Miss Brill Essay

â€Å"Miss Brill† is a short story published in1922, in which Katherine Mansfield, the author gives great insight into how isolated individuals can begin to twist their perception of the world around them, eventually leading them to unintentionally contradict their loneliness and causing their false perception of the world to collapse and become estranged. Miss Brill, the main character is a middle-aged, unmarried English teacher who lives by herself in an apartment in France. Miss Brill owns a treasured fur which she wears around her neck every Sundays at three o’clock when she goes to the park. The lonely foreigner strolls around the park and has become quite an expert at eavesdropping on other people’s conversations while creating artificial connections or relationships with the people around her. The short story focuses on one particular Sunday afternoon where Miss Brill is forced to step out of her delusions and face reality after her illusions were shattere d by the remarks of a young couple. In the story Katherine Mansfield uses conscious narrative to allow readers to know so much about the main character through the main character’s thoughts and perception of other characters. By doing this, the readers get a complete characterization of Miss Brill, the main character through the responses and emotions that result from other character’s conversations or actions. A good example of that would be when Miss Brill suddenly realized that the people who sat at the bench next to her all seemed odd, silent and old which ironically reflects on her situation although she does not see it at them time. According to short stories for students, â€Å"Miss Brill is told in a third-person, stream of consciousness narrative, a common device in Mansfield’s works which serves to heighten the story’s psychological acuity and perceptive characterization. Though narrative is in third person, the stream of consciousness technique allows the reader full access to nothing but Miss Brill’s thoughts.† This shows us that the point of view is extremely critical to our understanding of Miss Brill’s character and what she is all about. At the beginning, readers perceive Miss Brill’s excitement and mood as pleasant when she describes the blissful weather and her surroundings. â€Å"Although it was so brilliantly fine-the blue sky p owered with gold and great spots of light like wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques  Ã¢â‚¬â€œMiss Brill was glad that she had decided on her fur†. At this point conclusions can be drawn that the fur is somewhat connected to its owner because they are both advanced in age and live in a â€Å"dark room or cupboard† where they get to come out of every Sunday. In the first few paragraphs readers get the sense that Miss Brill is quite pleased and satisfied with her current lifestyle and readers also comprehend that Miss Brill has indeed found a way to compensate for her solitude by sitting in on other people’s lives. We can articulate for sure that Miss Brill is delusional when she refers to herself as an actress in a fantasized play. Miss Brill believes that she somehow serves a purpose when she goes to the park every Sunday and if she did not show up for her role someone would notice. This fantasy is abruptly cut short when a young couple insults her and brings her back to reality. One critic, Robert L. Hull argues that Miss Brill’s world is more than lonely: he claims that it is also an existential world in which she finds herself in complete solitude estranged from God, man, and importantly from herself. The critic goes on and states that the primary theme of â€Å"Miss Brill† is that of estrangement, estrangement f rom love, which Mansfield admits in a letter to John Middleton that it was the primary reason for writing Miss Brill. I completely agree with Robert and I think that Miss Brill was not just lonely, her life made no meaning whatsoever. In a traumatic conclusion, Miss Brill’s life was changed drastically from that one encounter with the young couple. She will never be the same again after that day; the young couple did more than just hurt her feelings, in a way they took away her innocence. To Miss Brill the Sunday the outings was more than just eavesdropping at other people or being noisy, it was the one harmless thing that made her happy, sort of like a guilty pleasure. Finally, Mansfield leaves the readers wondering what would happen next to Miss Brill, would she continue with her normal Sunday routine or was she so traumatized that she wouldn’t dare go back to the park. Works Cited Hull L. Robert â€Å"Alienation in â€Å"Miss Brill†, in studies in short fiction, Vol. V No.1, Fall 1967, pp 74-6 Murry J. Middleton, The Letters of Katherine Mansfield, Knopf, 1930 Wilson Kathleen Ed, â€Å"Miss Brill† Short Stories for Students, Vol.2. Detroit: Gale, 1997, 132 145, Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 19 Sept.2014 Miss Brill, A Character Analysis. 123HelpMe.com. 19 Sep 2014 http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=110412 Nordquist, Richard â€Å"Miss Brill’s fragile fantasy† http://grammar.about.com. Wood Michael Kerry â€Å"The short fiction Mastery of Katherine Mansfield as seen in Miss† www.humanities360.com. Published: July 30, 2009 Scarlett Velveteen â€Å"Characterization of â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield†http://www.teenink.com 16 Sept 2014

Business Explore

The rise of integrated reporting and increased investor focus on extra-financial factors are part of a new global attitude toward business. One example of this trend is provided by research from Ceres, an advocacy organization for sustainability leadership, into the evolution of sustainability practice in companies (Ceres, 2014; Ceres & Ramani, 2015). To understand what makes some companies more useful when it comes to delivering sustainability performance without sacrificing mission, Ceres focused its studies on how boards and directors provide oversight for sustainability. Their research discovered that by making both executives and governing boards formally accountable for sustainability performance, organizations can face the increasing pressure to deliver on sustainability and maintain social mission. Governance practices can provide a framework for building mission into the DNA of organizations. To take this inquiry further, more research is needed to capture current learning across sectors and to identify mission-supportive governance practice as it evolves. Sharing this information with budding social entrepreneurs, MBA students and investors, to increase their understanding of governance as a solution to mission challenges, could help develop more sophisticated attitudes toward the role of governance across the sector. Additionally, more research into Mission monitoring that makes use of metrics and enables governing boards and managers to evaluate mission alongside financial performance and deliver oversight and accountability in both areas is needed. Investor engagement is another area where more research could be beneficial. As the sector continues to expand into the mainstream, new investors will be joining the boards of growing social entrepreneurships and exerting their influence. More work on how the leaders of these organizations can create proactive strategies to identify investors who align with the mission and negotiate favorable terms for mission preservation would be welcome. More research into how investor behavior, and the impact that has on mission preservation, could yield clues as to why so many businesses find mission pushed to the margins as they grow. There is also room for developing practical resources to help social entrepreneurships establish effective investor engagement and communication strategies. As the sector matures, finding the right people remains challenging for organizations in the hectic scaling stage. More extensive use of skills matrices—and matrices developed especially for mission-driven businesses—could help. A specialist referral service, online skills bank or recruiting agency could be established to connect organizations with appropriate candidates.

