determine fairness to all parties involved while complying with the laws of the federal constitutional requirements. The court determines personal jurisdiction over a party who lives in another state by a state long-arm statute. The court must determine if the out of state defendant, transacts business in the other state, commits a negligent act which leads to a loss to the other party, or owns property within the state (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p61). The court will look at Truckers lawsuit to determine if the State of Confusion’s statute causes a loss to Trucker’s business. The injurious effect will be taken into consideration at the lower courts level. Does the statute of the State of Confusion cause an injurious effect on the Tanya Trucker a resident of the State of Denial? Subject Matter Jurisdiction Subject matter jurisdiction is the courts authority over the dispute between the two parties (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p59). State courts are who handle any matter involving state statues, state common law or a state constitutional issue (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p60). The federal court will only hear matters in which arise from a federal statute or regulation, federal common law, or an issue with the U.S. Constitution. Federal courts may also hear matters when the parties involved are from two different states or if the monetary amount is greater than $75,000 (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p 60). The federal government will only provide a ruling based on state law if the diversity of citizenship is used. Both subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction must be satisfied before the federal court will be able to hear the case. In Tanya Truckers case against the State of Confusion the trial should be held in the federal courts within the State of Denial. The basis for this belief is because the matter between the State of Denial and Tanya Trucker is the nonresident (Trucker) is alleging loss to her business by the State of Confusion, therefore, the federal court within the State of Denial will hear the case but base the decision on the State of Confusions state statute as well as follow the Commerce Powers as defined by the US Constitution. Legal Issues Tanya Truckers attorneys will argue the State of Confusion has passed statues which attempt to regulate interstate commerce. The statue states all B-type truck hitches are required on all trucks which pass through the State of Confusion or the State requires the truck without the hitch to go around the State of Confusion therefore limiting the interstate commerce. This statue directly effects the Commerce clause of the US Constitution. The State of Confusion will argue the statue does not provide discriminatory laws on out of state business, the statue is a legitimate effort to regulate health, safety, and welfare (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p35). The State of Confusion will further argue the statue allows for the safety of the B-type hitches allows the fellow commuters on the highway protection because of the safety of the hitch which is installed. The hitch will prevent accidents to other motorists on the highway. The statue allows the state to protect the commerce on the highway by requiring the hitch be installed on all vehicles which pass through the state. The research presented allows me to conclude the court will side in favor of Tanya Trucker. The State of Confusion is discriminating against all trucks and towing trailers by forcing them to use a specific hitch or not pass through their state. This statue is in clear violation of the Commerce Clause set forth in the US Constitution. Stages of a Civil Suit In order to know the stages of a civil litigation it is important to know the definition of what civil litigation is. Civil litigation is a dispute resolution process where the parties and their counsel argue their view of a civil (noncriminal) controversy in a court of law (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p78). The stages of a civil litigation can overlap at times causing the stages to become blurred however, the stages help to allow the parties involved to understand the process and make sure a clear and concise resolution or ruling has been made. The stages of a civil litigation are, prelawsuit, standing, complaint and summons, answer, counterclaim, motions, discovery, pretrial conference, and trial. Following these stages and going through each stage completely allows for an unbiased verdict either by judge or jury. Prelawsuit Prelawsuit is an informal demand from one party to another. Prelawsuit allows for the parties or their attorneys to get together and discuss the issue. Prelawsuit is each party’s way of letting each other know what their demands are before a formal lawsuit is filed. This first step can help to resolve a number of issues before the costly issue of suit follows. Standing Standing is one party asserting a claim they have suffered an injury if fact, harm that is direct, concrete, and individualized, and articulates what legal redress exists to compensate for the injury (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p79-80). The standing formally tells the other party exactly what their conduct is doing to the economic interest of the business. Complaint and Summons The complaint and summons stage is also known as the pleadings stage. If no resolution in the informal stage can be attained then the formal proceeding begin with a complaint and summons. A complaint is the facts of the case in a formal matter which describes the liability and the defenses of the party (Melvin, S.P., 2011 p80). A summons is a formal notification to the defendant that s/he has been named in the lawsuit and informs them that an answer must be filed within a certain period of time (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p80). Answer An answer is a formal document which addresses each complaint from the defendant. This document usually states what each party agrees to and what each party still disputes. If the answer does not come in a timely matter the other party can be held in default which will allow for the other party to automatically lose the suit. Counterclaim A counterclaim is a way for the plaintiff to assert a countersuit establishing their credibility and attesting to damages by the defendant for not following the statue. The counterclaim being filed gives the defendant the ball in their court. They must now answer to the countersuit in a timely manner or be held in default. Motions A motion is a document filed by one party that requests court action in a matter pertaining to the litigation (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p84). A common motion filed in courts is the motion to dismiss. Discovery Stage The discovery stage allows each party to gather evidence to present in the pretrial conference and to be used in the trial. There are many different methods in the discovery stage. Depositions are common in this stage of discovery. Depositions are oral questions asked in front of a witness (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p84). Pretrial Conference A pretrial conference’s primary purpose is to encourage each party to agree to a settlement. If a settlement is reached the trial will not proceed. If a settlement is not reached then the parties will appear for the trial. The pretrial conference is usually each party and their respective attorneys appearing before the judge. Trial A trial as defined by the text The Legal Environment of Business generally takes place in front of a judge as the finder of law and a jury as the finder of fact (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p86). There are many stages to trial such as jury selection and opening, testimony and submission of evidence, closing arguments and charging the jury, deliberations and verdict, posttrial motions and appeals, and collecting the judgment. Trials can lead to a settlement when either party realizes they are found at fault prior to the verdict. A settlement can happen at any stage of the trial proceedings. References: Melvin, S. P. (2011). The legal environment of business: A managerial approach: Theory to practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.