The IMFs Approach to Economic Stabilization Essay

The IMFs Approach to Economic Stabilization - Essay Example In order to truly diagnose the situation, and properly understand the IMF and its current position in the world, we must ask the following questions: Founded in the turbulent era of the 1940s to stabilize the world economy, and based in Washington, D.C., the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is "an organization of 184 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial security, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty." ("IMF", 2006). The IMF's original purpose was "to establish a code of conduct that would enhance economic cooperation, and avoid the 'beggar-thy-neighbor' policies that led to the economic turbulence of the thirties." (Babb & Buira, 2005). In short, the IMF is a multilateral institution that lends money to governments in order to stabilize currencies and maintain order in international markets. Since the IMF was established its purposes have remained unchanged, but its surveillance, financial assistance and technical assistance operations have developed regularly in order to "meet the changing needs of its member countries i n an evolving world economy." ("IMF", 2006). The IMF "plays a key role in defining how much governments can spendThe Fund's view of what defines the macro economic stability of a country is the authoritative one for all development partners." ("Eurodad", 2003). What are the Main Components of the IMF's Approach to Economic Stabilization Particularly so in recent years, the IMF's quantitative approach to economic stabilization "has been the subject of considerable controversy." ("Survey", 1999). Considered as "the creator of the 'moral hazard'," (Monsod, 1998), the IMF consists of many programs which are often characterized as being "unnecessarily damaging to growth, harmful to the poor, unduly inflexible and unresponsive to the differing needs and circumstances of member countries, and based on rigid application of outmoded and discredited economic principles." (Mussa & Savastano, 1999). In order to understand the IMF's approach to economic stabilization and how it functions in all aspects, one must first understand the process of an IMF supported program: typically an IMF supported program is not permanent or 'set in stone' at the beginning of operations, but rather begins with the seemingly simple a request of a member. It is only then that the IMF staff prepares a blueprint of a program that is used for the actual basis of negotiations. After this, when an agreement is reached, the arrangement is cleared by IMF management and then approved by the IMF Executive Board. Disbursements proceed immediately after this if all performance