A Report on RMIT University Free-Sample for Students

For every institution to succeeds, it needs to be able to compete favorably with other institutions.RMIT can compete due to stability in its competitive and marketing environment brought about by branding, which is an approach meant to reach the broad market through stylish image created about the   University that attracts many clients making the institution to compete favorably in Australia and worldwide at large. Universities in Australia have laid down crucial approaches that aim to improve the quality of service delivery to its students to attract large markets continually  (Hanvanich, Droge, & â€Å", 2013). The institution was a public university by the act of the Parliament of Victoria in the year 1992 after it was merged with Philip Institute of Technology.Due to its branding and marketing strategy, the University is rated a five-star University by the   Quacquarelli Symonds.The City campus of the University has about 45,000 students studying in across major areas of interests.The University competes favorably due to services offered not only in education , but also easy access to accommodation for the international students. Further, sports and recreational opportunities are provided which help in making a difference and enhance the atmosphere of the University through team and individual sports, recreational activities and student clubs. RMIT University has the largest market in the City of Melbourne due to various contributing factors for instance availability of enough accommodation for the students and the staff.The Unversity offers standard quality academics producing high-quality degree credentials.Just like other institutions, the University when marketing its educational programs and services utilizes platforms such websites, social media, billboards, and history.The media both broadcast and the print also aid the University in reaching its market  (Cravens, 2012). The organization of the University is starting from the top managemnt to students', advanced transport networks and the surrounding localities that are supportive of education, contribute immensely towards the growth of the institution.The University due to these pleasant atmospheres created makes it stand among many Universities in Australia leading to success. In contemporary society, the only option the young generation have leading to success in life is education.This explains why the University is in high demand not only students from Australia but also many international students from various parts of the globe.In addition to the drive mentioned above, the University is situated in the City of Melbourne enabling access by many who resolve to study due to the fact hat they are close the institution.Quality services delivered by the specialized staff employed in the University for instance lectures has also attracted many students and other clients making the university to be in high demand. The institution has a broad target market since it receives students not only from Australia but also from other parts of the world.Hence, it is an international university. The University target market is students either planning tho undertake diploma, vocational courses, undergraduate degree programs or even post graduate courses either in masters or philosophy of doctorate  (Hanvanich, Droge, & â€Å", 2013). The administration right programs for these groups of students who forms the primary source of the University's   market ensuring that it runs accordingly. In the above division of students' taking studies in the University, the charge for the program advances about the level of the program that is being undertaken by such students.An example is that the postgraduate studies pay relatively high fees in comparison to the undergraduates and vocational students (Ho, 2014).Apart from students as the primary market of the University, lecturers, sponsors and the government from the other segment of the market that is also profoundly fundamental to the University to prosper. Royal Melbourne Institute   Technology   utilizes the following marketing mix: RMIT as a global University of technology, design, and enterprise offers various levels of programs ranging from vocational courses, diplomas, degrees, masters, and even Ph.D. programs.Some of the courses offered engineering, environmental and sustainability, health and biomedical sciences, international and community services justice and legal courses;   the list is long  (Freytag & Clarke, 2014) .RMIT University offers both undergraduate and postgraduate diploma and degree programs to the students. The University has been known to be embracing technology in through many courses offered. Since RMIT is an international institute, the courses offered are charged expensively.The fee varies depending on the program one is taking.The Institute offers programs that are affordable by many which as a contributing factor as to why the University has attracted large market globally. The price varies from one course to another depending on the value of the individual course. The University decided to offer courses at relatively small fee charge because Australi has many institutions that offer the same courses.Therefore to compete favorably, the approach has aided to a large extent.The University uses its history to promote itself, for instance, basing on the alumni of the University, showing how prosperous they are after leaving the gates of the University.Many clients on seeing this, get attracted more to the University and even the capacity of getting prospective clients advances  (Brown & Osborne, 2012).Other strategies such as the employment of the media, billboards, and websites contribute immensely to the selling of the University. The University has the upper hand compared to others when it comes to where they are located.Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is located in the City of Melbourne in Australia  (Brooks, Heffner, & Henderson, 2014).The city has attracted large populations which in turn offers market to the Institute, for instance, specialized lectures, students from the city and many other clients like the tourists and sponsors whose their support makes the University survive in this competitive era. Entails political, social, economic and technological environmental analysis of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology discussed below: Political factors, for instance, the government affects the operation of many institutions, RMIT being one of them.The organization depends on the state of Australia as the primary source of funding (Czinkota & Ronkainen, 2013).At many times the government delays in releasing the funds which hinder the calendar of the University to be fulfilled.Also, the government is responsible for marking laws that either may favor the operation of the institution or may favor them.It is, therefore, clear that political factors affect the functioning of a school either negatively or positively. The economy status of Australia keep on shifting, and therefore it is unpredictable.At times the prices of commodities are high which are needed for the operation of the University (Menegaki, 2012).The University having a fixed fee payment structure in such times is affected negatively since acquiring of such products leads to financial constraints affecting the University.A stable economy leads to stability in the financial status of the University since goods and services are acquired as the budget reads. People's extent in showing willingness to work with the University, supporting it many ways for instance in provision of labor services such as cleaning the University,working for the University as either member of staff and other duties that   help in running the University are some of the crucial social support offered to lead to an enabling environment. The institute being a technology-oriented institution, it has heavily invested in the recent and advanced technologies that target in improving service delivery in the University.Modern technological approaches such as E-Learning programs, access to library materials via the internet and even access to university results using webs are some of the ways the University is employing technology in its running process. Australia has many Universities such The Australian National University, and The University of New South are some of the prominent Universities offering stiff competition to the college  (McKoll-Kennedy & Kiel, 2000).Due to this, the University has made the analysis that for it to survive, it has to better in service delivery skills enhancing quality in production at the same time lowering the cost of access to these services hence small charges by the University are the only two ways to go to compete favorably. Under this section, the weaknesses, opportunities, strength and threats of the University are analyzed (Chen, 2014).They are either based on external or internal environments in which the University operates as follows: The University has a strong position regarding market attraction in comparison to other Universities due to standardized service delivery, good managing approaches, fixed fees charged and the strategic situation of the University in the City accessible to other services, for instance, cheap accommodation. Also, the University employees qualified staff for example qualified lecturers providing quality services.Advertisements are carried out using all forms of media ensuring extensive market reach(Duncan & Tom, 2012, p. 112). Despite the fact that the University faces competition in its process of service delivery, the laid down strategy by the management especially the marketing department has made the University compete favorably.The perception of students and other clients towards the University continually remain to be positive.The contributing reasons to this issue are distinguishable attributes of design employed, product and service advertisement done is decorum.For the University to succeed, proper analysis of the market is paramount.The charges university gives to both students, and its clients also have a profound impact in determining whether an institution succeeds or not.Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology having realized the above marketing strategies, growth and expansion of the university is the only possible option the University has. Brooks, G., Heffner, A., & Henderson, D. (2014). A SWOT analysis of competitive knowledge from social media for a small start-up business. The Review of Business Information Systems, 18(1), 1-56. Brown, & Osborne. (2012). Managing change and innovation in public service organizations. Routledge. (Tol. la 2nd). New York: Routledge. Chen, K. Y. (2014). Improving importance-performance analysis: The role of the zone of tolerance and competitor performance. The case of Taiwan's hot spring  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   hotels.  Tourism Management,  40, 260-272. Cravens, D. (2012). Strategic Marketing, . (Tol. la 6rd International edn). McGraw Hill.: US: Irwin. Czinkota, M. R., & Ronkainen, I. A. (2013).  International marketing. Cengage Learning. Duncan, & Tom. (2012). IMC: using advertising and promotion to build brands. (Tol. la 2nd ed). New York: McGraw-Hill. Freytag, P., & Clarke, A. (2014). Business to Business Market Segmentation. Industrial. Marketing Management Journal, 2(30), 473-486. Hanrahan, & Cole. (2002). â€Å"The Ps are no good without direction† Managing. Informational journal, 9(1), 33-34. Hanvanich, Droge, & â€Å", C. (2013). Reconceptualizing the meaning and domain of marketing knowledge†. Journal of knowledge management, 7(4), 124-135. Ho, J. K. K. (2014). Formulation of a systemic PEST analysis for strategic analysis.  European   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   academic research,  2(5), 6478-6492. McKoll-Kennedy, J., & Kiel, G. (2000). Marketing: a strategic approach (Tol. la 6th Ed). South Melbourne: Nelson Thomas. Menegaki, A. N. (2012). A social marketing mix for renewable energy in Europe based on  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   consumer stated preference surveys.  Renewable Energy,  39(1), 30-39.

Praise and Regular Monitoring of Knowledge to Test Individual Progress Essay

Praise and Regular Monitoring of Knowledge to Test Individual Progress in Learning English - Essay Example The key differences between the earliest and subsequent linguistic learning are apparent. First language learning is a natural process that allows children to acquire and extend the linguistic comprehension of their environment. However, second language learning is a deliberate pursuit, in which mature individuals partake for many reasons. Moreover, children who learn their first language have a natural advantage. For instance, these children acquire their first language using their intuition through a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). Variably, mature individuals have no second chance of learning a language in a natural manner.Consequently, learning the first language is part of a child’s cognitive maturity, which enables the youngster to acquire syntax in an unconscious manner. However, by the time an individual seeks to learn a succeeding language, the individual learns the syntax in a conscious manner. Instead, they have to embrace extra unnatural techniques in order to a cquire competence in their second language. In addition, the first language facilitates the ability of its learners to focus on advanced levels of grammaticality in second language learning. Therefore, subsequent language learners have the ability to manipulate their understanding of grammar using the competency of their first language.Consequently, the dissimilarity between the two languages emanates from the fact that there is more time spent on learning the foremost language because children learn through constant imitation. The learning of a second language takes a shorter time because, during that time, the mature individual has exemplary mastery skills. Moreover, in the first language learning, there is guaranteed access to native speakers. Consequently, these native speakers influence the quick mastery of the language. There is no guarantee of native speakers in the learning of the second language. According to Towel and Hawkins, first language learning has close links with a child’s genetic setup while the second language has no such ties (92).

Sexual Deviance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sexual Deviance - Essay Example Kraft-Ebbing in Psychopathia Sexualis regarded deviance as arising out of disease processes. Freud who used the term perversion discussed sexual aberrations in Three Essays on Sexuality and he used the term perversion. Sexual perversions are conditions in which sexual excitement or orgasm is associated with acts or imagery that are considered unusual within the culture. Paraphilias differ from what some people might consider "normal" sexual activity in that these behaviors cause significant distress or impairment in areas of life functioning. They do not refer to the normal use of sexual fantasy, activity or objects to heighten sexual excitement where there is no distress or impairment. We can enumerate these forms of sexual deviance here. They are: homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, sadomasochism (s-m), masturbation, fetishism, paedophilia (pedophilia), voyeurism, exhibitionism, transvestism, zoophilia and other paraphilias. There are a lot of these listed in books and encyclopedias, but we have listed some of the common ones. Paraphilias include fantasies, behaviors, and/or urges which involve human and nonhuman sexual objects, such as shoes or undergarments, some requiring suffering or humiliation of oneself or partner, and may involve children or other non-consenting partners. There are well over 40 types of paraphilias which have been identified and defined (Money, 1986). Only eight of them are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1987), where the remainder are subsumed under, "not otherwise specified." Given the socio-cultural-religious-political climate, some paraphilias are legally considered to be sex crimes which are punishable by law. In legal codes, crimes against nature and affronts to socially acceptable sexual behavior are criminalized and are regarded as sex offenses. These crimes have included statutory rape, violent rape, child molesting, exhibitionism, voyeurism and incest. Common forms of Sexual Deviance A. Masturbation Technically, masturbation is not a deviation because it is a majority activity and its portrayal as a perversion pathologizes most of the human population from their teens onwards. It is very likely that the people who performed this characterization were pathologizing themselves. Some works, such as that by Kinsey, indicate that virtually all males masturbate during adolescence, being in the region of 95% to 98%. This is to say that among males masturbation is statistically more normal than heterosexuality. There are some revelations about so-called shared masturbatory experiences, involving two or more young males. Masturbation is less common among women, with an incidence of about 60%. Many mammals engage in self-stimulation of the

Health care system Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health care system - Research Paper Example A simple majority vote allows the bill to move to senate, and the same procedure is repeated. A simple majority vote is sufficient to pass the bill through this stage. The final stage includes an assessment of the bill by the conference committee that compares resultant bill versions from the two stages. Finally, the bill returns to the senate and the House for approval. After the approval the bill is printed and delivered to the president to veto or sign it in to law (United States House of Representatives, 2012). The passage of bills into laws does not however, only include the political class. In addition to the politicians, other special groups such as consumer groups, lobbyists and other stakeholders often take part indirectly in the legislative process. These groups often take part by engaging in advocacy processes. This involves stating and identifying issues, gathering information, mobilizing people, seeking resources, creating alliances, networking, seeking media support, co ntacting the government and coercing legislators to support the bills. In a nut shell, such teams work to ensure that the bill is passed into law (Michael, 2012). The passage of the Affordable Care Act is a good example of legislations that received considerable support from consumer groups, lobbyists and other stakeholders. ... On the other hand, republicans, insurance companies and conservatives were opposed to the bill. Notably, various advocacy groups engaged in pushing legislators to pass the bill. In addition, they engaged in various activities within the advocacy framework such as sensitizing the public and gathering research information on the effects of the bill. The supportive advocacy groups included the â€Å"American Association of Retired Persons† (AARP), â€Å"National Association for the Advancement of Colored People† (NAACP), â€Å"American Medical Association† (AMA), and the â€Å"American Osteopathic Association† (AOA) among many others (Roy, 2012; SurgiStrategies, 2012: Hughes, 2010). 2. Discuss the expanding role of public health services in today's environment in terms of wellness, prevention, and bioterrorism Primary Healthcare (PHC) denotes professional healthcare delivered by practice nurses and general practitioners. PHC covers a wide range of preventive and health services, including screening, disease prevention, counseling and education. It also concerns issues of health access enhancement, environment and lifestyle changes. Primary healthcare is important in defining the quality of life and health of a population because it intervenes in the health sustenance process earlier before the development of diseases or conditions that favor diseases (Academy Health, 2009). PHC plays a significant role in educating the public on how to develop better health within communities by educating them on environmental issues and preventive matters. The fact that PHC intervenes before the occurrence of diseases makes it important in the healthcare

