Book Review: Soft Skills for Success

Author informationGRK Murty, a postgraduate in Agricultural sciences with CAIIB, DM and PG Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations, is currently working for The ICFAI University, as Associate Dean. Earlier, he worked at AP Agricultural University, Hyderabad for six years and later with Bank of India for 27 years. He had a stint at Bank of India Management Development Institute, Mumbai as a faculty member and Vice- Principal. He took voluntary retirement as Asst. General Manager in the year 2000.He has published around 45 papers in Science, Banking, Management and Insurance journals. He has also presented papers on Banking and Insurance at National and International seminars. He has published 100 articles in finance and HR magazines. He has to his credit two edited books: Forex Markets: Exchange Rate Dynamics; and Derivatives Markets – Vol 1. He is the Consulting Editor for the ICFAI Journal of Bank Management.The Book There is a popular belief that in todayâ⠂¬â„¢s fast changing and challenging business environment, ‘soft skills’ are more critical for success than hard skills. This is a misconception. The reality is that it has always been that way! Nobody in history ever succeeded in delivering a great executive and business performance consistently through hard skills alone. General and widespread awareness of the tremendous importance of soft skills in management is, of course, a more recent phenomenon. As the world has become  more and more competitive in recent decades, organizations are finding that under-productivity and incompetence of their personnel are becoming less and less affordable.And when the factors determining employee effectiveness are analyzed, many organizations find glaring inadequacies in soft skills, undermining the effectiveness of their smartest, hardest working and most knowledgeable employees/executives. The managers concerned would not have been recruited in the first place for their soft ski lls; at the recruitment stage, their domain knowledge alone would have been comprehensively tested and retested. Nor would they have received any particularly meaningful training subsequently in soft skills improvement, because until recently, soft skills seldom received the attention they deserved. Most organizations worked on the premise that soft skills are inherited skills and they cannot be acquired.At best, they can only be cultivated, honed or fine-tuned along the way in a managerial or executive career through observation and experience. In the actual experience of many organizations, such hopes seem to have been significantly belied, inevitably warranting resort, in recent decades, to a more professional approach for the enrichment of this critically important managerial input within the organization. The imperatives of competitiveness pushed organizations to give increased attention to the soft skills of their people, which seemed to really script the success of organizati ons better than mere hard skills. The problem has been extensively discussed and researched upon, resulting in the emergence of a whole lot of literature on the subject in the last couple of decades.A lot of work has been done on the assessment of soft skills and on the various measures for improvements in the levels of such skills across the cadres in many progressive organizations. Soft Skills for Success by GRK Murty, discusses the whole gamut of soft skills in a lucid, persuasive and self-explanatory fashion, between the covers of a well-written, 200-page volume. The treatment is intended for the lay reader and is quite free from jargon. Even so, the book is comprehensive without being pedantic. By drawing generously upon the views, ideas and thoughts of a wide spectrum of management experts, academics and business magnates and matching them with the traditional wisdom of the prescriptions of oriental and occidental scriptures and classics, the book invests itself with credibili ty and authority. The author organizes the book in four sections.The first section  titled â€Å"Know Thyself† introduces the reader to a definition and description of soft skills. The second section focuses on role, role perception and the management of role-conflicts in the work situation. It has a chapter exclusively dedicated to the discussion of creativity in the workplace. The third section on â€Å"Communication and Personality Differentiation† offers cogent and well argued essays on communication skills, listening skills and negotiating skills, in separate chapters. The fourth and final section is dedicated to interpersonal skills. The six interesting chapters in this section deal with issues like assertiveness, handling of interpersonal conflicts, counseling, leadership, mentoring, etc.CriticismThe author provides a systematic and uncomplicated treatment of the various topics taken up for coverage. The book is compact without being dense, and takes the reade r through a guided tour of the soft skills domain. It is an interesting and informative excursion. Given the importance of the subject matter of the book to the aspirants in the employment market as also to those already pursuing careers in management (adequately equipped with appropriate hard skills for jobs but looking out for reinforcement of soft skills), and given the orderly and stimulating manner in which the subject has been presented, it can fairly and safely be predicted that the book would see several reprints in the years to come.ConclusionSoft Skills are intangible, hard to define but that’s what makes us a whole human being, a social individual. Successful people are always found to be not just professional but they also have these ‘PLUS’ qualities – ‘soft skills’ – that others do not posses

Moral Philosophy & Sport – Hockey Violence

Karen Kyung Fuhrmann – PHL376H1S – February 15, 2013 Fist Fight: The NHL Doesn’t Need Goons Introduction Fighting in NHL hockey is illegitimate; it is not an essential part of the game and is merely gratuitous violence. There is no need for a â€Å"goon† on the roster of any hockey team, and fighting should be prohibited in the NHL.This paper will make the above argument in three parts: the first part of the paper will show that such gratuitous violence is not a necessary component of the structure of the game; the second part will show the counter argument for the legitimation of such violence; and the third part will provide a refutation of the counter argument. Fighting is Illegitimate in NHL Hockey The reason why fighting is illegitimate in NHL hockey is that it is gratuitous violence.Such violence is illegitimate as it gives rise to what Jim Parry calls a genuine moral problem, which occurs â€Å"when violence exceeds what is necessary for its succes s, whether used instrumentally or not† (210). In hockey, the primary aim is to score the most goals to win and fighting does not contribute significantly to that aim. There are other forms of hockey, like pond hockey or pick-up hockey, which do not include fighting.Fighting in NHL hockey is a mere consequence of a dominant model of competition, where external rewards can only be won by one party at the loss of others (McMurtry 205); this is translated into the commercial model of NHL hockey, and according to McMurtry, â€Å"†¦well-known and systematic pathologies of competitive conflict – violence, cheating†¦ and so on – are a law-like consequence of the dominant structure of competition and not a problem of competition as such† (201).In submerged and free models of competition, however, such pathologies do not occur (or as often) as in dominant models, because there are no ‘zero-sum’ rewards (external rewards that only benefit one p arty at the expense of others) to motivate pathological behaviour like fighting. Fighting is thus an inessential part of the hockey game. It is merely a negative effect of the dominant model of competition. The benefits of fighting (such as intimidation) do not outweigh its disadvantages (such as serious physical injury and wasting time) for ecuring victory – such violence exceeds what is needed to succeed and is a genuine moral problem. Counter Argument Fighting occurs to deter future illegal assaults from the opposing team and helps keep more dangerous play at bay. First of all, fighting serves as an informal mode of social control, because it is near impossible for a referee to view most illegal assaults (like cross-checking, spearing, etc. ) that occur around corners, nets, or when an official’s back is turned; especially with the speed and continuous play of hockey (Colburn 168).Colburn asserts that â€Å"†¦to accommodate both these conditions of the game an d also the demand for hard-hitting, contact type of sport, rule-enforcement in ice hockey has, to a greater degree than in any other major sport, been partially delegated to individual players† (Colburn168). Moreover, fighting serves as a deterrent for more serious assaults (with hockey sticks, and etc. ), as they give rise to intimidation and give enforcers a mental advantage over opposing players. Players view fighting as more honourable than illegitimate assaults (a. k. a. heap shots), and fighting directly calls out such occurrences. Unlike cheap shots, there are implicit standards for fighting known as â€Å"the code†. Such standards for fighting affirm that only two players are allowed to fight at a given time, both players must give some form of consent to fighting, and both players must drop their gloves. It is a misunderstanding that fighting in the NHL is gratuitous violence and Colburn states that â€Å"†¦formal rules of ice hockey do not coincide with the informal, social norms held by players as these pertain to the definition of violence† (156).Refutation Fighting does not help prevent more serious injuries from occurring/recurring, and the issue of accurate surveillance by referees can be remedied by removal from the game and future game suspensions. A 2012 article in the Canadian Medical Association stated that research from Boston University School of Medicine has shown that repeated head trauma can lead to permanent brain damage, and claimed that hockey enforcers are especially vulnerable with their consistent fighting. What researchers†¦ have found in the brains of three prominent hockey players – Rick Martin, Reggie Fleming and Bob Probert – should be enough to sway minds to impose a ban on all forms of intentional head trauma, including fighting, along with severe deterrent penalties such as lengthy suspensions for breaches† (Kale 275). With fighting and other intentional head hits, hockey has now been listed as a sport that results in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is associated with memory disturbances, behavioural and personality changes, Parkinsonism, and speech and gait abnormalities (Kale 275).Moreover, players often overestimate the level of protection their face masks and helmets offer. This can be a contributing factor to cheap shots and reckless play, which in turn leads to fighting. These factors reveal that fighting merely contributes insult to injury. Conclusion Overall, fighting does not have a legitimate place in NHL hockey and thinking otherwise can lead to serious injury for all involved parties. Harsher penalties for illegal assaults and fighting should be implemented for both of them to stop occurring (immediate removal and future game suspension) and remove any gratuitous violence from NHL hockey.Sources Colburn, Kenneth Jr. â€Å"Honor, ritual and violence in ice hockey. † Canadian Journal of Sociology. 10. 2 (1985). 153-168. W eb. Juhn, Mark, et al. â€Å"Violence and Injury in Ice Hockey. † Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 12 (2002):46-51. Web. Kale, Rajendra. â€Å"Stop the violence and play hockey. † Canadian Medical Association Journal. 184. 3 (2012): 275. Web. McMurtry, John. â€Å"How Competition Goes Wrong. † Journal of Applied Philosophy. 8. 2 (1991) 201-210. Web. Parry, Jim. â€Å"Violence and aggression in contemporary sport. † Ethics and Sport. Ed. Mike McNamee. London: E & FN Spon, 1998. 205-224. Web.