Pax Romana Rome

Pax Romana Rome Answers Answer 1: Pax Romana Period of Rome Pax Romana Period can be defined as the period of Roman piece. This period of peace sustained for the centuries after the domination of Augustus. The accession by the Octavian to the imperial throne contributed in bringing an end to the international and civil warfare. His reign of 40 year from 27 BC 14 AD added to the unity, peace and progress of the Mediterranean world. The Pax Romana started with Augustus and attained new heights under 5 superior Emperors. The main contributions include increase in the number of cities which were self-ruled by magistrates of upper-class, development of roads and waterways. Pax Romana was responsible for creating a universal world-state where cultures and races were united without any discrimination. Apart from this, it shows the elimination and suppression of the artificial barriers, piracy and helped in establishing consistent coinage (The Roman World 509 B.C. to A.D. 180, 2007). Pax Romana period marked the great development in the field of commerce. Industry focused on organizing on the basis of the small-shop, which helped in attaining self-sufficiency. There was improvement in the Condition of those people, who belongs to the bottom of society especially the women and slaves. Apart from this, advancement was made in the field of history, science, art, architecture and literature, which helped them in reaching the highest peak. In this period, law, engineering and entertainment was revolutionized. The gladiator games were on the top list (The Roman World 509 B.C. to A.D. 180, 2007). Pax Romania was marked by the boom in the economy, the economy remained agrarian. In terms of the law and order, there was revival of the old traditions and ideal believes. Deteriorated temples were rebuilt by Augustus. Apart from this, there was revival in the old priesthoods and religious festivals were restored. There was the establishment of permanent court. This period marked the decline in the rate of corruption and the exploitation. Answer 2: Contribution of the different emperors of ancient Rome Julius Caesar: Gaius Julius Caesar served in Roman armed services and was a successful and clever politician. Caesar started his political career, in 78 BC, in the Roman Assembly, as a counselor and was known for his orating skills. He gave Rome a feeling of national plume and growth through his wide military subjections. He was largely responsible for the enlargement of the Roman dominance in the world. He brought a large part of Britain under Roman control by defeating the most talented Barbarian rulers. He increased security and stability in Rome where people knew nothing more than civil war (Life of Julius Caesar, 2008). Octavian Caesar Augustus: Augustus was born on 23rd September, in 63 B.C., in Rome. He was the first Roman Emperor and was adopted by his uncle Julius Caesar. He worked a lot for public welfare and also amalgamated and braced the Roman Empire. He rebuilt the city of Rome. It was said by the people that he founded Rome initially as a city of bricks and later converted it into a city of marble. He also introduced several laws related to marriage and slave. Many literary achievements took place during his reign. He also improved the infrastructural facilities and exercised great control over military and society (Augustus and the empire, 2008). Justinian: Justinian was born in 567 B.C. He was the eastern Roman Emperor and was the second emperor of the Justinian dynasty. During his reign, the empire rose to the heights of success. When he became the emperor, he prepared 3 challenging projects and executed them one after the other. Those 3 projects were: his code of laws, architectural works in Constantinople and conquests. Under his reign, all the laws were put under order and simplified, some were combined if possible and the outdated ones were deleted. He did great architectural works in Constantinople. He built new roads, bridges and sea walls to guard it from navy enemies. Several other walls were also built to protect the land route in the city. He also made a university, which was a huge source of education. He restored most of the lands to the Byzantine Empire from the Barbarians and made a great name in world history (Who was Justinian, 2008). Answer 3: Principles and Beliefs of the world religions Hinduism: It is third largest religion in the world and constitutes a great diversity of beliefs and principles. All Hindus think that every step is the way to reach god. They are considered as the broad minded person in the world. Hinduism includes many social classes and every one has their own regulation and compulsion for example, Brahmans are the best class and holy one. One important concept in the Hinduism is the revitalization, which means to bring back in life or the cycle of birth and death (Understanding the basic belief of Hinduism, 2008). Buddhism: It is the Fourth largest religion in world and known for its worldwide followers. It believes in affection and peace. It is based on four main principles: avoid the alcohol, do not harm anyone, do not lie and do not take. They believe that all are equal and there is no categorization between the caste systems. In Buddhism, the main reason for all problems is self attitude (Principle and belief of Buddhism, 2008). Judaism: It is the eleventh largest religion in world and followed by 14 million people. It is divided in three categories: conventional, improvement and conformist. It is noted as an influential religion in the world and has a great cycle of festivals. Shavuot, Sukkot and the Pesach are the three main festival of Judaism. Followers of it believe only in one god and assume that he is the creator of world. Christianity: It is based on the belief that rescuer is responsible for the merger of people with spirit. It believes in the concept of rebirth and derived from Judaism. The followers of this religion have a faith that elegance come to human only through the Christ worth. They believe that god has affection for all his followers whether they engage in an offence but they should have enough reason behind the offence (David Barrett et al., 2001). Islam: it is monotheistic religion and is the developer of moralistic values in thousands of its followers. Mainly five building blocks are there in Islamic religion like hajj, fasting, zakat, prayers, and shahadat. Muslims believe in Quran and lives according to the rules and regulation of it. They have to do pray five times in a day and yearly fast in Ramjan (ethos and values, 2006). References Augustus and the empire. (2008). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://www.unrv.com/early-empire/augustus-empire.php David Barrett et al. (2001). A comparative survey of churches and religions AD 30 to 2200. World Christian Encyclopedia. Oxford University Press. Islam Background and Belief. (2008). Retrieved Jun 22, 2008 from http://family.jrank.org/pages/969/Islam-Background-Beliefs-Islam.html Life of Julius Caesar. (2008). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://www.spaceandmotion.com/julius-caesar-life-history-biography-pictures-quotes.htm Principle and belief of Buddhism. (2008). Retrieved Jun 22, 2008 from http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=enq=principle+and+belief+of+buddhismbtnG=Google+Searchmeta= The Roman World 509 B.C. To A.D. 180. (2007). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/noteson%20Rome.htm Understanding the basic belief of Hinduism. (2008). Retrieved Jun 22, 2008 from http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=enq=principle+and+belief+of+buddhismbtnG=Google+Searchmeta= Who was Justinian. (2008). Retrieved on June 23, 2008, from http://writer.zoho.com/public/6_change/Justinian