In your opinion, what is Walt Whitman's message regarding America and Essay

In your opinion, what is Walt Whitman's message regarding America and Americans - Essay Example Whitman reflected all the richness of life in American his poems. â€Å" leaves of Grass is highly praised by Connor. â€Å" Behold in Leaves Of Grass the immense and absolute rise. It is all our own. The nation is in it. To understand Greece study Iliad and Odyssey. Study ‘The Leaves of Grass’ to understand America.’ The leaves of Grass’ is the epic of America† Whitman delights in giving us catalogues of the variety of professions followed in America. He does not shrink from picturing prostitutes and butchers. The whole wide range of the American physical scene is brought before us. He succeeded in conveying to the readers, a broad panoramic grasp of America‘s spaciousness, her opulence and her veritable and multitude ness of life. Whitman’s’ Song of Myself contains plenty of catalogues of characteristic phenomenon of America. In â€Å"A Song for Occupation ‘he praises the divine average. Thieves’ prostitutes and d runkards are regarded by the poet with as much sympathy and love. No human being is treated with content.

Ethical Hacking the three shades White Hat, Black Hat, Gray Hat Research Paper

Ethical Hacking the three shades White Hat, Black Hat, Gray Hat - Research Paper Example 2010; Snyder, 2006; Mahmood et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2002; Pashel, 2006; Raether, 2008) II. Introduction Hacking has become the stuff of national security talk in the US and other countries recently, with the proliferation of news with regard to accusations that China is leading a concerted effort to hack into very critical systems owned by the US government as well as private enterprises around the world. Some of the most recent reports tie the concerted hacking efforts to the Chinese military, indicating that not only is the hacking sanctioned by government, but is being done with its active support, with the intent to gain from the vast intelligence that can be had from the hacking exercises. This recent spate of news has put hacking in a bad light. Clearly this kind of hacking is unethical, because of the intent to gain from illegally breaking into global information systems, and without the permission of the system owners. From the point of view of international law, this is unethical and clearly criminal (Sanger, Barboza and Perlroth, 2013; Navarro, 2013; Olson, 2012). On the other hand it is worthwhile to note that ethical hacking is offered as a course in some universities, as in the case of a course offering in Northumbria University, entitled Ethical Hacking for Computer Security Bsc. It is an honors course. The goal of the course is to be able to produce ethical hackers who are adept at penetrating into systems with the use of tools to hack into them, so that the weaknesses and flaws of those systems may be identified and strengthened/addressed appropriately (Northumbria University, 2010). This testifies to many things, among them being that ethical hacking is a mainstream, legitimate activity, rather than something that can be deemed as criminal. The intent here is to bolster security rather than to breach systems with malice and with an intent to commit crimes. This is reflected as much in the Oxford Dictionary definition of the term, which also underlines the growing importance of ethical hacking and ethical hackers to be able to make systems more secure (Oxford University Press, 2013). That ethical and unethical hacking both exist, as typified by the two contrasting examples above, is further reflected in the way these two types of hacking are immortalized in the literature, via the contrasting designation of black hat hacking representing the practice of unethical and criminal hacking, and white hat hacking, or ethical hacking. There is also gray hat hacking, which, as the term connotes, is part ethical and part unethical. This latter term also denotes a hacker who has had experience with doing hacking on both sides of the fence. The arguments against hacking in general point to the aspect of the debate with regard to whether hacking has any place at all in legal society. This line of thinking says that all hacking is potentially illegal. Those in favor of ethical hacking, on the other hand, admit as much, but then posi ts the example of the locksmith. If one is locked into a house, for instance, because one lost the keys to the door, then it makes sense to call a locksmith to create new

Asset Misappropriation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Asset Misappropriation - Essay Example ses will be equal to $89,000.This figure it is not realistic to me, because I believe the company should also be having at least some fixed expenses of zero sales. 92 percent is the coefficient of determination which is r squared, this show that the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables is too strong. But as I had said earlier this equation does not create sense to me at all, it is not too easy for me to believe that the relationship of determination should be so high kike this. Regression analysis is very crucial in evaluating the operating expenses hence company auditors may compared with the obtained data so that may see any similarities. If there are any differences then there must existence of fraudlent actions in the company. In my judgment, the regression data it has been of no value in assessing the operating expenses of the company. On the other hand, it might be also an evidence of indication that there is something incorrect with the equation or the numbers the company has used this

The Bridge at Argenteuil Essay Example for Free

The Bridge at Argenteuil Essay The Bridge at Argenteuil by Alfred Sisley is a landscape painted during the French Impressionism period. This painting is located at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in the European to 1900 collection. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is the oldest fine arts museum in Tennessee and displays art from antiquity to contemporary. I chose this museum because it has art from different time periods. This museum, upon first impression, was well organized, and the different collections were relatively easy to find. I chose The Bridge at Argenteuil because Alfred Sisleys work is rarely studied. Alfred Sisleys The Bridge at Argenteuil is a landscape painting. It is oil on canvas and 15 ? by 24 inches. Painted in 1872, The Bridge at Argenteuil depicts a quiet, country scene. Toward the right of the painting, there are warm-colored houses on top of a small hill, while toward the left of the painting is a river, in which is a small sail boat. The grass in the foreground is reminiscent of wheat fields. There is a path that runs from the foreground of the painting out to the river, ending at a small dock, perhaps for fishing. There is a bridge in the background, seemingly tying the entire painting together. Because there is no action in the painting, this work seems to be a study in quiet and calm country life. Every object in this landscape seems to be connected. For example, the path in the foreground leads to the dock that connects with the river. The bridge in the background stretches from the land where the artist painted from, over the river, and to the shore on the other side of the river toward the left of the frame, connecting the two pieces of land. This painting clarifies that the countryside is peaceful and calm. Many artists choose to paint people, animals, and urban scapes. However, a few, like Alfred Sisley, choose to paint landscapes. Sisley recognized that country landscapes show the softer side of life. Sisley chose to look at the bigger picture instead of focusing on one thing in particular. By having the freedom that comes with not focusing on a particular subject, Sisley captured the essence of the natural world, a world that is peaceful, calm, and ever-changing. I believe this is what he wanted to show the world. The Bridge at Argenteuil is a study in the wonders of nature and how man and nature can exist in harmony. This work does meet the standards of perfection, inexhaustibility, and insight. Every object in the painting works with the others to create a scene that is calm and peaceful. Sisley painted in great detail, showing the perfection that exists in nature. For example, Sisley included different shades of blue in the river; the further I looked into the background at the water, the whiter it seemed to become. The white clouds seem to be moving from right to left, slowly covering a light blue sky. Sisley added these details to capture the ever-changing essence of nature. The work is insightful. This painting made me take a slower, second look at nature and how everything does balance out. For example, in this painting, every aspect of nature the sky, the water, and the land seem to have an equal part of the frame, they seem to be balanced. I could envision a triangle while looking at these aspects, with the sky being the top point, and the land and water being the bottom points. The Bridge at Argenteuil resists monotony because nature is always changing. For instance, the water seems clear, like it would be during the summer, but the grass is becoming brown, indicating that the season is moving toward winter. The sky is becoming overcast; this could be indicative of a colder breeze moving in. Because of these elements, it seems as though the season is in transition. This painting has and has not withstood the test of time. For instance, it has withstood the test of time because it was painted in 1872 and is still on display along with other famous and important works of art. It depicts a nature scene that is always changing and evolving, a scene that never becomes outdated. However, Alfred Sisley, as well as this painting, has not been studied extensively and is rarely analyzed, unlike other works of art of the late nineteenth century, such as Monet and Renoir. This gives the impression that this painting has not withstood the test of time. The bridge at Argenteuil has not only been painted by Alfred Sisley. Claude Monet, another impressionist painter, painted this bridge as well. However, there one major difference between the two paintings, although they share the same title. Sisleys The Bridge at Argenteuil depicts the bridge from afar, focusing more on the land and the water in the foreground. Monets The Bridge at Argenteuil focuses more on the water and a couple of sail boats, with the bridge off to the right side of the frame. Another important detail is that Monets painting of the bridge was created two years after Sisley painted the bridge. Therefore, Sisleys The Bridge at Argenteuil can be determined to be unique and original. Also because of the aforementioned reasons, it can be said that this painting could have influenced Monets painting of the bridge. Sisley also depicted a sail boat in his painting, like Monet did, although Sisleys sail boat was small and relatively insignificant, while Monets sail boats were the focus of the painting. This painting possesses not only international appeal because Sisley was a French painter, but universal appeal because people from around the world can relate to nature. This painting depicts elements in nature that can be found in any rural area. For example, it is a scene that focuses on a grassy knoll and a body of water. While looking at this painting, it seems as though it can be found in the United States, when actually, this scene was painted in France. This scene has universal appeal because people of all ages and cultures can relate to it. I chose Alfred Sisleys The Bridge at Argenteuil because it is an under-appreciated painting. It seemed calm and comforting, two feelings that most do not take the time to enjoy. The grass in the foreground and how it seemed to be swaying in the breeze sticks in my mind the most. The analysis of this work of art taught me how to appreciate the seemingly insignificant aspects of life. For most, including myself, life rushes by. Getting to work or school and finishing daily tasks keeps one so busy that no one ever has the time anymore to slow down and appreciate nature. Most take these aspects of life for granted. Analyzing this painting forced me to slow down and appreciate the beauty of nature.