The State of Human Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The State of Human Nature - Essay Example Hobbes identified and discussed two paths that human nature takes and, no matter the striving and effort put into one or another, the human being and its glory or fall resides in what he called ethical egoism. The purpose of this paper is to discuss this matter by looking at two examples: one given by Michel Montaigne and the other, more recent and representing a deeply disturbing moment in history, by Primo Levi. The ethics and moral values of humans seem to diminish, if not vanish, when it comes to two important processes that set into motion the dynamics of humanity; be it the natural condition that Hobbes discusses, that of the man dealing with no artificial political or religious bodies of governance, a man who has to create a cult for the Self in order to survive, or the condition in which the mechanisms of power punish or reward the individual, man proves to be fundamentally violent and able to start the metamorphosis of everything that once was considered moral value. In 'De Cive' Hobbes concludes that: " I obtained two absolutely certain postulates of human nature: one, the postulate of human greed by which each man insists upon his own private use of common property; the other, the postulate of natural reason, by which each man strives to avoid violent death."1 The transformations do not completely erase the cognitive capacities of the individual, but reinforce in a very dangerous way for the society the Delphic principle 'nosce te ipsum', which can push the individual into a world of absurdity in which reasoning is as well transformed and all meaning becomes corrupt. Michael Montaigne's aim in his essay 'On Cannibals' is a very complex one and it is that of proving that no matter the time or the social circumstances, human nature developed its fundamental values and constantly fought to adjust morality to whatever its interest was. The problem of the pain or pleasure generated by a government like mechanism, which in Hobbes opinion triggers the egotistic behavior, is seen by Montaigne as something which occurs in those of us who have a very strong desire to be better than others, desire that is destructive for the rest of the society, and, this sort of action loses touch with the original selfishness, degenerating thus; we all are barbarians, some are transformed by these inner happenings into more barbaric people. For Montaigne both the cannibal who lives in a natural state of no law and reasoning, who and the cannibal who adhered to a moral barbarism as part of an artificial structure, if we are to put it in Hobbes terms, are guilty of seeing as barbarian, as a threat "whatever is not his own practice".2 When it comes to the questions related to the similarities and differences between the cannibal and the barbarian withholding some moral values, the last one represents the society contemporary to Montaigne, mainly seen in terms of political dispute and greed for power just like in Hobbes case; both philosophers found their theories on the sort of violence generated by self conscious people who end up acting as violent beings who are in fact too weak and fall under the influence of their own edacity. Montaigne's argument stands valid and is a confirmation of Hobbes's thesis that humans act only in their own advantage. Montaigne states that: "I conceive there is more barbarity in eating a man alive, than when he is dead; in tearing a body limb

United States Vs. India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

United States Vs. India - Essay Example The rate of unemployment according to the CIA Factbook was 9.5% in 2009 and 9.1% in 2008 in India. When compared to the USA, the unemployment rate is very similar for the year 2009 as the country had 9.4% unemployment but in 2008, the rate was 5.8%. The rise in unemployment in the recent years in US has been caused by the economic conditions and the sub-prime crisis. General Motors filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and many other companies which employed a large proportion of the population also closed down. Many companies made lay-offs to reduce costs as their products were not being sold in the market. Many economists say that the unemployment that the US faces is seasonal and will improve with time. The inflation rate in the US for consumer prices was -0.7% in 2009 and 3.8% in 2008 (CIA, 2010). In contrast, India had an inflation rate of 9.8% in 2009 and 8.3% in 2008 (CIA, 2010). The rate of inflation is very high in India as compared to the USA which was negative for the last year. This high inflation rate in India accounts for the high demand of products in the country and the low rate in US accounts for the low demand and higher production in the economy. The US is the largest hub of technology in the world with per capita GDP of US$ 46,900 where as the Indian economy has per capita GDP of US$ 3,100 as of 2009 (CIA, 2010). Both these countries derive most of the GDP from the services sector and have economic liberalization policies. India has become a well known exporter of software products and has an edge of low labor cost. Although more than half of the labor force is self-employed in the agricultural industry in India, but the sector only accounts for 17% of the net income of the country. The US only derives 1.2% of its total revenue from agricultural sector and 71 % of the revenue from the services sector (CIA, 2010). USA has been struck hard by the worldwide economic downturn and the country itself

Strategic Management of Cooper Industries Case Study

Strategic Management of Cooper Industries - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Cooper Industries had always been aggressive in its diversification strategies as a means to add value to its manufacturing. While the period from 1967- 1970 was marked by the acquisition of related industries, Cooper industries grew from diversification by acquiring unrelated industries in the year 1980. Cooper Industries considered situations of crisis as opportunities and thus followed three basic principles while deciding upon acquisitions: the target company should be a market leader, the target company should be stable and has a good market for its offerings, the acquisition should make Cooper Industries a market leader in the respective industry. In its diversification regime, Cooper Industries had suffered both profits and losses. For instance, the acquisitions of hand tools, Gardner-Denver and Crouse-Hinds supplied diversification revenues while Dresser and Carrier and Black and Decker resulted in loss conditions. Thus, deciding upon the acquisition of Cameron Iron Works and Champion Spark Plugs is a dicey situation for it where it has to analyze its strengths, weakness and other factors which can provide efficiency without raising the debt burden. Over a period of thirty years, Cooper Industries acquired almost 60 manufacturing companies to add on to its manufacturing expertise. This not only made it independent of the external environmental pressures but also provided diversified revenue base where the sale of one segment compensated for another during tough times. Its organizational strategy was also aligned to the business strategy where every single acquisition was first closely analyzed and then acquired. Its MD&P (Management Development & Planning) division constantly worked on acquisitions to eliminate poor performing or redundant product lines and integrates the acquired business into its own. In these efforts, even relocation of acquired companies plants or reorganizing the staff made all the acq uired companies its profit centers. In order to gain a better understanding of its internal and external environment, the SWOT analysis puts the light.

How does Social learning theory positively impact the training program Literature review - 1

How does Social learning theory positively impact the training program - Literature review Example The social learning theory, as postulated by Albert Bandura, has been applied widely in organizations as the most appropriate way of allowing employees to acquire the desired skills, knowledge and abilities. This paper presents a review of past research on the application of the social learning theory in a training project for employees within organizations. The paper aims at demonstrating the models, theories and factors which are involved in the social learning theory approach within a training project. Social Learning Theory In accordance with the works of Bandura on the social learning theory, it is postulated that employees or individuals within organizations learn appropriately and effectively within the context of a social environment (Harris & Kleiner, 1993). The learning or training that applies the social learning theory and approach is achieved through learning concepts and models such as observation and modeling (Knights & Willmott, 2007). As a result, various models have been put forth and applied in training projects. This is because the application of models in training programs and projects has been described as the most effective way of achieving change in behavior within organizations or companies (Boyce, 2011). However, past research has demonstrated heated debate on the effectiveness of social learning theory in meeting the training needs of an organization. The critics of the theory base their arguments that the models used within the social learning theory are not as effective and efficient as they are presented by the theory’s proponents (Clarke & Caffarella, 1999). On the other hand, reports of scientific investigation reflect a recommendation for organizations to employ the social learning theory as a learning tool within its training projects (Kalliath, Brough, O'Driscoll, Manimala, & Siu, 2010). Such research is backed by evidence and illustrations on the effectiveness of the theory in achieving the goals and objectives of trai ning projects within small, medium size and large organizations. In the light of these observations, the literature review within this paper will analyze, evaluate and discuss past research on this theory in relation to its application in promoting the effectiveness of learning projects within organizations. Workplace Training and Employee Development The focus of many researchers has been within various aspects of the contemporary knowledge community or society. As a result, past researchers commonly refer to the modern knowledge society as post-capitalism, post-Fordism or post-industrialism (Boyce, 2011). Nonetheless, many researchers who investigate the role of social learning theory in organizational training refer to the contemporary knowledge society as late-capitalism and post-modernity (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, & Martin, 2005). The models within the observational learning approach, as postulated by Bandura in his social learning theory, have specifically attracted the attenti on of researchers. According to Bandura’s social learning theory, a live model is an observational approach which is a description of an individual who is depicting the desired characteristics and behavior. Researchers

Oxygen releasing compounds in groundwater remediation Essay

Oxygen releasing compounds in groundwater remediation - Essay Example In the past, there have been methods enacted to treat the underground water, which in turn is used by the citizens after it gets treated. There have been many methods of treating this water for the benefit of the persons consumer; also, this water is used for irrigation of crops and also animals. Recently, there has been the physical method used to treat the water. Nevertheless, some people have been claiming that this is not appropriate water to use for consumption. The methods used, seems to be sufficient just like the biological methods too (Canadian petroleum products institute 1991, p. 88). I believe that all these methods are quite good, and many people believe that the use of the physical method is appropriate and commendable since there are not many chemicals used or none at all. Pump and rate have been the most commonly used method of treating the underground water. It has been the most globally used remediation technology. This method has been considered to be the most suitable among all and not expensive. It is not costly compared to other physical methods of the purifying underground water (Wheeler & Adams 1905, p. 55). This method involves the process of pumping the water from underground to the surface and later, the water gets treated using biological treatment. There is also another physical method that can be used, which is known as the air sparking method. It is a very interesting method whereby, the air is usually bowed directly to the ground water and as the bubbles rise, the impurities get removed from the water and the impunities are directed to the soil, which calls the to another work to treat the soil. There has been also another method that could be used as a physical method. The Dual vacuum extraction. To avoid people being infected with t he deadly contamination, they can be used with the bioaugmentation method that increases the enzyme reactive concentration in the system to fight the germs rate in the water.

How Internet Shapes Contemporary Social Environment Research Paper

How Internet Shapes Contemporary Social Environment - Research Paper Example A vastly different world exists today due to the spread of Internet use which relies to a great extent on the concept of redundant networks to assure continuous connections in whatever conditions. This paper examines how computers and the Internet have changed the world environment where people increasingly rely on these two products of modern technology to do anything they want. The Internet has altered the way people work, live, transact their business, how they can bank their money, communicate with each other, socialize, research for some information and in many ways previously inconceivable just a few decades ago. One can find knowledge with just a few clicks of the mouse. However, one thing the Internet has changed in a very profound way is how it made the world a much smaller place and various cultures now become homogeneous. Instant communications have allowed people to know more about each other and various cultures around the world. Information travels very fast at the speed of light (or the connections). Language barriers are being brought down because of the Internet; it has also allowed people to learn more about the culture of far-away countries in an instant. World culture is largely defined by the mass media (multi-media such as the television, newspapers, online libraries, the Internet and pop culture such as hip-hop music) and there is now an easier intermingling of various ideas. World culture is now largely defined as instant gratification, people are unwilling to wait longer than necessary when they want something or search for some answers to nagging questions. The Internet is all about building communities (albeit online groups such as Facebook and Twitter).

Global Financial Crisis and the Ramifications and Impacts upon Ethics Research Paper

Global Financial Crisis and the Ramifications and Impacts upon Ethics and the Developmen of Ethical Behavior - Research Paper Example As such, this brief paper will analyze some of the ways in which this researcher believes it could have ultimately been prevented, the means whereby ethical standards were violated. Although it is oftentimes noted that hindsight is 20/20, it is worth discussing these mechanisms as a function of gaining a further insight into the way that the market works and seeking to prevent a similar situation occurring within the future. Due to the high level of understanding that current economists have with regards to the Great Depression, many forms of protection have been placed within the current economy as a means of ensuring that the same type of catastrophe, based on the same causal factors, does not occur within the current market. However, these forms of protection were not always present and it can be effectively argued that these were some of the main reasons why the crisis itself was able to be perpetuated and had such long and damaging effects. Finally, as a function of understandin g the crisis, what precipitated it, and what furthered it, this analysis will devote a degree of time to analyzing behavioral bias that existed within the system. Background and Analysis of Causal Factors and Precipitators: As such, it is necessary to know, understand, and discuss the forces which could have prevented or at least greatly assuaged the crisis as it has been presented to the financial markets and subsequent global economies over the period of the past 5 years time. In this way, such an exploratory look into the realm of the financial crisis and its subsequent aftermath can allow for a more informed understanding of how the crisis itself could have been prevented as well as the formulation and creation of new and insightful ideas within the reader with regards to how such a situation might be stopped in the future. The first aspect of anticipation and reduction to the crisis came as early as the mid to late 1990s when a number of lawmakers and political analysts began t o make a series of warnings concerning the untenable nature of the ways in which the financial sector was being deregulated (Liang, 354).1 Although this deregulation has been attributed to both sides of the political spectrum, in all fairness it can be assumed from a moderate interpretation that both sides were complicit in the wholesale deregulation of the financial sector which ultimately caused the collapse of the real estate bubble (The Banking Crisis 9).2 Moreover, the first real and measurable signs of impending difficulties on the horizon were first demonstrated around the year 2006 when the Department of Commerce noted that new home permits had dropped an astounding 28% (Hsu 497).3 Normally incremental increases and/or decrease in the reduction or expansion of new home permits are little cause for alarm; however, when something as earth shattering and innately odd as nearly a 1/3 reduction in the demand for housing should have been a major red flag to the Federal Reserve as well as the entire regulatory system. However, rather than heed such a statistic, the Federal Reserve remained unrealistically optimistic regarding how the economy would likely behave over the next several months and years (Horner 33).4 This allowed for the current situation to continue to extend itself for approximately another 2 years time before the final result of such a failure in oversight and monetary policy was noted by the stock market in the painful round of

'An analysis of . . . . .' (writer's choice, pending customer Assignment

'An analysis of . . . . .' (writer's choice, pending customer approval) - Assignment Example Organizational change management requires processes and tools for managing the people side of the change at the organizational level. Thus, after a review of the literature in change management and on the importance of computer-mediated education for UOH, the change management program would be presented and analysed in the following sections. 2.0 Literature Review A study was conducted among fifty adult EFL Saudi learners at Najran University, Saudi Arabia, by Mahdi (2012) to investigate the impact of informal use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learner’s interaction. Informal use of CMC implies unplanned and unevaluated activities that can occur outside the classroom. The findings of the study suggest that the students had positive attitude towards the use of CM to improve their English language. However, teacher interference and busy schedule, can impact the informal use of CMC. The findings of this study are relevant for this paper because teachers or the faculty would be the prime drivers of this change at UOH. Similarly, Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy (RCSDP), in the process of implementing a totally computer-based information system to facilitate administration, delivery of curricula and clinical teaching, conducted a survey of the students to investigate into their knowledge and skills relevant to ICT (Rahman, 2012). The aim was to measure the level of acceptance and the degree of training that would be required to equip them to accept the challenge in computer-mediated education system. The study found that students of this college demonstrated favourable attitude towards ICT and their level of use was at par with students from other countries. The fact that the university needed to...The aim was to measure the level of acceptance and the degree of training that would be required to equip them to accept the challenge in computer-mediated education system. The study found that students of this college demonstrated favourable attitude towards ICT and their level of use was at par with students from other countries. The fact that the university needed to conduct a study shows that there were doubts about students’ capabilities in using CALL. The study also revealed that there is scope for improvement and that the universities should make greater use of ICT in imparting education. At UOH also the preparatory year is not mandatory for students of me...

Customer Behavior in Fast Food Industry Essay Example for Free

Customer Behavior in Fast Food Industry Essay Recently a customer behaviour survey was undertaking among fast food giants like Hungry Jacksâ„ ¢, K.F.C.â„ ¢, Mc Donaldsâ„ ¢, and Pizza Hutâ„ ¢ Much has been written and said about cleanliness in restaurants. Every now and then people vindictively drool over a story about a restaurant not being up to health regulation standards. Customers complain about waitresses handling money and then serving food without washing their hands. Sometimes they take a glimpse into the kitchen and are horrified at the cooks personal hygiene. But how often are customers scrutinized for their filthy habits? Their nose picking antics and then a serve of pizza straight after, or a visit to the toilets without washing hands. How have customers been getting away with these unclean habits for so long in a society where cleanliness should be a priority? What shall restaurant managers do about these peculiar people who come and drag them through court because of food poisoning? Was it really the food or was it their grubby hands which fingered the food after they came from the toilet or from their habitation? Some Eastern customs have a sweet smelling, hot or cold finger bowl on the table. Often the food is not served until all have dipped their fingers in this, really, disinfectant solution. In aeroplanes, sometimes hot, disinfectant face washers are handed out before a meal is served. Maybe restaurant proprietors ought to take note and introduce something similar. Societys cleanliness has degraded over the years, people have become lazy, nonchalant about cleanliness and laugh when something is said about personal hygiene. Watch out sickness is on the rise! Germs are gaining in numbers, beware lest they consume you in your ignorance! Questionnaire Restaurant Proprietors Answered 1: Do customers wash their hands before they sit down and dine-in? No, not generally. Actually, I have never seen anybody do it yet. 2: Do adults make more mess than children? Yes, definitely. Its surprising, but they do. 3: What is the general behaviour of adults like? Ok I guess 4: Do they speak quietly, noisy or outright rudely and loud? Most people behave politely but when you have a group of teenagers they are often very noisy, rude and offensive to other customers as well as the staff. 5: Are adults more polite and friendly to staff than teenagers? A lot of teenagers are generally polite and friendly but some adults are more rude than teenagers. 6: Do customers have respect for the furniture, crockery, glassware etc? Yes, usually theyre pretty good. 7: Do they steal anything like salt and pepper shakers, cutlery etc? Theft is high with cutlery, desert bowls and anything smaller than the dinner plate. 8: Do most pay their bill without grumbling? Yes, they dont have much choice. Do they? 9: In places where you can eat as much as you like, are customers wasteful? Absolutely! The gross amount of waste is shocking. Â  With so much poverty and starvation in the world it is sometimes sad to see good food going to the dump. 10: Do customers touch food on self-serve salad bars and put it back? Children and teenagers are the worst offenders. Adults also have a habit of fingering foods and not consuming it. A bad habit if they havent washed their hands. 11: Would you like to see a better dress standard for customers that dine here? No, we would loose a lot of customers if we did. Were a family restaurant. People drop in and out all the time. 12: Do customers who use toilet facilities wash their hands after use? Cant really tell. I would like to think they do. 13: In what state do they leave the toilet facilities after using them? No worse than any other public toilet facility. 14: Does management get many complaints from customers? Occasionally, we try to sort out any loud gatherings before they get out of hand. Most people are satisfied with the quality and quantity of food we prepare every day.