Food And Beverage Industry | Go Green Initiative Malaysia

Food And Beverage Industry | Go Green Initiative Malaysia The main objective of this research proposal is to discuss how the research process will be carried out on the selected topic. The topic for this research is Service Industry (Food and Beverage industry) perceptive on implementing Go Green initiative in Malaysia. This topic is chosen due to the fact that there is a limited research that applies to the Malaysian FB market. The purpose of this proposal is to shows how the actual research will be carried out on the topic. However, due to the limitation of the research, the research content will contain background analysis of green practices in Malaysia as well as in other counties. Other aspects of the research are based on demographic, attitude and behaviour of how the service industry has perceived in implementing such concept from its dimension of awareness, understanding and acceptance. By breaking down and studying these aspects, it will help to provide the actual information that is useful for the service industry players to become a sustainable FB industry and take initiative on such practices. This proposal will later discuss how this concept has been implemented in other countries. This is to develop a theoretical framework of these aspects and form a Go Green framework. This includes comparison of current implementations of Go green initiatives. Moreover, the research will also look into whether the government should enforce regulations on the FB industry for Go Green initiatives as default practices. Irrespective of industries, a business is governed with the intension of being Profitable, Sustainable, Productive and aims at achieving the highest level of customer loyalty towards their products and services. Achievements of profitability in businesses are focused more on increased revenue, lower cost of operations and higher profits. Long term growth, consistent revenue and profits, low cost of labour and resources, and being self-sufficient is the focus of businesses in terms of sustainability. Optimal usage of resources, Better utilization and optimal usage of assets are the main focus of businesses for productivity. Increased customer loyalty and increase in customer traffic are the focus of businesses for customer loyalty. In the above mentioned context, sustainability and productivity is a major impact to the FB organization to achieve positive profitability. As a result of industrys major impact, Going Green concept focuses service industry to become sustainable and productive with low cost, and optimal utilization of both assets and resources. Research Problem The idea of going green is relatively new to the food service industry in Malaysia compare to other industry sectors. This is due to the fact that there is limited industrial research and government regulations undertaken on green restaurant concept implementation and its practices in Malaysian market context. Malaysian FB industry is not a highly regulated market by the Malaysian government. Licenses to operate a FB outlet is not a combined effort of various agencies but limited to Ministry of Health and other licensing agencies. Department of environment and other agencies are generally not involved. The legislations / rules and laws of Department of environment and other related agencies are more concentrated on environment issues that are generated by commercial establishments in terms of pollution control and not green initiatives. Therefore, this research focuses on understanding and comprehension of various processes, methodologies and best practices for a Go Green framework for the food and beverage industry in Malaysia. There are two reasons that this research has carried out on this specific topic. Green related articles were already published in Malaysia. Environmental concerned green programmes have been implemented in Malaysia since many years ago. And also many articles that related to its programmes has being published in various sectors like waste management, green building, recycle policy, organic food sectors, hospitality and tourism sector, and etc. Especially in service industry perceptive, there are very limited or almost none have been published green related articles. Provided government regulations are not clearly specify for service industry. There available data like environmental education, green building index, green technology guidelines and process, however, there are no clear information that are stated for service industry to follow. Appendix 1 shows that industry commitment in Green initiative has increased from 2008 to 2009, thus research was analyzed by restaurant industry forecast, 2010. However, such kind of focus has not been done in Malaysia restaurant industry. These shows that service industry in Malaysia has very limited research that give clear information on Go green implementation. From this research, industry will benefit the actual information of industry players perceptive and the best suitable framework of Go green implementation in Malaysian market context. Research Objective To measure the degrees of industry awareness towards the green restaurant concept in Malaysia market context. To identify and understand existing knowledge of green restaurant concept among Malaysia market. To discover the market acceptance ability of green restaurant concept. Develop a framework for the industry to accept Go Green concept to be implemented for long term sustainability. Objectives of the research aim to understand the used of Go green concept in service industry. This is due to limited research has not been done in this particular study area in Malaysia. The outcome of the research will not only benefits to the industry players but also will give a clear framework of how industry can sustain by developing this idea. Therefore, the research will carry out to investigate how industry perceived and identify needs of framework to implement the concept. Research Questions How good is the industry player aware of a green restaurant concept? What is their understanding of the Green restaurant concept, and what is their current contribution towards going green? What is their existing methods or processes of having a sustainable business? Is the Malaysian Food and beverage market willing to accept green restaurant concept practises? Is the food and beverage industry acceptable for the Go green initiatives to be a government regulation? Literature Review Definition Go Green or Going Green is a concerned with the protection of the environment (Oxford Advanced learners Dictionary, 2000); steps to conserve energy, reduce pollution and save money (The U.S. Chamber of commerce Small Business Nation). Tauxe.C.S (2009) mentioned that green practices as a cost-saving response to the effect of high energy prices on operations and on supply and distribution chains, and these measures are valued first in terms of efficiency gains. In restaurant industry, green restaurants may be defined as new or renovated structures designed, constructed, operated, and demolished in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient manner (Lorenzini 1994, 119) cited by Hu.H.H, Parsa.H.G and Self.J, 2010. In Union for reform Judaism (2010) stated that going green defines as the activity of adding sustainability principles and considerations into the planning process of an event or organizational or personal lifestyle. According to Ministry for the environment of New Zealand defines a sustainable industry as an industry that anticipates economic, environmental and social trends to minimise risk and takes opportunities to improve comparative advantage. A research of Schubert.F (2008) mentioned that companies across all sectors try to develop products and practices with minimized environmental effect as part of social responsible practices, but also in order to establish themselves in a new niche for consumers with environmental concerns this is also true for the hospitality and tourism industry where businesses often rely on the integrity of the environment. Hotels located in natural areas such as mountains or beaches for example, are especially dependent on the healthiness of their sites, and therefore some have been engaging in green practices and eco-tourism for several years. Restaurants however, are often less dependent to such environmental factors and have therefore shown less care for these issues. Areas of green practices Green restaurant association (GRA) explained that fully transformed green restaurant provides a comprehensive and user-friendly method of rewarding existing restaurants foodservices operations, new builds, and events with points in each of the green restaurant associations seven environmental categories. Seven categories which compiled with water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical and pollution reduction. Hence, the restaurant who are pursuing for becoming fully integrated green restaurant from GRA are also require to use products like- chlorine-free paper products, nontoxic cleaning and chemical products, renewable power, and green building and construction (Wallace.A, 2005). One of the most popular going green concepts is done by practicing the 3R principle which is by reducing, reusing, and recycling the resources used, using organic products, and installing equipments with green technology. In the restaurant industry, small daily savings often make the difference between long-term profit and loss (Restaurant waste minimization guidebook, State of Hawaii). In addition, a restaurants costs go up when it installs pricey equipment to make its operation more sustainable and pay extra to source ingredients that meet sustainability standards (Going Green: Will Customers Notice? 2010). Furthermore, Schubert.F (2008) highlighted that the details of creating an Environmentally Sustainable Restaurant Industry- Green restaurant association (GRA) has also provides guideline for the following areas: Energy Efficiency Conservation: Energy efficient technologies and conservation practices exist for lighting, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, foodservice appliances, office equipment and transportation. Water Efficiency Conservation: Water efficient technologies and conservation practices exist for foodservice appliances, equipment, and landscaping. Recycling Composting: Recycling services exist for many waste products such as glass, plastic, metal, cardboard, mixed paper, grease, ink toner cartridge. Food waste can be diverted from landfills and made into nutrient-rich soil through the use of a composting service or an on-site system. Sustainable Food: Sustainable food products support the long-term maintenance of ecosystem and agriculture for future generations. Organic agriculture prohibits the use of toxic synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge, and genetic engineering. Locally grown food reduce the amount of pollution associated with transportation primarily by fossil fuels. Plant-based food require fewer natural resources and create less pollution per calorie consumed. Pollution Prevention: Pollution prevention is achieved through source reduction, reuse, or improving operational practices. Recycled, Tree-free, Biodegradable Organic Products: Recycled products are made from materials that are collected from post-consumer or post-industrial waste sources. Tree-free products are made from alternative plant sources such as hemp or knead. Biodegradable products are capable of being decomposed by biological agents, especially bacterial. Organic products are grown without the use of toxic synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge, and genetic engineering. Chlorine-Free Paper Products: Chlorine-free paper products are unbleached or whitened with alternatives such as hydrogen peroxide, oxygen, and ozone. Non-toxic Cleaning Chemical Products: Non-toxic cleaning and chemical products are biodegradable, free of hazardous ingredients, and are safe for people, animals and environment when used properly. Green Power: Electricity and power is available from renewable resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, small hydro and biomass. These energy sources cause dramatically less air pollution and environmental damage compared to fossil fuel, nuclear, and large-scale hydroelectric energy sources. Green Building Construction: Green design and construction practices significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment, occupants, and the local community. Education: Education of staff on the environmental impact of the restaurant industry and a path toward ecological sustainability. Benefit of Go Green Publicity The GRA and its certified green restaurants have been featured in the following media outlets: NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR) and etc (Green Restaurant Association). Cut costs In dine-green website mentioned that some restaurants that are green certified save thousands of dollars each year, and through the help of the GRAs consultants, are able to access rebates, incentives and other money saving programs. Improve staff productivity and morale Staff awareness of going green due to the fact that the industry is currently run by young entrepreneurs who are aware of the environmental issues. GRA have reported that staff productivity and morale increase upon their certification. Restaurant employees have demonstrated that they want to work for businesses that are making real, credible and transparent environmental changes. Being a part of the solution to our worlds environmental problems goes a long way in gaining a restaurant employees loyalty. (Green Restaurant Association) Increase in new customers and customer loyalty Eating out has always been considered a splurge or extravagance in the average Americans budget. The growing trend in restaurant dining is that consumers want to feel as if they have done something good, other than just having nice meal. This fact alone can drive in new customers and create loyal ones. (Green Restaurant Association) Stay ahead of legislation Environmental legislation for restaurants is sweeping across the world, from plastic bag and Styrofoam bands, to recycling mandates. More and more cities are in the process of either considering or passing legislation relating to matters of restaurants and the environment. Because Certified Green restaurants have already completed these important environmental changes voluntarily, when legislation strikes, the GRAs restaurants are able to continue running their businesses while their competitors are scrambling to comply with the latest mandates. (Green Restaurant Association) Industry perception of Go Green According to Oxford Dictionary for the Business World (1993), perception is an intuitive recognition of and an aesthetic quality; a way of seeing, understanding. Perception is the terms used to cover those processes, which gives coherence, unity and meaning to a persons sensory input. It involves all those processes we use to select, sort, organise and interpret sensory data to make meaningful and coherent picture of our world (Rice, 1993). cited by Ramli.K. I, Yusof.N.S Mohamed.M.B.HJ (2004). A frequent research by Hu.H.H, Parsa.H.G and Self.J (2010) said that knowledge of sustainable restaurant operation is an important determinant of intention to patronize a green restaurant. Although a restaurants costs go up when it installs pricey equipment to make its operation more sustainable and pays extra to source ingredients that meet sustainability standard (Going Green: Will Customers Notice? 2010), restaurant can easily make up these costs (Carley.N, 2010). For example, A restaurant that installs a $60 spray valve that release a maximum of 1.28 gallons per minute, compared to regular valves that release 2 gallons to 6 gallons per minute, can save $500 or more a year in water bill. Research Conceptual Framework Perception Awareness Understanding Acceptance Go Green Framework Awareness of going green The following are some points that will be made during the awareness stage. Awareness of the businesses on the green initiatives, Availability of information for these businesses about going green Understating green objectives The following are some points that will be made during the understanding stage. Existing knowledge on going green Knowledge on the impact of the current environment on not going green. Knowledge on how they can be profitable and have a sustainable business by going green Acceptance of going green The following are some points that will be made during the acceptance stage. Weather they are willing to invest in going green initiatives Participation in going green by changing business processes Investments into resources to go green Methodology Methodology of this research will be used base on the primary data and secondary data. Primary data will be collected by using survey questionnaires to the restaurant managers and owners around Kuala Lumpur. Secondary data will be gathered from the relevant academic journals, books, published magazines and articles, and also internet sources. Basically, the survey questionnaires will be distributed to three different types of restaurant such as: fast food restaurants, casual dining restaurants and semi-fine dining or fine dining restaurants. Approximately 30 survey questionnaires will be distributed as sample. The questionnaires will be demonstrated in demographic, attitude and behaviour study on each type of restaurants. This is to ensure there is a balance in different types of service restaurants owner perceptive on Go green concept implementations in Malaysia. The outcome of this survey will give better understanding on how restaurant owners aware and deep analysis of their understanding on this concept. And also it will help to indicate the best options of practices needed for the Malaysian market context. Secondary data will be collected from academic journals, books, relevant magazines and articles, and internet sources. This will enhance the better understanding on theoretical framework of Go green concept practices. In additionally, local government data and non-government organisation data will also include in this research. This is to clarify such concept has been performed in other industry sector as well as to identify the availability of Green supply chain in Malaysia. From above mention data collections, this research will shows industry perceptive on implementing Go green concept and it will also show the best options of practices for Malaysia market which may or may not be an exact practices to compare to other country. Project Timeline Weeks Activities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Introduction Literature Review Distributing survey Findings Conclusion Submission of Draft References Hu.H.H, Parsa.H.G Self John (2010), The Dynamics of Green Restaurant Patronage, Cornell University, vol.51 Issue.3, pp. 334-362. Schubert.F (2008), Exploring and Predicting Consumers Attitudes and Behaviours Towards Green Restaurants, The Ohio State University. Tauxe.C.S (2009), Shades of Green: Discursive Plurality in the Public Conversation on Sustainability, Green Theory Praxis: The Journal of Ecopedagogy, vol. 5 no. 1, pp. 14 25. Wallace.A (2005), Creating a Sustainable Restaurant Industry with the Green Restaurant Association. Going Green: Will Customers Notice?'