Globalisation Of Culture Global Culture Cultural Studies Essay

Globalisation Of Culture Global Culture Cultural Studies Essay Thus, globalization is often constructed as an impersonal and inevitable force in order to justify certain policies or behaviors, however praiseworthy some of them might be. In a broader historical sense, Mazlish (1993:6-7) and Robertson (1992:68-71) cogently argue that not only capitalism or advocacy movements but also Christianity, Islam, and Marxism have made global claims and harbored global pretensions. The start of globalization is also a contested issue (Held et al. 1999). World-system theorists maintain that the expansion of European capitalism in the 16th century marks the start of globalization (Wallerstein 1974; see also Waters 1995:2-4). Robertson (1992:179) argues that globalization took off between 1875 and 1925 with the time-zoning of the world and the establishment of the international dateline; the near-global adoption of the Gregorian calendar and the adjustable seven-day week; and the establishment of international telegraphic and signaling codes. term globalization was first used around 1960 in its world-wide sense as opposed to its much older meanings of the global as something sphericalor universal. It is far from a uniform and inexorable trend. Rather, globalization is a fragmented, incomplete, discontinuous, contingent, and in many ways contradictory and puzzling process (Guidry, Kennedy, and Zald 1999; Held et al. 1999:43proponents of the feeble thesis focus almost exclusively on the economic and financial aspects of globalization to the detriment of political, social and cultural ones. The literature offers and discuss evidence in support of political and cultural globalization that is, on the whole, qu ite persuasive. (Castells 1996:66-147) The anthropologist Jonathan Friedman (1994:210-211) asserts that globalization is the product of cultural fragmentation as much as it is the result of modernist homogeneity, and that what appears as disorganization and often real disorder is not any the less systemic and systematic. At the ideological and cultural level, globalization has been observed as a symptom of late imperial culture as Aijaz Ahmad calls it as the most recent and highest stage of imperialism (Ahmad: 2002). Does Globalisation Produce Convergence? A second contested issue in the literature on globalization has to do with its consequences as to the convergence of societies towards a uniform pattern of economic, political, and even cultural organization. Most famously expressed in modernization theory, the spread of markets and technology is predicted to cause societies to converge from their preindustrial past, although total homogeneity is deemed unlikely. The critique of the presumed convergent consequences of globalization. Political scientist Robert Cox (1996:28, 30 n. 1) writes that the social and ethical content of the economy may be organized differently in various parts of the world. Historian Bruce Mazlish (1993:4) argues that no single global history is anticipated. So It should be noted that some sociologists reject the very terms of the convergence debate by arguing that globalization homogenizes without destroying the local and the particularistic. For example, Viviana Zelizer (1999) argues that the economyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ differentiates and proliferates culturally in much the same way as other spheres of social life do, without losing national and even international connectedness. Thus, globalization is not seen as precluding or contradicting diversity. Like Zelizer, Robertson (1995:34-35) sees the global as the linking of localities. A final aspect of the convergence controversy has to do with the impact of globalization on inequality across and within countries. The evidence unambiguously indicates that there is today more inequality across countries than ten, twenty, fifty or even one hundred years ago. Stunningly, the gap in per capita income between rich and developing countries has grown five-fold between 1870 and 1990 (Pritchett 1997; Temple 1999). There are, however, several noteworthy developing countries that have managed to close half or more of the gap since 1960, e.g. South Korea, Taiwan, and Ireland. Very few developing countries, however, have consistently grown faster than the most advanced ones since 1980. Thus, development levels appear not to be converging as a result of globalization. By contrast to cross-national UNDERSTANDING CULTURE: What is culture? Culture is itself is diacritical rather than a substantive concept. In Frederick Jamesons words, culture is not a substance or a phenomenon in its own right, it is an objective mirage that arises out of the relationship between atleast two groups.No group has a culture all by itself: culture is the nimbus percieved by one group when it comes into contact with and observes another one. In a globalise economy culture is deemed as a matter of choice as much as of inheritance, and thus as a potentially less oppressive, and hence less politicising, category of identification than colour or ethnicity, class or gender. (See, Bennette, 1993:3-4) CULTURE AND GLOBALISATION: Global Culture When we talk about globalisation, we are in a sense talking about unity of the states across the globe. How this unity is brought up? Then how does it link the states together? What are the major contributors in this unification process? Along with a myriad of intellectuals I will also sum- up with an answer, global- culture. However, it is one of the measures required for the unification process. One set of theorists, who are pro-global- culture say, that the global culture is making the world closer and more united. The people of the world are combining their differences and being more cooperative towards one and other. This process of emerging global culture can be seen in times of need when everyone has pulled together to strive for peace and freedom. Although, there exists a wide range of religions of which people are becoming tolerant, forming a homogenised society. On the other hand there are also philosophers who scorn global culture for the reason, that the local culture and morality are all at stake. If we say that the global culture is the synonym of the common culture, then there are wide range of opinion on it. Wight uses the term common culture so loosely that it is unclear whether he has in mind a deep, historic sense of culture, or the more superficial agreed rules that compose a contractual society. (James 1993: 277-8) Alan James, System or society?, Review of International Studies 19: 3, 1993. I argue that to certain extent global culture is a common culture among the people of the world. Further, Appadurai, Arjun in Difference in global cultural economy talks about five dimensions of the global culture 1) ethnoscape, 2) technoscape, 3)medioscape, 4) finanscape and 5) ideoscape. Origin of Global Culture: To get through the idea of the origin of the global culture, I am at consensus with Barry Buzan, the way he differentiates the origin of the global culture by the way of Vanguardist and Syncretist accounts. Vanguardist account emphasizes the centrality of Europe in the expansion story and projects a rather one-way view of cultural transmission from the West to the rest of the world. The Syncretist account puts more emphasis on the interplay of civilizations during the expansion process, and takes a more fluid and interactive view of cultural transmission generally. (Buzan:3 ) Buzan says, that before working through these two accounts and their consequences, it helps to keep in mind that prior to them there are two models of expansion by which a global international society could have evolved from the late classical world. In that world there were several centres of civilization whose degree of contact with each other ranged from quite intense (the Islamic world with both Christendom and the Hindu world) through fairly thin (Christendom and China) to more or less absent (the civilizations of Eurasia and those of Meso-America and the Andean highlands). From that starting point, one way of reaching a global-scale international society would have been for the various civilizational cores of the classical world to expand into increased contact with each other, so requiring that they develop rules of the game to mediate their relations in a polycentric international society. In such a case, global international society would have developed on the basis of cultu ral diversity, perhaps along the lines shown by the Indian Ocean trading system before the European arrival. The other way would have been the takeover of the whole system by one civilizational core, the imposition of one culture on the others, and the absorption of all the others into its particular rules, norms and institutions. This monocentric model is close to most historical accounts of what actually happened. (Buzan: 3) . In Vanguardist terms, the development of a global interstate society has been almost entirely a function of the expansion of the West. From the sixteenth century onwards, the rise of European power quickly crushed the two civilizational areas in the Americas and eroded, and eventually overwhelmed, the four in Eurasia. By the end of the nineteenth century virtually the whole of the international system was recreated in the image of Europe, as in the Americas and Australia; or directly subordinated to Europe, as in the African and Asian colonies; or desperatel y trying to catch up with Europe in order to avoid being colonized, as in the few most resilient parts of the classical world: the Ottoman empire, Japan and China. The triumph of European power meant not only that a sharp and permanent rise in the level of interaction took place, but also that western values and institutions-the so-called standard of civilization-dominated the whole system in imperial fashion. This mixture of coercion and copying runs in close parallel to Kenneth Waltzs idea that anarchy generates like units through processes of socialisation and competition. (Waltz 1979:74-79) Looking at this process in Wendtian terms.(Wendt 1999: 247-50) outsiders might emulate the core because of direct coercion, or by calculation or consent. Whatever the mechanisms and whatever the rationales, the effect is one of a sub-global Vanguard remaking the world in its own political image. This account rests on a sharp distinction between West and non-West, and less sharp differentiations among the different cultures and civilizations within the non-West. It has parallels with other stories of expanding imperial cultures where westernization is a similar process to Sinification, Romanization, Russification, Islamization and suchlike. In explaining the breakout of one culture to dominate others, a Vanguardist account inevitably puts a lot of emphasis on cultural difference generally, and on the exceptionalism of the Vanguard culture in particular. As in much nineteenth-century European imperial discourse, exceptionalism easily drifts not only into a ranking of cultures from superior to inferior (civilized, barbarian, savage) but also into a racist ranking of peoples as superior and inferior. (Hobson 2004: 219-42) Because it rests on differences of both culture and power. (Buzan:6) Robert ONeill and John Vincent also noted the unequal relations between the West and the Third World and the consequent regional diversity of international society, with some Third World unity around non-alignment, development, and the elimination of colonialism and racism. (O Neill 1990: 283-5) The challenges to the West come in two forms. The first is that non-western powers manage to reduce inequality by developing, and then use their new power both to assert different cultural values and to resist the solidarist western values of human rights, democracy and the liberal market. The West has lost the dominance of the second phase, and its prospect is one of continued relative decline as countries like China, India and Iran acquire the elements of modernity, and the corresponding power, that the West has made available. Its only hope is that the homogenizing effects of capitalist development will reduce cultural difference at the same time as they redistribute power. But if culture is viewed in essentialist terms as more or less fixed, then in terms of the instability hypothesis the move to a multicultural foundation and a redistribution of power spells permanent trouble and weakness for international society. (Buzan: 7) The second type of challenge comes not from opposition combined with strength, but from weakness, whether oppositional or not. Part of the legacy of decolonization is an array of weak and failed polities that are unable to play their part in the game of states. Somalia, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and other notional states represent holes in the fabric of international society. Their levels of internal disorder make it difficult to pursue the western agenda within them, and provide bases for criminals and terrorists acting against the West. (Buzan: 7) The Syncretist account is based on the idea that it is the normal condition of human affairs for cultural ideas to flow between areas of civilization. Cultures thus evolve not only in response to their own internal dynamics, but also because of encounters with other cultures, even remote ones. The Syncretist account challenges the strong Vanguardist distinction between West and non-West, and its corollaries of w estern exceptionalism and superiority. (Buzan: 11) Rather than European international society emerging pristine out of a unique and self-contained European civilization, in the Syncretist account the development phase in Europe involves very significant interaction with the other civilizations of Eurasia and North Africa. As Wight notes, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the crusades brought Europe into close contact with the Islamic world, adding to the contact already created by the earlier Islamic occupation of Spain, the two episodes together serving as the channel for the acculturation of medieval Christendom. (Wight: 52). Almost at the same time, the Mongol conquest of much of Eurasia brought Europe into contact with China and enabled increased transmission of ideas. The rise of the Ottoman empire from the late thirteenth century, and its conquest of Constantinople in 1453, meant that a rising Europe was neighbour to, and in regular contact with, a hostile and powerf ul non-European culture. Given that classical Greece is sometimes used as a comparator for Europe in discussions of the relationship between culture and international society, it is a nice irony that the Ottoman modifier to the story of a pristine European development runs in close parallel to the way in which the Persian empire shared a system with the city states of classical Greece, initially as the greater power, and then as the victim of Greek expansion. (Wight: 46-109). To sum up: the Syncretist view is that culture and international society are both malleable. They can and do change; cross-cultural interactions are the normal condition of international society, and flow in many directions. The Syncretist account suggests that for two reasons there is less cultural difference between the West and the rest of the world than the Vanguardist account supposes. First, the emergence of European international society was not a pristine process but took place during a long period of s ustained cultural interaction with the other civilizations of Eurasia and North Africa. (Buzan: 19) This outcome envisages the triumph of the Vanguardist process. Either the Vanguard displaces and replaces other cultures, or it converts the rest of the world to its own standard of civilization, creating a universal culture based on a widespread acceptance of Western values, practices and institutions. We know that replacement did not and will not happen, so this outcome now rests on the success of westernization. The degree of cultural unity necessary to stabilize international society would come from the success of westernization, and would go a long way towards mitigating the contradiction between hegemonic practice and the legitimating principle of sovereign equality in present-day international society. This outcome would eliminate OHagans tension as to whether international society represents the values of a dominant culture or a neutral mode of communication across cultures. This outcome envisages the triumph of cultural mixing and adaptation. It is therefore in principle not wedded to any particular set of values, practices and institutions, but is normatively open, allowing these to emerge in the syncretic process. In practice, since the Syncretist account largely accepts the monocentric model, the actual homogenization would reflect the considerable success that the West has already had in projecting onto other cultures many of its values, practices and institutions: sovereignty, diplomacy, nationalism, the market and so on. The expectation here is also that international society will be strong and fairly uniform at the global level, but not exclusively based on western values. Rather, some mixture will emerge as western power wanes and the power and influence of non-western cultures rise. Here too we can find those who think that homogenization will result from the global operation of capitalism, though in this version the undoubted cultural carrying capacity of the global market will work both ways, with the West being as transformed as transforming by the cultural flows across the planet. There is plenty of Syncretist evidence to point to here, from the popularity of Asian food, fashion and film, and This outcome envisages the partial failure of both the Vanguardist project and the process of Syncretism. Such failure might occur for various reasons. The West might lose power before it can convert the rest. Political and cultural resistance in the non-West might be strong, particularly against the more recent and more liberal elements of Western international society. Global- culture and Religion Whether societies are becoming less or more secular? is another point of debate, but in the present context, to a certain extent, the societies are becoming secular . Religion became a categorical model for the ordering of the national society and their relations during nineteenth and early twentieth century. So it became an aspect of International law. The argument I want to raise here is there is a distinction between the culture and the religion? Some equate, culture with the civilisation and inturn, civilisation with the religion; which is not true practically. During seventies and eightees there were church and state conflict prevailing, in the same way as today we think of global culture and the religion. Here comes the issue of diffusion of the religion, and then its global- foci. I agree the way Robertson differentiates between the world and worldliness, on the similer terms as Max Weber does. (Robertson: 143) The major consequences of globalisation have been (1) the transmogrification of traditional religions and belief systems; (2) the beginning of the disintegration of the traditional social fabrics and shared norms by the invasion of consumerism, cyber- culture, newfangled religions, social fads, and changing work ethics and work rhythms; (3) the fast spreading anomie (in the Durkhemian sense) forcing an ever increasing number of individuals to fall back upon for moral and social support the easily accessible pretentious religious banalities; and (4) attributing to religion the creation and acceleration of extremist, fundamentalist, and terrorist tendencies in the third world countries, which are intended to destabilise them, and strike at the root of their civilisation, and multicultural and pluralist nature. (Radhakrishnan: 1403) The nature and functions of religion in society have been Under speculation and discourse for several centuries; the approaches to the understanding of religion philosophical, theological, anthropological, sociological and the related dimensions of religious ideas have been very old; and the nexus between religion and society has been very close, with wide, complex, intricate and elaborate ramifications: The role of religion in giving spiritual and moral sustenance to individuals, the related regulation of social life and moral order, creating and regulating cultural forms, and the inte- gration of society. One may go with the French sociologist Emile Durkheims postulate (endorsed by, among others, the English anthropologist A R Radcliffe-Brown) that the main role (or function) of religion [is] to celebrate and sustain the norms upon which the integration of society depends [Geertz 1968: 402]. While on religion and globalisation, it is important to know whether globalisation unites or divides religions; results in newfangled religions; and has a direct nexus with fundamentalism and religion-linked terrorism. It is also important to ascertain whether for its new imperialist project globalisation has been exploiting different religious forms; whether fundamentalism and religion-inspired terrorism have increased since the advent of globalisation; and whether religions, far from being belief sys- tems in their traditional sense, have spawned new dimensions which are far removed from the spiritual and religious realms. (Radhakrishnan : 1406) Challenges to the global culture: For Transnational corporations, However there are signs evidencing that the national culture no longer affects companies, when they enter other markets, because new global rules are becoming more important instead. Instances of Global- culture: To my way of thinking and after reading so many scholars, I come up with the following instances, which evidence the emergence of the global culture. People are having a shared belief of freedom, and safety across the globe. All do have some common issues like Human Rights, environment protection, Freedoms, technology- savvy practices, feminist issues, health- issues and all other who make the whole world unified in claiming them. Global culture is also emerging slowly in parts of the world. For example, Europe used to have different forms of money and now they have switched to one shared currency, the euro-dollar. Although there are many different form of money throughout the world, someday that might change. The world is shrinking. The things which were common to one particular country or region are now accessible to the world at large. Like Italian, Chinese, Mexican And Indian food. The world commercial market has given rise to the trans- national corporations. Although arranged marriage persists in many cultures today, as modernization proceeds and many areas become part of the global economy, parental influences on marriage continue to decline. Young people who work for wages rather than on the familys land no longer depend as highly on their parents resources. As Western popular culture-including motion pictures, television, music, and fashion-spreads around the world, many young people are drawn to Western notions of love, romance, and individual choice. In some places, such as Japan, people combine modern Western and older cultural practices. For instance, parents and computer matchmaking services help find prospective mates, and the individuals can accept or reject the proposed match. Since its inception in the 1950s, rock music has moved from the margins of American popular music to become the center of a multi-billion-dollar global industry. Closely connected with youth culture, rock music and musicians have helped to establish new fashions, forms of language, attitudes, and political views. However, rock music is no longer limited to an audience of teenagers, since many current listeners formed their musical tastes during the golden age of rock and roll. Similarly, while rock has historically encouraged new creative expressions, the innovations of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix have defined a tradition to which successive generations of musicians have repeatedly turned for inspiration. Natural resources are conserved for their biological, economic, and recreational values, as well as their natural beauty and importance to local cultures. For example, tropical rain forests are protected for their important role in both global ecology and the economic livelihood of the local culture; a coral reef may be protected for its recreational value for scuba divers; and a scenic river may be protected for its natural beauty. The same is the case with conservation of Water, the whole world collectively is in favour of water conservation policies. Cultural exchanges, across the world, for example, the spread of islam or Christianity has been seen in last few years as increasing. Internationalisation of the Media like radio, television, newspaper and internet are linking together the world at large. Apperception of Western culture as an attribute of the world today, as an outcome of the global expansion of industrial capitalism, which for the first time integrated the world into a global system centered in Europe. Major constituent of Western culture have ceased to be ethnic and have become internationalized as intrinsic constituent of a world shaped by the development of the West. Even the idea of art as a self-sufficient activity based on aesthetics, is also a product of Westernisation. The traditional art of other cultures, as well as that of the West from earlier eons, was a different type of creation, determined by functions of a religious, representational, or commemorative nature. Is a Global Culture in the Making? Perhaps the most popular and controversial of the debates about globalization has to do with the rise of a global culture. Actually, there are only a few scholars who maintain that a global culture is in the making. The idea goes back to Marshall McLuhans slippery concept of the global village (McLuhan 1964) The global culture driven by symbols, images, and the aesthetic of the lifestyle and the self-image-has spread throughout the world and is having some momentous effects, including the standardization of tastes and desires, and even , anthropologist Arjun Appadurai (1996:4, 21) argues that individuals and groups seek to annex the global into their own practices of the modern, and that consumption of the mass media worldwide provokes resistance, irony, selectivity, and, in general, agency. Some of the most persuasive arguments against the idea of the emergence of a global culture come from anthropologist Clifford Geertz. He observes that the world is growing both more global and more divided, more thoroughly interconnected and more intricately partitioned at the same time [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Whatever it is that defines identity in borderless capitalism. And the global village it is not deep going agreements on deep going matters, but something more like the recurrence of familiar divisions, persisting arguments, standing threats, the notion that whatever else may happen, the order of difference must be somehow maintain (Geertz 1998:107-110). Like Geertz, sociologist Anthony Smith is skeptical, and notes an interesting initial problem with the concept of global culture: Can we speak of culture in the singular? If by culture is meant a collective mode of life, or a repertoire of beliefs, styles, values and symbols, then we can only speak of cultures, never just culture; fo r a collective mode of life [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] presupposes different modes and repertoires in a universe of modes and repertoires. Hence, the idea of a global culture is a practical impossibility, except in interplanetary terms (Smith 1990: 171). However, I argue that this notion is wrong, and the global culture is not only in existence, but it is flourishing as well. LOCAL versus GLOBAL Local culture and social structure are now shaped by large and powerful commercial interests in ways that earlier anthropologists could not have imagined. Early anthropologists thought of societies and their cultures as fully independent systems. But today, many nations are multicultural societies, composed of numerous smaller subcultures. Cultures also cross national boundaries. Some people fear a loss of cultural diversity as U.S. media companies become dominant. Such companies tend to bundle their products so that a blockbuster movie is promoted by selling soundtracks, books, video games, and other. However, the under- developed countries companies do not have such a control, even any sort of control over the market. On the one hand, as world beat became a more visible feature of the international popular musical landscape in the late 1980s and early 1990s, popular music scholars began to analyze its economic and cultural implications. Most analyses focused on the inequalities characterizing the bilateral relationships between north and south and accused the industry of exploiting Third World cultural resources. Others were concerned about the potentially disastrous consequences of homogenization and westernization upon folk cultures being swept up in and transformed by what has been called global culture flows. The most trenchant critics also charged the world music industry with racism, for ignoring the harsh realities of economic and political subordination experienced by Third World peoples of color, and instead constructing images of cultural authenticity in order to satisfy the desires of northern whites safely to consume exotic otherness. More optimistic observers, for example, have sugges ted that the powerful forces of cultural and economic hegemony are being resisted by culturally and technologically savvy Third World musicians who are taking control of the production of their own music, revitalizing local musical traditions by modernizing them. Furthermore, the international popular musical landscape, so long dominated by U.S. and European pop and rock, has unquestionably been diversified and enriched by the increased circulation of musics from multiple locations around the globe. To better understand the national and global linkages, Some observers would argue that it is inappropriate to distinguish Afro-Brazilian from Brazilian music, since black expressive cultures have contributed so profoundly to what is understood to be national culture. Perhaps no other artistic field in Brazil has been so deeply influenced by black cultures than popular music. Nevertheless, it is useful and necessary to identify distinct styles and movements in Brazilian popular music that are associated particularly with black urban communities. The past 20 years have seen the proliferation of Afro-Brazilian social, political, and cultural movements that explicitly reject the traditional belief in a unitary national culture. Yet, for the most part, contemporary Afro-Brazilian musical countercultures continue to be racially inclusive. An increasingly globalized world economy has intensified the influx of African and diasporic musical cultures, particularly from the United States and Ja maica, to major Brazilian cities. These forms of music and their attendant cultural styles, modes of dress, and dance steps have been widely appropriated and transformed by young urban Brazilians. Several broad currents in contemporary Afro-Brazilian music may be identified: contemporary samba, soul/funk/hip-hop, reggae, axà © music, and mangue beat. (See, Encarta) Another example of globalised music culture Samba emerged in the 20th century as the preeminent national music of Brazil. Modern urban samba was developed in the predominantly black favelas (shantytowns) on the morros (hills) of Rio de Janeiro, and now globalised. In addition to music, there are plethora of dancing style,