(2010), Observer: Restaurant Hospitality, pp.20. Carley.N (2010), Going Green in many ways, Community: Franchise Focus, pp. 26. Ramli.K. I, Yusof.N.S Mohamed.M.B.HJ (2004) Measuring Service Quality in Gourmet Coffee Restaurants in Penang, Universiti Utara Malaysia. Restaurant Waste Minimization Guidebook, State Hawaii, Department of Health and Environmental Health Administration. Conserve Solutions for Sustainability (2010), Greener Restaurants à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Wehmeier.S (2000) , Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, 6th edn. Great Britain, Oxford University Press. pp.590. Six Reasons to Become a Certified Green Restaurant à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢, Green Restaurant Association http://www.dinegreen.com/restaurants/benefits.asp [ACCESSED ON 1st November 2010] What Is Going Green?, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Nation http://www.uschambersmallbusinessnation.com/toolkits/guide/P15_1001 [ACCESSED ON 18th November 2010) Green Glossary: Greening/Going Green, Union for Reform Judaism http://urj.org/green/101/glossary/ [ACCESSED ON 18 th November 2010] hat is a sustainable industry?, Ministry for the Environment Manatu Mo Te Taiao http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/sustainable-industry/ [ACCESSED ON 18 th November 2010] Appendixes Walt Disneys Leadership Style | Essay Walt Disneys Leadership Style | Essay Whenever people interact in the organization, many factors come into play towards improving an organizations effectiveness. There are factors that influence the behavior of the employees in any organization. Behaviors such i.e. commitment, cooperation, satisfaction, decision-making, motivation, competitiveness, turnover à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Etc, all impacts greatly the effectiveness of any organization. Leadership has sometimes been described as taking people to a place that they would not normally go to on their own. Once a sound strategic planning process has determined what that place should be it is the leaders prime and fundamental responsibility to assure that there is cultural alignment with the vision and that the full resources of the organization are effectively brought to bear to achieve that destination. These definitions tell us that leadership is a way of focusing motivating a group to enable them to achieve their aims. The leaders influence is non-coercive, which means that followers must consent to be influenced, which lead to that leadership is conferred from below, not above as leadership. Also leadership is a goal-directed activity. Followers consent to a leader exercising influence with a view to achieving something. This research would be a great opportunity for the researcher to get a better knowledge about the leaders influence on people and guided through their Endeavour to achieve organization objective. This report is about one of the most famous leaders whos name is known by everyone since childhood. This leader has created one of the leading entertainment businesses in the world. Walt Disney is the founder of Walt Disney Production which had a famous influence in the entertainment field in the 20th century. This report will analyze Mr. Walt Disneys leadership qualities and style. The report starts with a literature review on leadership, Walt Disney biography, his leadership qualities and styles, comments on his style and a conclusion to sum up the finding. The purpose of this study is to: To study the literature on leadership styles in organizations. To analysis the style and the role of leadership of Walt Disney and its effectiveness in reaching the organization objectives. To draw conclusions of what lessons we learn from Walt Disney case about leadership. Review of Literature Leadership is the process of influencing others to work willingly and to the best of their capabilities towards the goals of the leader. (Gallagher, K, Rose, E, McClelland, B, Reynolds, J and Tombs, S, 1997, P527) The word leadership has two common uses meanings: (A) It can be used to describe a process, in which non-coercive influence is used to direct and coordinate the activities of a group toward its objectives. (Rollinson, Broadfield, Edaward 1998). (B) To express the idea that follower perceives that a person has certain attributes or characteristics which enable him or her to exert influence over them (Rollinson, Broadfield, Edaward 1998). In modern society the words of leader and leadership carry a great deal of prestige. Thus many managers lay claim to being leaders, and some probably believe the position they occupy confer the mantle of leadership upon them. It is important to examine whether leadership and management are synonymous; are they, for example, just different words that express the same idea? The success of any group in any organization can be challenged by the effectiveness of the leader and his/her leadership qualities, knowledge leadership style. Leaders can be found in any group by default. Groups they tend to have leaders, and it belief that leadership is one of the -if not the most important- factors which determines whether a group, an organization, or even a nation will be successful granted a degree of power to influence subordinate behavior. An important leadership role is to manage and lead so the Leaders make speeches, produce written communications, listen and chat to colleagues, observe and respond to the needs and otherwise communicate for most their time in the organization. Leaders also interact with the external environment, with suppliers, markets, even competitors. What is more, leaders communicate in far more than words. For example leadership uses symbolic communication as part of a change management strategy. In a simple context, in organizations we can view leadership in: that the employees are willing to work in a more committed way with someone they view as a leader. The important of leadership Leadership is a concern for all of us. (We all share in the responsibility to contribute effectively.) Leadership is viewed and valued differently by various disciplines and cultures. (A multi-disciplinary approach gives better understanding of leadership.) Conventional views of leadership are changing. (The rapid pace of change requires new ways of relating to problems.) Leadership can be exhibited in many ways. (It is adapted to varying situations.) Leadership qualities and skills can be learned and developed. (Leaders are made, not born.) Leadership committed to ethical action is needed to encourage change and social responsibility. (Leaders must apply the highest possible standards of ethical conduct.) Leaders vs. Managers It is an important to the researcher to understand and defined the leader in the chosen Organization. Thus, to understanding the different between the manager and the leaders will help to focus in the right person once the interview taking place. Managers usually have goals or objective to achieve, and are expected to do this by the appropriate use of resources at their disposal. So mangers tend to adopt impersonal or passive attitudes towards goals. In order to get people to accept solutions, the manager needs continually to co-ordinate and balance in order to compromise conflicting values. In relationship with other people, managers maintain a low level of emotional involvement. Managers see themselves more as conservators and regulators of the existing order of affairs with which they identify, and from which they gain rewards. Leaders, they adopt a more personal and active attitude towards goals. Leader creates excitement in work and develops choices that give substance to images that excite people. Leaders have empathy with other people and give attention to what events and actions mean. Leader work in but dont belong to, the organization. Their sense of identity doesnt depend upon membership or work roles and they search out opportunities of change. So the important to organization come in a leader can have a strong influence on the behavior and performance of group members. While influence is a form of power, it is much more subtle from control than the naked use authority. Where leadership is exercised, followers willingly their own subordination, and because the whole situation is partly their idea they are more likely to be committed to performing well. Leadership Styles Leadership Styles is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people, there are normally three styles of leadership: Authoritarian or autocratic: when leaders sets directions and motivate people by reward and punishment. Predicative or democratic: when people are involved in decision making and leaders become more relation oriented. Delegative or free Reigan: when leaders delegate powers and people are more responsible. Walt Disney Biography: Walter Elias Disney is an American business leader who brought to the world the most famous entertainment companies in 20th century. He was born on  December 5, 1901 in Illinois in Chicago in USA. His dream started when he loved drawing while he used to live in a farm and worked in selling candies and newspapers. After his coming back from the World War I in France, he worked at the Pesemen-Rubin Art Studio. Walter met Ubbe Iwwerks and they put up their own company Iwerks- Disney in 1920. The company collapsed eventually and they moved to work with Kansas City Film Ad. In 1922, he formed Laugh-O-Gram Films where he produced short cartoons and started producing Alices Wonderland. Before ending his production of Alices Wonderland, his company got bankrupt and he moved to Hollywood seeking direction job with no luck. He convinced his brother to finance the new company, Disney Brothers, and hired more people in 1925. The big success happened when they created Mickey Mouse which was his popular cartoon character and Disney regained from the loss of the Oswald character rights and his staff in 1928. He even got an Academy Award in 1932. Disney did well in the 1930s especially when he started producing full length features such as now White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Three Little Pigs. However, he faced a big break during the World War II. In the late 1940s, he start recovering when he start using Technicolor and sound scores in his work. In that period he started his vision for an amusement park which came true 1955. Walter Disney died in 1966 of lung cancer. His brother continued his dream and opened the Magic Kingdom in 1971. Walt Disney Achievements: Walt Disney is one of the largest media corporations worldwide. It is publicly traded in the New York Stock Exchange. The company has four main divisions: studio entertainment, media networks, parks and resorts and consumer products. The company owns ABC TV network, broadcast TV stations and lots of radio stations. The studio entertainment movies produced by Disney represent the meaning of family entertainment. Mickey Mouse, Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs, etc. are famous movies created by Disney and become legends for every kids and even adults. Disney Parks and Resorts is the place when you find all Disney characters. The company owns eleven theme parks in three continental, operates 35 resorts and two cruise ships. Disneys media network has arms in television, radio and internet industries. It includes television networks (ABC), radio channels, TV shows, etc. Disney consumer products started in 1929 which is mainly different products represent Disney characters in different sectors such as food beverages, toys, home dà ©cor, books, electronics, interactive games, fine arts, etc. Walt Disney Leadership Analysis: Walter Disney was so ambitious and enthusiasm to make his dream and the drop-backs he faced didnt stop him putting more effort into it. He was hard worker, visionary and devoted. As being creative is one of the main success factors in such businesses. Therefore, Walter had a passion in developing talents through training were he used to have evening classes for employees. He was a risk taker and a hands-on leader. He never stopped dreaming and never stopped trying pursuing his dreams. Since his start, he didnt stop working hard toward his goal even after many break downs happened to him in his early start. Walter was more relationship oriented as he cares a lot about his employees. He used to know each one by name and insist to call him with his first name Walter. He tried to make everyone happy and had a strong commitment to his employees. His main traits which helped him to be successful are: perseverance, passionate, dreamer, and highly imaginative and creative. These traits kept him focused in achieving his vision. Being in the entertainment business, these traits are the best suitable for him to be a leader in this area. He is also a risk taker and has courage to accept changes even with high risk. As he struggled in his early life with the bankruptcy of his early ventures, he still kept focused and took further steps to achieve his goals. He didnt change his career bath as result of the bankruptcy. Instead, he kept focused on his dream and believes as he saw an opportunity a head. He also changed with the new technologies and use technology as a way to be innovative. Walt Disney said When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable. This quotation describes his hard effort to achieve his dream. As a leader, he tried his best to have good relation with his employees. He worked closely with everyone in his company. He was willing to help employees to learn about animation. He pushed his employees to attend art school at his expense. This helped improving the quality of the work. Such attitude from Walter helped gaining the loyalty of his employees and increases their enthusiasm. He motivates people by sharing his ideas and concerns. He created a work environment where all work to gather in all business aspects. All discussion above shows how Walter communicated his vision and dreams to his employees. He was motivating them by involving them in his dream. He showed them the big picture and described his vision to them. They followed his lead with high enthusiasm to achieve his goals. Disney as a company continued toward success even after his death in 1965 and is considered one of the largest entertainment companies around the world. Mr. Walter is classified as transformational leader who influence people to follow him by his charisma. His way of dealing with people created trust, commitment and loyalty of followers which helped in achieving organizational goals and make dreams come true. Mr. Walter said: Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. This keeps Disney moving forward and keeps it successful. Disney has the characteristics of transformational leaders of being idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and inspiration motivation. These factors describe his charisma which made him a successful leader. Conclusion: How to manage people become the largest challenges in any organization and is the focus of researchers. Lots of theories have been found to describe different attitudes, behaviors and management practices in organizations and development in this science will never end. As long as people are the key driver of organizations success, managing them will be the first step to achieve goals. As long as there are different people working together, there must be managers who direct them toward achieving organizational goals. Managers guide people to do their work and instruct them in order to reach the organization goals. Managers have specific knowledge and skills to do so and follow lots of techniques to motivate people to follow their orders. Some managers become leaders who capture peoples willingness to follow them. Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things is a famous quote by Peter F. Drucker that distinguish between managers and leaders. This case shows that leaders have strong impact on people where they become followers rather than subordinates. Followers are inspired by their leaders to do their work. Napoleon Bonaparte quoted: a leader is a dealer in hope. This can explain the willingness of people to follow them. People believe on their leaders which motivate them to follow them. Its a common sense that people will do thing better if they are willing to do it rather than forced to do it. Walter Disney case shows how leadership makes difference. It also shows how people are inspired by leaders and how they willingness follow leaders. Disney being a transformational leader gained peoples respect and become a loved person. How he involves his staff in his work kept people committed even after his death. His company still successful and his visions are followed till date. People use his quotes as inspiring quotations to motivate others. He said: If you can dream it, you can do it. He also said: All the adversity, Ive in my life, all my troubles and obstacles have strengthened meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You may not realized it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. People are driven till now by his vision and still willing to follow his lead after his death. He put his fingerprint in all peoples heart. His dream become true and he is an evidence of how leadership important and how it makes differences.