My Personal Teaching Philosophy Education Essay

My Personal Teaching Philosophy Education Essay Teaching. Teaching is a delivery of knowledge and giving impact on the next generation. In terms of teaching, I will discuss my roles as a teacher and a learner, narrate clearly about my teaching styles that I used to and will intend to apply. Relevant examples are given to cover the importance of the effectiveness of my teaching style as well as its downside. My teaching style is dominated by two preeminent styles: all-round flexible and adaptable teacher and big conference teacher. 1 These results are in line with what I have experienced. Currently, I lecture both theoretical and practical medical subjects. In small groups, I teach Problem-Based Learning (PBL) for theoretical subjects and Skills Laboratory as practical one. Whereas in large classes, I assist one of the lectures in Elective Block. As a medical teacher, I maintain my teaching roles as: 1. Motivator Dreams need a helping hand. As a teacher, I feel responsible to motivate learners. I energize students spirit when they fail, guide and coach them in achieving their dreams. Students should be given an understanding that no goals can be achieved without putting any efforts. Conversely, learning is built with frequent exposure and practising.2 2. Mentor As a mentor, I am alert to students aptitude and learning styles. This allows me to nurture their development and heighten their enthusiasm. To do this, I use inspiring quotations to pump out the students mood. Consequently, not only they enjoy the class, but also love the lessons. Quality time, a form of dedication, is highly important for both of us. 3 3. Role model Our words and actions create our own world. This motto keeps me to provide positive reinforcement for students continually. As a role model, I realize that there is a hidden curriculum that I have to nourish in students performance, particularly: attitude, communication skills, and social awareness. I do hope that my words and actions can inspire students to value other peoples lives, including patients lives. Encouraging learners to see all subjects holistically is equally important, thereby they will have a capability in making wise decision as junior doctors. 3 Learning. Based on educational theory, I found out that I am a Reflector and Pragmatist learner.4 This questionnaire enriched my previous perspective as a visual learner. I realize that being a constructivist learner also impacts my teaching methods. When I teach, for instance, I frequently provide examples and illustration, then relate them to my live experiences. 4-6 By sharing my experiences, I hope that learners compare them to their experiences. Classroom Effectiveness. I use various methods of teaching. This helps students to get accustomed to working collaboratively as a clinical team later. I love using dynamic and interactive methods, including: discussions, activities, games, field trip, and role play. When I teach, for instance, I form the class into small groups, present a few questions, then let them brainstorm. I structure my teaching for not more than two hours by imposing recess in the middle. The aim of this is to create an alive and conducive learning atmosphere, either in PBL or small group discussion. With good organization, I set aside my time prior to lectures to adjust materials and sequence appropriate with the time allocation. To facilitate, I provide up-to-date material, innovative teaching aids and media. Instructional technologies that I use include slides, pointer, flipchart, video, e-learning and simulation. I tend to prevent overload information. This is done by emphasizing most frequent cases and compiling similar topics into one module. Several steps that I perform in classroom: 1. Offer students a Pre-test and Learning Styles Survey I use Index of Learning Styles to find out deeply about my students preference and background.7 Over the years, most of the students are visual learners. Hence, it is advisable not to give lectures in one-way teaching method. For instance, I put visual aids like eye-catching pictures, diagrams, or video in class. 2. Define Learning Objectives Learning objectives are important for students to have a broad viewpoint of what knowledge or skills they will accomplish by the end of the class.8,9 I emphasize the importance of understanding the materials along with other subjects as a whole, not only certain chunks of organ systems. 3. Illuminate rules and roles for learners In large group settings, I discuss with students my teaching rules and learning outline at every first session.8,9 Whereas, in small classes, each student is given a chance to take turn in demonstrating the skills and procedures. I also provide them free time and rooms to practise out of class hours. Sometimes, there is an uncertainty in students own motivation. However, I have a belief, the more we restrict learners, the more they do not respect us. Principally, I trust them as an adult learner and let them learn freely without my full supervision or intervention. Students feedback showed that they favor my teaching methods because they feel valued for being treated as colleagues. Their marks and attitudes are generally excellent. Likewise, faculty members have described my teaching as flexible and professional. Students Background. My teaching is mostly based on class size, students background and interests. I had once a student who was always absent and come late. Previously, other stakeholders did not recognize his problems. After asking him in person, I came to know that he could not come to morning class due to consuming certain medicine. Next, I gathered the group which he involves in class. I asked the other students to help him participate in any discussions and project. Though his participation was slight in the first time, I could see a good progress of his passion to finish a degree. Later on, his internship performance was excellent and he graduated. Another case like students unwillingness to be a doctor is also plentiful to find. Being a sensitive teacher to students problems and conditions help me nourish their development and create an enjoyable environment for them to keep going. Downside. One of my biggest struggles in teaching is facing destructive learners, especially those who often fail the whole entire semester. In PBL settings, for instance, such student is more likely to interrupt and not willing to tolerate other learners perspective. Above all, I need to enhance my teaching capacity tremendously over time. To lead younger generations, I have to learn from others and understand the learners. This will allow me to ensure that all graduates are fit into the best practices as medical field is very much related to humans lives.

Frances Welfare System Essay -- International Government

The welfare system in France is founded on the principle of solidarity. Solidarity is sense of the responsibility of the individuals in the society to help each other out. This is all for the common good (Spicker). In order to promote solidarity, France has a welfare system that includes universal entitlements, social insurance, means-tested public assistance, and tax expenditures programs. One aspect of the French welfare system is universal entitlements. One universal entitlement under the French welfare system is health insurance. Every citizen in Frances is able to have healthcare insurance. For those citizens that are employed, the employer and employee both finance the insurance. However, the government pays for the health care of the unemployed. In both the case of employed and unemployed, there is no deductible. France’s health care system seems to be working quite well since it is ranked as the best in the world according to the World Health Organization (Capell 2007). Free nursery provision for every child three years and up is another universal entitlement. Once the child is old enough to attend school, an additional universal entitlement is in place. All French citizens receive a free education. This free education does not just end after secondary education. In fact, there are 86 universities in France that are free to attend. (Rochefort). Universal entitlements are just one aspect of the French welfare system. Another component of the welfare system is means-tested public assistance. For just housing alone, there are two types of means-tested public assistances: social housing and mortgage subsidies. There are government owned housing for those in need like lower income citizens. In addition to government housin... ...sinessweeks, Stock Market & Financial Advice. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_28/b4042070.htm (accessed December 6, 2013). Evans, Martin. "New Economy." Means Testing Flaws. www.martin-evans.org/assets/files/MeansTestingFlawsNewEconomy.pdf (accessed December 6, 2013) Rochefort, Harriet. "Facts on Education in France." Education in France. www.understandfrance.org/France/Education. (accessed December 6, 2013) Spicker, Paul. "The Welfare State." An Introduction to Social Policy. http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/wstate.htm#France (accessed December 6, 2013). Wingert, Jamie. "Country Case Studies and Links." University of Pittsburgh. http://www.pitt.edu/~heinisch/ca_fran.html (accessed December 6, 2013). 2011. "Making work pay." Economist 399, no. 8738: 60-61. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 6, 2013).

Two Godesses and A Woman Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout history, women have been looked at as the â€Å"lesser gender,† mortal or immortal. They are always stereotyped as not equally important as men. I strongly disagree with this idea, especially in the book The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, Homer suggests that the women characters in the book are more important than the characters of men despite their stereotype. He portrays this through the characters of Penelope, Kalypso, and Kirke. They are important because they are a large part of the story. The most important woman in this book is Penelope, mainly because of her guile and intelligence. Her guile and intelligence make her important because they put her at a much-needed mental advantage over the suitors. An example of her guile and intelligence is the instance of the shroud she wove for Laertes. When Antinoos is talking to Telemakhos about how Telemakhos’s mother, Penelope, tricked the suitors by weaving and unweaving the shroud to avoid marrying a suitor, he says, â€Å"We have men’s hearts; she touched them; we agreed. So every day she wove on the great loom- but every night by torchlight she unwove it; and so for three years she deceived the Akhains.†(2:111-114). As a result of doing this, Penelope delayed having to marry one of the suitors for almost four years. It gave Odysseus more time to get home. Another example of Penelope’s guile and intelligence is when she tested Odysseus when she was first reunited with him. She tested him by tell ing Eurykleia to make up his bed...

Hitlers Control :: essays research papers

How effective was Hitler's control over every aspect of German life between 1933-1939?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Nazi regime was â€Å"Hitler's regime, it was Hitler's policy, Hitler's rule of force, Hitler's victory and defeat - nothing else† Hans Frank, Hitler's lawyer. If the regime was to be Hitler's and no one else's then he would need complete control over every aspect of German life, from schools, churches, courts, and people. This essay will examine each of the aspects of every day life, what the nazi's did to take control of it and how successful they were.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After 1933 control of the radio was given to the Reich Radio Company. A new radio set was made, Peoples radios, these radios were cheap and with a license fee of only 2 marks a month they weailable to all. By 1939 70% of households owned one. Throughout the day radios installed in homes, schools, offices, factories and even streets broadcast propaganda extolling the virtues of Hitler and Nazi success while Nazi failures and reversals went unmentioned. Listing to the BBC was punishable under the stringent treason laws. Geobbles also used radio to transmit Nazi propaganda to the rest of the world, although the effectiveness of this was questionable, as it served more to assure the rest of the world that German citizens had been completely brainwashed. Whilst it may seem that the Nazis had considerable control over the radio network, 30% of the population did not own a radio. It is probable that a sizeable number of that 30% did not own a radio because they could lis ten while at work or at friend's houses. The remaining few would most likely be opposed to Hitler's regime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since TV's were experience and still in the very stages, cinema was very popular. Geobbles was convinced that it was a very powerful medium and could be used to control the masses. He was no novice when it came to films, he studied film technology as a hobby. Once in charge he removed all Jewish actors, directors and producers, but there were plenty of other professionals willing to work for him. It was his view that people wanted escapism not more propaganda. Geobbles made many films and they were very popular. Hitler decided that film was not doing its part to help with the propaganda campaign and ordered Geobbles to make pro-nazi and anti-Semitic films. The most famous of these films was the eternal Jew.

Discuss the role of Inspector Goole in ‘An Inspector Calls’ Essay

1. Introduction In this essay I will be discuss the role of the inspector in An Inspector Calls and evaluating his important to the play. An Inspector Calls was written by J.B Priestly in 1945 but was set in Capitalist England during 1912 during this time Socialism was beginning to catch onto society. The play depicts the story of the Birling family and how each member discovers his or her involvement with the death of a girl called Eva Smith (who also called herself Daisy Renton). An Inspector visits them while the family are having dinner, celebrating the engagement of Sheila and Gerald, Sheila being the daughter of the wealthy, prosperous and capitalist businessman Burling. His wife, Sybil is a cold woman and her husband’s social superior. Their children are Eric; a shy but assertive young man, and Sheila; a pretty young woman who is pleased with life. Gerald Croft, her new fiancà ©, is an attractive, easygoing man who is excited about his new engagement. Their celebration is interrupted by Inspector Goole, a man who creates an â€Å"impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness†. Soon, the story unravels and we discover how each member of the household is responsible for the suicide of Eva Smith. Between 1912 and 1945, many important events occurred, including; both World Wars, the Holocaust, the sink of the Titanic and the Wall Street Crash (resulting in hyperinflation and the great depression). The overall message of the play is to be more socially responsible by taking care of your community as a whole body of people, and to accept that there are other people who are different, or are of a lower class. 2. Context Priestly wrote the play in 1945, it was set in 1912 however, as a way to reflect on how capitalists neglected their responsibilities as members of a society to care for others. Between the setting of the play and the time it was written, three major world events occurred; the sinking of the Titanic and both World Wars. Priestly set the play in 1912 to enable him to speak out as a socialist about how the capitalists should have changed their ways, almost warning them that if they did not, such events like war would occur. I know this because the inspector says â€Å"if men will not learn that lesson, they will be taught in blood, and fire, and anguish†. Priestly makes Arthur Birling’s views seem foolish, and writes him to be an ignorant and stupid character that is clueless about society and how the community can work together. Birling says â€Å"†¦the Titanic†¦unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable† and by this, I can recognise how commanding Birling is. I can also identify by how he speaks that he thinks his word is final, and that his decision means everything, even about the sinking of the Titanic. We know that the Titanic did sink, therefore making Birling seem foolish and arrogant. It is a brilliant example of dramatic irony, because the audience know that everything that Birling said would not happen, eventually did happen, and even causes a stir of inner hate at his socialist arrogance and his lack of care for society. This would have been important when this play was written, because England at this time was a Socialist country. 3. We can tell from the stage directions on page eleven that the inspector gives an â€Å"impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness†. By directing the Inspector to seem purposeful, the audience begin questioning his true role in the play – is he more important than just a police inspector? What exactly does he represent? We question this because of his behaviour towards the family; any traditional or ‘normal’ inspector of the time would’ve been empathetic towards the Birling’s situation and may have been capitalist too. When addressing people, the inspector stares them down and they begin explaining their encounter with Eva Smith. He has a â€Å"disconcerting habit of looking hard at the person he addresses before actually speaking†. This could scare or worry the family members into unfolding the story of how they all played a part in Eva Smith’s death. Either that or maybe his purposefulness may exist only in his gaze, which he uses to unravel the story to the family. The stage directions show the inspector’s authority with simple phrases like â€Å"cuting in, with authority†. This implies his voice is the most important, he is speaking out for the dead girl and needs to be heard above the family. This also has a political context; the socialists, who at the time the play was set, were only just getting any kind of authority. Also, as this play represents, socialists grew a voice and soon were beginning to be heard above the capitalists. 4. Birling makes a strongly capitalist speech about how people should look after themselves and that society doesn’t matter. He says â€Å"community†¦and all that nonsense.† This is a perfect example of how Birling views the community as unnecessary and stupid. He deeply believes that a man should look after himself and his own, and he shows no empathy for the dead girl. Also, Birling’s focus in life is his money and class, which relates to capitalism. Birling’s speech is interrupted by the family’s maid, Edna, who introduces the Inspector. Birling welcomes him but immediately becomes defensive and boastful. The Inspector, however, is not phased. The emphasis on the Inspector’s determination and confidence shows how in control he is. He hushes the family so he can speak by â€Å"cutting in massively†, another portrayal of how commanding he is and his authority over the family. This is also represented by his knowledge, and the way he unnerves Sheila and Eric with his understanding of the whole situation. After leaving the room during Sheila and Gerald’s talk, the Inspector asks â€Å"Well?, showing the audience he already knows about Gerald’s affair to Daisy Renton. During his enquiries, the Inspector remains entirely in control; at times, he is able to â€Å"massively take charge†. Sheila regards him â€Å"wonderingly and dubiously†, later she realises no-one told him anything that he didn’t already know. Through his creation of the powerful, all-knowing nature of the character of the Inspector, and through the revelation of the incredible but very real chain of events in which every character is involved, Priestly successfully moves his audience beyond the bounds of naturalism. It is the unreal quality of the Inspector and his final prophecy of â€Å"fire and blood and anguish† – referring to World War One which would start only two years after this play was set – that successfully imbues the Inspector with an almost supernatural intelligence. To the Inspector, Eva Smith represents all the ‘lower class’ socialists of the time. The surname ‘Smith’ was very common at this time, again representing a vast quantity of people who were finding working life difficult. It is this that again makes us question the Inspector’s existence – was he simply a voice for the lower, working class citizens of England? He says â€Å"there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us†¦intertwines with our lives†. He is explaining that by the family realising the consequences of their actions towards Eva Smith, they should reform themselves and treat everyone with respect. The Inspector’s timing is almost perfect, both upon arrival and when leaving. He arrives during Birling’s capitalist speech, representing how socialism would soon overpower capitalism. Also, the lighting changes, emphasising the Inspector’s important and authority in the play. The Inspector leaves at the end of his speech, which of course completely contrasts with what Birling was talking about in the beginning. The Inspector leaves just before Gerald’s return, who explains t the family that Inspector Goole is not a real inspector. This magnifies the Inspector’s mysterious character and leaves the family and the audience questioning his existence and purpose in the play.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