Booker T. Washington :: American America History

Booker T. Washington Following the smoke of Confederate and Union gunfire emerged the self-reliant and awe-inspiring Booker Taliaferro Washington. As a distinguished black educator, a commanding broker, and an ethical as well as economical constructionist, he stepped up to the podium of civil reform with authority. Life was not easy for young Booker T; from the moment of his delivery on April 5, 1856, he was clamped into bondage. Toiling in the backbreaking salt furnace from the age of ten with his father, whilst partially attending school in Malden, West Virginia was a demanding schedule, which was only alleviated by his acceptance to the Hampton Institute, a school set up by whites to edify newly freed slaves after the Civil War. It was there, he worked as a janitor to support himself and pay his tuition and boarding fee. Completing his regular studies at Hampton in 1875, he was later hired in the fall of 1879 to teach Native Americans youths and direct night classes for black men and women. Evidently, well acquainted with the hardships of the common (black) man, Booker T. Washington was an exemplar of black solidarity and idyllic for the institutionalization of economic reform for the betterment of the Negro community. His revolutionary outlook on the enhancement of African Americans up the slippery social ladder of white supremacy proved to be very effective in post-Civil War America; by the injection of ultramodern reformist thought into the Negro psyche and the restructuring of outdated modes of 'black behavior' by means of an economic guise, he propelled blacks irretrievably forward. Booker T. Washington's beliefs still echo through our society today. The aforementioned Hampton Institute provided Washington with a sturdy foundation for his later achievements. Although the curriculum was centered on industrial arts and moral cultivation rather than intellectual pursuits, he unearthed the goodness in character formation and modeled his behavior accordingly. In 1881, these principles chiseled the infrastructure of his Normal and Industrial Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Erected from a dilapidated shanty and church, came forth the foremost educational institution for blacks, which simultaneously sponsored and built momentum for the "Tuskegee Movement:" an array of policies, views, and tactics that illuminated Booker T. Washington as "the race leader" in dealing with the "Negro Problem" (as his supporters in both the North and South saw it). From his southern small-town nucleus he bejeweled the nation with a network of schools and newspapers, offering a means by which the Negro populace could liberate themselves of Jim Crow's noose and Uncle Tom's iron-grip.

Graduation Speech: Go Create New Memories :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I was puzzled and wasn't sure what to talk about tonight. I had to prepare this speech ahead of time and turn it in for approval. I much prefer doing things spontaneously, using all the skills I have developed over the years, you know, sorta letting people (being the teachers and parents) know that we really were listening! It's much more fun interacting with other people, watching their reactions, and playing along with them. But, I had to do the right thing, So while I was contemplating my topic, it came to me - this is what I want you to take with you as we depart the Bryan Station School District and move on into life. I want you to remember the small, seemingly insignificant things that happened to you while you were growing up. You know, like the simple smile that your best friend gave you when you were really down and needed a boost. Like the many times you walked down the hall, high-fiving your buds, showing you cared without getting all goofy about it. You didn't even realize that they were down and just knowing they had a friend in you boosted them to face the next school challenge. Remember the time you were really thirsty in third grade, and went into the room after recess, only to remember that there was a party today, and there would be cupcakes and Kool-aid served in a matter of minutes? Remember saving a seat for your friend to sit on the bus, knowing that you were gonna share all the cool stuff you did yesterday? And how glad you were to be able to share this? Everyday, everything we do affects someone, somehow. My wish is for all of us to recall a kind gesture, a happy moment that happened unplanned, that really sticks in our minds, that made a big impact on us, and relive those moments in our future. Pass on that joy/hope/support, whatever you got out of it. Remember that you will be making new friends, that those people you have shared every day with for four or maybe 12 years will be going their separate ways. You will have many moments where you won't have anyone around to boost you up, where you won't be told if it is the right thing or the good thing to do.