On March 27, 2002, the prohibition on the use of a specific form of organizational finances as contribution to political candidates and parties or to sponsor certain ads in the period prior to elections became law. This is known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), founded on the campaign finance reform bills authored by Republican Senator John McCain and Democrat Senator Russ Feingold (Magarian, 2003). The BCRA or McCain-Feingold law aimed at a more stringent regulation of the sources of funds used for electoral campaigns. It made illegal the use of soft money from corporate or private entities and labor unions for candidates and their machineries at the federal, state and local levels (Magarian, 2003). Prior to this law, organizations could donate an unlimited and unregulated amount of money for issue-based advocacy, increasing voter-turnout and party-building efforts coursed through the national political parties (Geiger, 2005). Issue ads were allowed as long as they did not use words such as â€Å"vote for† or â€Å"do not vote for† and other words that expressly promoting or assailing certain candidates. As such, issue advocacy has in essence been lawfully used to campaign for a candidate as long as the magic words mentioned are absent in the content (BrennanCenter.org, 2008). The BCRA reformed the use of soft money for broadcast issue-advocacy ads campaigns when it came up with as a qualifier for what is lawful issue-advocacy is known as electioneering communication. According to the BrennanCenter.org (2008), this means ads that â€Å"refer to a clearly identified candidate, and targets the candidate’s electorate†. The BCRA requires from entities that conduct electioneering communications a disclosure of the sources of their funds and such ads can not be aired 30 days prior to a general elections and 60 days prior to a federal election (Independent.org, 2008). The law also bans corporations and unions to donate for issue ads from their treasury fund, openly or expressly advocate for a candidate known as independent expenditures or to make direct campaign contributions (BrennanCenter.org, 2008). They are only allowed to do so through specially Political Action Committees (PACs) within these organizations which are allocated a segregated funding that can be used for independent expenditures and issue ads (BrennanCenter.org, 2008). Further, the BCRA demands the full disclosure of the sources of solicited campaign funds that amount to more than $10,000 annually or the identities of organizations and individuals that shelled an excess of $1,000 (Cantor and Whitaker, 2004). It also increased the lawful limits on the total amount of â€Å"hard money† that candidates and parties can turn out. The result was that corporations and other organizations as well as individuals drastically limited their donations to avoid the disclosure of their identities. Corporate and other private organizations can and do work to influence the outcome of the electoral process through soft money spending in order to gain access to the candidate in the event that s/he wins (Geiger, 2005). Candidates also welcome contributions as these determine in part the number of votes they will get. With the BCRA restrictions, political parties resorted to the formation of political organizations. Because they are independent, political organizations which may be corporate philanthropy, social welfare or charity organizations are beyond the scope of the current campaign law and can absorb undocumented amounts of money for issue ads. In the last elections, 527 political organizations generated more than $400 million in such funds where the biggest donors handed amounts within the $3.9 million to $30 million range (Geiger, 2005). These affluent and motive-driven corporate and individual donors were also safe from the disclosure requirement. However, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a narrow decision last year, allowed leniency on issue ads even within the 30-day or 60-day election period when it declared that ads may be exempted from the limitations set by the BCRA if they are determined as principally an exercise of the freedom of speech under the First Amendment rather than campaigning for or against a candidate (Independentsector.org, 2008). The case in question involved the Wisconsin Right to Life Inc. anti-abortion group whose ad was prohibited from airing in 2004 as it fell within the mandated election period and because it mentioned the name of a state senator to act on a certain issue. The senator was running for reelection at that time but no mention was made of this in the ad. The Supreme Court emphasized public rights rather than censorship in their decision on the case (Independent.org, 2008). Thus, corporate and labor organizations can take advantage on another gap to provide financial support for political campaigns of parties and candidates they favor even during election periods through issue ads similar to that used by the Wisconsin Right to Life. The Federal Election Committee issued a ruling exempting organizations from the electioneering communications restrictions as a result of the Supreme Court Decision (BrennanCenter.org, 2008). However, the disclosure requisites provided for in the BCRA still applies in this case but independent-sector groups are active in supporting proposals that do away with this requirement (Independentsector.org). List of References BrennanCenter.org (2008). The Impact of FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. on State Regulation of â€Å"Electioneering Communications† in Candidate Elections, Including Campaigns for the Bench. Retrieved 2 April 2008 from http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:cSpDB4j7N64J:www.brennancenter.org/page/-/Democracy/Impact%2520of%2520WRTL%2520II%2520on%2520State%2520Regulation.doc+effect+of+the+BCRA+on+corporate+public+policy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1   Cantor, J.E. and Whitaker, L.P. (2004). Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: Summary   Ã‚   and Comparison with Previous Law. Retrieved 2 April 2008 Geiger, J.P. Preparing for 2006: A Constitutional Amendment for Closing the 527 Soft Money Loophole. William and Mary Law Review, 47. Retrieved 2 April 2008 from    http://www.questia.com. Independentsector.org (2008). Public Policy: FEC Rule Allows Issue Ads with Disclosure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved 2 April 2008 . Magarian, G. (2003). Regulating Political Parties under a â€Å"Public Rights† First Amendment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William and Mary Law Review, 44. Retrieved 2 April 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.questia.com.         

Cell Transport Lab

â€Å"Cell Transport Lab† Hypothesis: I hypothesis that there will be a movement of molecules out of the egg, and will move into the water solution. Osmosis will occur within the egg, and in the process the molecules of the egg will diffuse. Time (hrs)| Observations| Circumference (cm)| 0| * Egg is of normal weight and size * No membrane is being shown, and is almost perfect| * 14 centimeters| * 24| * Egg has gotten larger taking in some of the water * Shell is soft | * 15 centimeters| * 48| * It larger now than before, opaque in appearance * Firm to touch| * 16 centimeter| * 72| * Transparent almost see through, fluid inside is visible * It has become even more firm and hard| * 17 centimeters| Conclusion: 1. The egg changed exactly three centimeters in size from 14 centimeter, to 17 centimeters. 2.Yes my hypothesis was correct, osmosis occurred and the molecules in the egg transferred and in a result the egg took in water. 3. The type of transport that will occur within the e gg will be osmosis. Displacement occurred within the egg, when water was taken in within the egg. 4. The liquid goes through the membranes of lettuce or spinach cells and surges the overall firmness of the leaves. 5. What I think will happen to the egg if you put it in syrup, would be that the egg will egg deflate a little from the humongous state and go back to normal. Maybe the water will come out from the egg and go within the syrup somehow.

Product Proposal Template

Product Proposal Template †¢ [Bulleted lists and bracketed text are descriptive, and should not appear in final documents. ] †¢ Assume your proposal will be one of many reviewed by potential investors. It should be accurate, concise, and self-contained. Don't assume the reader is familiar with you or your product. †¢ The proposal should be well organized, clearly written, and flow smoothly from one item to the next. The style and information should be consistent, even if different people write different parts. †¢ Use graphics (charts, diagrams, etc) where they can be more effective than text (â€Å"a picture is worth a thousand words†).Do not use cutesy or unnecessary pictures. †¢ Include or attach tables or spreadsheets for lists and comparisons. Product Proposal for [Concept] Executive Summary †¢ Write the summary last, not first. †¢ Summarize all key ideas from the proposal in less than one page. †¢ Describe the product in the first p aragraph. †¢ Do not use graphics, tables, etc. Overview 1 Introduction †¢ Describe the product, its key features and functionality. 2 Abbreviations and Definitions †¢ List and define all abbreviations and non-standard terms used. 3 Background Describe any background required to understand the product or its importance, including market or technology trends.Market Analysis 1 Needs Analysis †¢ Describe who needs the product, and why. †¢ For each market of interest, describe key characteristics, including size. †¢ Summarize the customer’s total cost. Include hardware unless you are assuming that your customers already own the necessary hardware. 2 Competitive Analysis †¢ Describe competing products, and their relative strengths ; weaknesses. †¢ Include or attach a table to summarize key characteristics. †¢ Use text (or subsections) for details not easily captured in the table. Feature or Characteristic |[Proposed Product] |Competitor( s) | | | |[#1] |[#2] |[#3] |[#4] | | | | | | | | Requirements 1 Actors ; Use Cases †¢ Describe the general categories of people who will use the product. †¢ Describe any external systems that will interact with the product. For each actor, describe why and how they interact with the product. †¢ For each actor, describe any special characteristics or background.†¢ Include or attach a table to summarize which actors perform which use cases, especially if there is overlap. |Use Case |Actor(s) | | |[#1] |[#2] |[#3] |[#4] |[#5] | | | | | | | | Requirements †¢ Include or attach a table (or a full spreadsheet) to list and describe key requirements, such as: o hardware or software (platform dependencies) o performance o networking o concurrency o data storage o internationalization (multiple languages, currencies, time zones) o error handling ; security o testing ; documentation o installation Category |Requirement |Priorit|Phase |Cost | | | |y | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 Deliverables List and describe items that must be completed in order to complete this product, such as: o hardware components o software components o packaging ; documentation o licenses, user names, passwords Design 1 User Interfaces †¢ Describe the user interface(s). †¢ Include or attach sketches or mockups of GUI screens where applicable. 2 UML Design Diagrams†¢ Describe the key data objects and relationships (data diagrams). †¢ Describe any complex interactions among actors and product components (interaction diagrams). †¢ Describe the logical and physical architecture (deployment diagrams). Include or attach diagrams where applicable. 3 Other †¢ Describe any other design issues, such as: o novel algorithms or data structures o significant challenges or risks o 3rd party components you will use (commercial, open source, etc) o potential patents Project Plan 1 Team and Organization †¢ Describe each member of your team and their roles and responsibilities. †¢ Describe any missing skills you will need to make this product successful. †¢ Describe how your team is organized. 2 Estimates ; Schedule †¢ Describe the expected project schedule. Include or attach applicable tables or planning diagrams, such as: o work breakdown schedules (WBS) o PERT/CPM networks, Gantt charts, etc. (if applicable) |Date |Owner |Action or Deliverable | | | | | | | | |Resource ; Budget Requirements †¢ List and describe any needed resources (equipment, facilities, services, etc). †¢ List all costs required to build and deploy the product, including: o Supporting hardware and software that must be purchased o Effort by developers, testers, writers, etc o Sales and marketing †¢ List expected revenue sources and projected revenue. †¢ Describe your expected profit margin. †¢ Include or attach applicable tables or spreadsheets. Category |Item |Count |Unit Cost |Total Cost | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 Risks †¢ List and describe risks that could affect features, schedule, or cost. For each, estimate probability and impact, and describe possible responses. †¢ Include or attach applicable tables or spreadsheets. |Category |Risk |Prob |Impact |Response | | | | | | | | | | | | |References †¢ List citations for any published material (including books, articles, product documentation, and web pages) used when preparing the proposal, whether or not they are quoted or cited elsewhere in the proposal.