Bacchus:God of Wine :: essays research papers

Bacchus: God of Wine and Intoxication   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much to many parents’ dismay, teenage drinking is a very common and infamous trend of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  times. Many teenagers illegally consume alcoholic beverages weekly. However, instead of linking this problem to the media or peer pressure, one may want to take a look back to the days of ancient Rome; more specifically the god Bacchus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bacchus, the God of Wine and intoxication, is known in Greek mythology as Dionysus, and is also known by other names such as Bakchos and Liber. His name means â€Å"twice born† or â€Å"child of the double door.† Bacchus was born to Zeus and Semele. Hera, wife of Zeus was jealous and tricked Semele into killing herself. Hermes, the messenger God, saved the unborn baby and sewed him up in Zeus’ thigh. After he was born, he sat at the right hand of Zeus. Apparently, his appearance was quite striking, though no specific descriptions were found of his actual looks. Bacchus is to whom we owe the thanks of inventing wine. He appears in numerous myths, almost always accompanied by Centaurs, Satyrs, and Maenads, or women who always seemed mad with joy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bacchus has his own festival aptly named Bacchanalia. This festival is celebrated on March 16 and 17. During Bacchanalia, orgies in honor of Bacchus were introduced in Rome around 20 0 BC. These infamous celebrations, notorious for their sexual and criminal character, got so out of hand that they were forbidden by the Roman Senate in 186 BC. His attributes in iconography include a drinking vessel, an ivy wreath, grape vines, and the thyrsos (a long fennel stalk topped with ivy leaves). Bacchus was also associated with resurrection because he is identified with Zagreus, son of Zeus and Persephone who was killed, dismembered, and eaten by the Titans. His heart was saved and he was reborn through Semele. One of the most famous myths involving Bacchus was when pirates captured him while he was standing on shore, for they thought he must be a prince by his stunning appearance. However, no chains that the pirates used to try to hold him worked, and only then did they realize that he was not a prince, but a God. Vines began to grow, wine began to flow, and Bacchus turned into a lion. The pirates jumped overboard and were turned into dolphins. As this, and many other stories suggest, Bacchus was often depicted as traveling throughout Greece, and often arriving at his destination from the east.

John Proctor Tragic Hero Essay

In society today, most people can be themselves. Most do not feel the need to hide who they truly are anymore while some still can only â€Å"half express [themselves]† because they are embarrassed of the â€Å"idea which each of [them] represents† (186). I feel as if there is still too little emphasis on self-reliance and individualism in America today, because some are still ashamed of themselves and rely on others too much. As the years pass, fewer people discriminate, but there are still many that still do, causing others to â€Å"half express [themselves]† (186). Gays and lesbians are afraid to come out of the closet because they were told that it wasn’t right to be anything but straight. Society made them feel ashamed of themselves. They might give off hints and their friends might be able to tell, but they would never actually come out. If individualism was stressed more, gays or lesbians would no longer need to hide who they truly are. Even worse, proposition 8 restricts the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples only. They would be accepted, but as of now, they are not because there is not enough emphasis on individualism. â€Å"No kernel of nourishing corn† will just appear out of thin air; only â€Å"through [their] toil bestowed† will something of that sort happen (185). People can’t expect to receive something when they didn’t work for it. For example, homeless people depend on other people’s sympathy and donations to survive. Rather than getting off their butts and finding a job, they sit around waiting for help to come to them. If self-reliance was strained some more, maybe we’d have less homeless people standing in corners begging for money in the world. They’d be out looking for jobs, but in the meantime, there are homeless shelters and soup kitchens to help them, until they can get back on their feet because there is not enough emphasis on self-reliance. If Emerson were still alive today, he would be disappointed, but he would feel as if he got most of his message through. Even though some are still a little uncomfortable with whom they are and too dependent on others, most people aren’t afraid to show off their individuality or depend on themselves. In society today, there is not enough emphasis on self-reliance and individualism because people still depend on others for help and are afraid to show their true colors. If life was based on Emerson’s ideas, the world would be full of hardworking citizens and discrimination would not exist.

Monitor of experience in rock climbing

To be able to perform at a level which is suitable for me to gain employment in the world of outdoor pursuits, one of my mid-term goals, it is vital that I am able to monitor my own progress in order to critically evaluate my levels of fitness, skill and knowledge in certain aspects of the industry. In this case rock climbing. In order for me to progress I must monitor my current levels and be able to produce a programme which will allow me to push these levels to a higher standard, motivating myself as I do so by working at a standard that allows me to remain focused and set on my chosen goal. Prior Experience Although I entered into outdoor education with no prior experience, as soon as I heard that I was going to be climbing as a major part of my course and would be required to do so as a large part of my chosen career I wasted no time in researching the sport. Having tutors with a large knowledge base for the subject I made notes in their lessons highlighting key words, which I later researched further in books or on the internet, a tool with which I have a wide experience of working with from my previous career and something which I have recently used to acquire a wider knowledge base in relation to climbing. I attended and continue to attend all practical sessions in order to gain first-hand experience of the sport under expert instruction and continue to learn outside of college using my own climbing equipment and going over what I have been taught. The sport is now a hobby of mine and as such I enjoy researching it, watching videos of professional climbers and reading publications on different styles of climbing, rope work and the associated use of equipment required to make the sport safe. I have the backing from family and friends which is very important to me as they provide me with encouragement and morale support and offer me transport to and from climbing areas acting as climbing partners when needed. My tutors are a constant source of information, available upon request and even allow me to climb with them on the indoor wall at college and outdoors on certain occasions. By observing fellow athletes I am able to look at different aspects of climbing such as body positioning and different types of holds which I would otherwise know nothing about. Technical Knowledge and Skills My technical knowledge is definitely at a higher level than my technical skills. I have bought enough of my own equipment to enable me to go climbing on my own and get used to using the various tools needed in the sport. I have spent time concentrating on the top of the crag ignoring everything except placing protection and creating anchor points in order to be able to climb. This subject however is huge and the amount that I know is only a small percentage of what is out there so I continue to buy and borrow books, videos and other materials demonstrating various forms of placing protection. Through the leadership and party management section of my college course I have been able to take groups of individuals from varying backgrounds climbing something, which has helped me to develop my rope work and safety skills further, whilst on the crag or at the indoor wall. Being responsible for the well-being of others has made me look more closely at the theory behind placing protection and has allowed me to experience first-hand by working alongside a highly qualified tutor exactly what it is like to rig up a variety of climbing routes safely in order for people to be able to climb on them. Different from placing protection is the actual skills needed to be able to climb. From studying the different types of hand and feet techniques and by looking at climbers body positions as they climb I have began to slowly understand certain aspects of climbing which will enable me to successfully complete a climb and conserve the most amount of energy possible when doing so. However recognising and knowing the names of the different types of techniques required for climbing is not enough and successfully putting them into practice can only be done by actually climbing and working on those techniques which I am least familiar with. Climbing outdoors and more significantly on the bouldering wall at college has enabled me to experience these techniques and has paved the way into motivating myself into creating a training schedule for myself in order to push my climbing grades. The wall at college is overhanging, all of it! which requires a lot of arm strength and correct body positioning in order to stay off the floor. Training at first in this way was very uninspiring for me and it took a while for me to begin to be able to successfully move around on the wall. Through training with the tutors who have showed me various bouldering problems (the term used for a climbing route) and creating problems of my own I have been able to achieve that feeling of progress which I need to inspire myself and have begum training on a regular basis. At around 8:30am on the days that I am in college I climb on the bouldering wall completing 5 circuits with each circuit containing the same 5 problems. The problems consist of various hand and foot holds which will help me to work a selection of muscle groups in my body as apposed to a few which is what would happen if I was to stick to the same types of holds all the time like hose which I am strongest. I train at around 8:30am as I am least likely to be interrupted and the college is cooler than it is during the afternoon. Although progress is being made it is slow and some days I seem to do better than others but I am committed to sticking to my schedule and continuing to learn about the theory behind the technical side of climbing. On an afternoon, after finishing my studies I go to the weights room in college where I build strength in my arms, chest and back, working various muscle groups which I believe will allow me to raise my endurance levels and allow me to climb stronger and more aggressively. More recently and I believe as a response to this training my upper body strength has improved and I am moving more fluidly on the bouldering wall and even soloing (climbing on my own) on routes I wouldn't have considered a few months ago. I am soon entering the training phase of my Single Pitch Award (SPA) which is a big form of motivation for me to get out on the crag on weekends and concentrate on my lead climbing (climbing whilst placing leader protection in the rock as you climb) in order to go in for my assessment. Although the award only requires me to climb at the lowest grade in rock climbing I will work at a level comfortable at the time which enables me to push myself without any stress or pressure to do so. Levels of Fitness My fitness at the moment is at a reasonable level although I would not class myself as super fit. I smoked for 8 years before starting this course and have managed to successfully quit for just under a year with no desire to start again. I walk and climb on a weekend when possible weighting down my backpack to improve my cardiovascular and respiratory fitness. This also helps my lower body strength. I have cut down drastically on my alcohol consumption and go out maybe once a week as opposed to every other night which I was doing last year. I have noticed a vast improvement from the beginning of my course in my ability to walk up a mountain which indicates that my cardiovascular and respiratory fitness has in fact improved. In relation to climbing finger strength is a major downfall in my climbing. As this is a part of my body which I would have never considered building on for strength my fingers and hands are relatively weak when attempting to hold my body weight. A variation of small holds of different directions on the college bouldering wall however is helping me to build on these strengths and I always go for the smallest hold possible where me strength permits. At rest my pulse rate is 72bpm and my breathing is 18bpm After exercise my pulse rate is 156bpm and my breathing is 18bpm After 5 mins rest my pulse rate is 84bpm and my breathing is 18bpm These levels are considered average for my age and gender but do not show that I am extremely fit. My weight is correct for my age, gender and height. Diet My diet leaves a lot to be desired. I rarely eat take-away food unless I am away from home but do eat fatty foods on occasions where time is a factor and fried food appears more convenient. I am aware of the consequences of such a diet and I am currently beginning to eat more nutritious foods such as salad based sandwiches at lunch time and oven cooked or grilled meat and cooked vegetables on the evenings. Training Attendance and Effort At the moment I only train when I am in college which is around 2 to 3 times a week and this is often random and non-consistent. Some days I am able to climb better than others and when I am having a bad day climbing I find it hard to motivate myself into completing my circuits. I usually climb on a morning and lift weights on an afternoon after my classes although this often depends on the type of day I'm having and if something which I deem to be more important has come up. I enjoy training but I wouldn't say that I was extremely dedicated although I have been training quite consistently the past couple of weeks and am definitely noticing a difference with my climbing and the amount of weight that I am able to lift. My effort is often varied once again being highly dependent on the mood I am in and the type of day I am having. I wouldn't say that I have a strict training schedule, more of a ‘more frequent than usual' approach to exercising. I have made sure that I have attended all of the practical days at college and have missed maybe one session since starting there. These days have been extremely valuable to me as I have been able to work alongside and observe much more experienced climbers than myself, something which has not only taught me elements of rock climbing but has also motivated me into exploring certain elements of the sport further helping me to improve my technical knowledge and skills. Access to Equipment My main source for training is the bouldering wall at college which is freely available for me to use whenever I choose. This is usually only when I am in college though as I live in Teesside and find it difficult to get in some days. I have enough of my own equipment to train outside of college and do so on weekends, weather permitting. Living in Teesside I am very close to some excellent climbing venues both outdoors on the crags dotted throughout the Cleveland Hills and Indoors at Sunderland Wall and Thornaby which has a small bouldering wall made by the same people who built Sunderland Wall. The north of England is an excellent location for climbing and other outdoor pursuits. The Lake District is only an hour or so away although I have not been there to climb as yet. I have however climbed at Brimham Rocks and Almscliffe both near Harrogate. Other climbers that I know are kind enough to lend me any equipment which I might need for a day on the crag with the general rule that I supply my own rope and other nylon equipment which can become damaged in the event of a leader fall and should be recorded for safety reasons and to keep a check on the strength and deterioration of equipment. Access to Effective Coaching Being a student studying an Outdoor Education course I am able to ask for expert advice at anytime from my tutors who I have no doubt will be happy to help me. Although the climbing part of my course is now over and other outdoor activities are being concentrated on I am still able to use the bouldering wall at college as part of my training schedule and I am even able to train alongside my tutor who will guide me in the right direction or offer me information and videos or publications which will help me to progress. Although it would be encouraged for me to find out most of the information for myself in relation to setting up my own individual training schedule I am able to ask for help where needed, something which would cost me money if I were not studying Outdoor Education. Leadership Communication Skills Since starting the course I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with various groups from schools around County Durham and the Teesside area. Working with these individuals who were aged between 14-16 years old I have been able to develop my communication skills in relation to climbing and working with groups and have experienced in different surroundings how important it is to be a good communicator both verbally and non-verbally. From first meeting a group and working with them I feel that I can be quite confrontational if the group in question is unwilling to learn or becomes disruptive when I am attempting to teach them something. I have learned that this is an inappropriate way of communicating though and I am beginning to adopt a more passive way of communicating following working with groups of dysfunctional teenagers who do not respond well to confrontation. I am a good listener and I speak clearly enough to be able to get my point across and in a manner which I feel allows people to understand and follow my instructions. I keep my body language as neutral as possible standing with my arms by my side or in front, never crossing them and always making eye contact with those that I am speaking or listening to. I do interact with members of a group but prefer to work more on the technical side working with equipment and setting up climbs more than attempting to motivate groups or acting as a counsellor, although I do always make myself available if someone wishes to talk to me or ask me something. Values and Beliefs I have strong values and beliefs in the way that I respect other people, whether these are climbing partners, groups I am working with or other climbers on the crag/wall. I follow both the written and un-written rules of climbing and respect the venues at which I climb. From being taught by working alongside other climbers who have years of experience I have been taught what is and isn't good practice and go out of my way to ensure that I follow these values in my day to day climbing. Possible Areas for Improvement or Change I feel that I could improve in the way that I train in general. I could put together a more consistent training schedule which would enable me to become stronger quicker and in the parts of my body which I use the most in a session. My attitude towards teaching and communicating with a group in the first hour or so from meeting them could be improved by talking to them more and finding ways to make a session more fun either by incorporating different teaching methods or by investigating their backgrounds and finding out what their interests and attitudes are towards the session that I am taking. My training and diet could be improved by eating healthier, balanced meals. Less fried food and more vegetables. More training and stretching would enable me to become more flexible, reaching harder holds and enabling me to improve my body positioning resulting on me staying on the wall for longer, preventing injury and ultimately improving my levels of endurance through prolonged periods of climbing. I also believe that this will improve my general rate of recovery, which could be shortened. My co-ordination skills need working on and I can do this by taking more time on a climb and watching where my next hold is. Being able to visualise a climb before I actually climb it would, I think make me more focussed and enable me to climb smoother with more fluidity. When training at college I should have more trust in my colleagues when they are belaying me, but this is difficult because of the age difference and in some cases the ratio of their weight to mine. Methods of Assessment Profile Wheel Below is a profile wheel demonstrating my strengths and weaknesses on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being poor and 10 being good. All of the sections included in the wheel contribute in some way to my training and can be found in further detail above. S.W.O.T Analysis I have selected my major strengths and weaknesses from the profile wheel and have listed some opportunities and threats which either enable or stop me from climbing. Strengths Intelligence I am intelligent enough to realise when something is dangerous allowing me to prevent injuries from occurring or if I am doing something which will benefit or hinder my climbing. Pain Tolerance I am not squeamish to injury or pain and as such I am able to push myself during training allowing my body to develop and advance to harder climbs. Determination I am a determined individual who wishes to succeed. I know what I want from my college course and my training and I am determined enough to go out and get it. Rope work My rope work skills are probably better than my climbing skills. I have researched further a lot of the techniques and skills taught to me in the practical sessions of my course. I have borrowed books from the library, bought books and read magazines / watched videos which have enabled me to learn more techniques in relation to my rope work. Selecting Appropriate Equipment I have the knowledge to select the appropriate equipment to enable me to climb safely either inside at a climbing wall or outside on a crag something which allows me to climb and to push my grades knowing that I will be protected in the event of a fall. Weaknesses Flexibility My flexibility is quite restricted. Being a tall person I find it quite difficult to raise my legs up past waist height in order to reach a tricky hold. This can be improved by me however by stretching more and taking part in more aerobic exercise. Body Positioning Another element of my flexibility is knowing how to position my body in order to stay on an awkward hold, for example a side pull, will enable me to climb for longer, pushing my levels of endurance. Trust I have difficulty trusting my climbing partners because they are either inexperienced, which is the case for my partner from home who has not had much climbing experience or they are quote a bit younger than me and quite immature and easily distracted. Endurance I have trouble climbing long climbs or climbing for extended periods of time. This I feel can be improved by working on my flexibility which in turn will help to improve my body positioning allowing me to stay on holds longer resulting in me climbing for longer and pushing my endurance levels. Visualisation If I am able to visualise a climb before I climb it, something which I rarely do I would be able to improve my levels of coordination and would connect with holds more helping me to stay on the wall / crag for longer. Opportunities College Bouldering Wall The college bouldering wall offers me a great opportunity to train. The wall is overhanging which helps me to build my upper body strength allowing me to climb stronger on vertical or slabby climbs. Tutors often use this wall and allow me to climb with them creating the perfect opportunity to try new routes and techniques and ultimately push my fitness levels and climbing grades. Tutors (See above) North East Climbing Venues I live in Teesside very close to the Cleveland Hills, which accommodate some of the best climbing venues in the country. Further good climbing can be found at Sunderland's and Aycliffe's indoor walls and excellent outdoor venues found in the Lake District and the North of England. College Practical Sessions Although the practical climbing sessions have now stopped in replacement of other activities they have proved to be a valuable source of information for me and have ultimately enabled me to go out on my own or with a climbing partner knowing that I am able to successfully and safely climb in or out of doors. Own Equipment Armed with the knowledge obtained from the practical sessions I have managed to gather together my own equipment, which I am now able to use to climb outside of college, helping me to continue to train after college, in the holidays and when I pass the course and go into my chosen career. Threats Transport Not being able to drive I sometimes find it difficult to get to climbing venues, which are often in hard to reach, rural settings, something which prevents me from climbing on certain days. Financial Situation My financial situation is less than ideal. This can prevent me from using climbing venues where a fee is involved and prevents me from being able to pay for driving lessons which create the threat described above. Lack of Knowledge Although I have the basic knowledge to enable me to go out and climb on my own, there is a lot to know about rock climbing both technically and physically and this can prevent me from knowing certain ‘trade secrets' which could enable me to progress at a quicker rate than I am at the present. Bad Weather The weather is an incontrollable element of my training. Bad weather has prevented or hindered my progress on several occasions, preventing me from climbing outdoors. Although simply going indoors as an alternative when the weather is bad, my financial situation and lack of access to transport can often prevent this. Injury Although I have had no serious injuries as a result of climbing this is a constant threat which could knock my training back to the start in the occurrence of a broken leg for example which can take up to six weeks to heal. Such an injury prevents further training and produces a weakness in that area and possible psychological damage. Summary By using a profile wheel and selecting my weakest and strongest attributes from that wheel I have been able to identify what I am good at and what needs my attention during training. Through highlighting these attributes I will now work towards maintaining my strengths, training my weaknesses, maximising my opportunities and minimising my threats in task two of The Reflective Practitioner. I will be able to do this by identifying my short term and long term goals and analysing these using SMART Targets.