Internet Addiction :: Essays Papers

Internet Addiction ABSTRACT The Internet is the largest source of information in the world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is a means of communicating with people in places all over the face of the earth. Since its conception in 1973, the Internet has grown at a whirlwind rate. 51 million adults, were on-line as of the second quarter 1997 in the United States alone. Some say that the Internet is so enjoyable that it is almost addictive. The problem is that researchers are beginning to agree with them. Studies are revealing that there may be an actual form of addiction involved with over-use of the Internet. Identifying which category of addiction the Internet falls into is the problem. There are no real answers yet because research in this area is at the beginning stages. While lost in this so called ‘Cyber Community’ for long periods of time, people are neglecting other important activities like; time with the family, socializing, work and health concerns. One of the most extensive studies on Internet Addiction to date was conducted by Dr. Kimberly S. Young of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. In her study, she revealed concrete evidence supporting the Internet Addiction claim. However, help for web addicts is available. There are several web sites available for the treatment of Internet addiction, as well as counseling centers and clinics. Is it Live, or is it Internet? Internet Addiction The Internet is the largest most versatile source of information in the world today. With its web sites and chat rooms, it is a means of communicating with people in places all over the face of the earth. But with all this power at our fingertips, are there any negative impacts of using this interface? Are we as ‘simple humans’ capable of interacting with such a powerful communication source. Recent studies are beginning to uncover evidence that would suggest that maybe some of us are not so capable of dealing with this technology. In fact, as more research is conducted, experts are finding that the Internet may even be addictive! Development of the Internet began about 15 years ago. In 1973 the U.S. Defense Research Projects Agency initiated a program to research the techniques and technologies for inter-linking various types of networks.

How Post-World War Ii Technology Changed America

How Post-World War II Technology Changed America 5/3/2012 AMH 2020- Yellow Class Angelika Vasquez Professor Brian Milner During the post-World War II era everything in our nation seemed to change. The post-World War II era had significant technological advances that changed politics, the economy, and the way people interacted with one another. Three of the biggest technological advances during this era were the introduction of the atomic bomb, television, and space race technology. 945 to 1949, the Atomic bomb changed politics and introduced the military industrial complex. Television, in the 1950’s, changed the way people thought. During the 1960’s there were many new space race technologies introduced that changed the way Americans received information. The atomic bomb, television, and space race technology significantly changed America. Atomic Bomb Cold War- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg After Dwight D. Eisenhower left office, he warned about the growing influence of th e military-industrial complex, in American government and life.The military-industrial complex was first coined by Eisenhower, during his farewell address in 1961. This complex defines the combined effort of big business and the military to press for an ever-increasing share of national resources for the development of new weapons. Many politicians during this time believed that the military-industrial complex promoted policies that were not in the best interest for America, and that the growth of the military-industrial complex could perhaps undermine American democracy. The Cold War had created a warfare state.Because of the atomic bomb, civil defense drills required people to crawl under their desks at work or school; high schools named their football teams â€Å"The Atoms†; and songwriters wrote about the end of the world. Movies warned of the dangers of the bomb or made grim jokes about the fate of humanity. In the late 1940’s, faced with the possibility of a nucl ear war, Americans began building bomb shelters. Bomb shelters were built in either your backyard or your basement that were meant to offer substantial protection. TelevisionBy the late 1950’s, almost ninety percent of American homes had a television set. Television transformed the way Americans did politics. During the Kennedy versus Nixon election, television played a key role in their election campaigns. During the Kennedy-Nixon debates, Kennedy had more of an appeal than Nixon. Although campaigns were already relying less on political parties and more on money before the introduction of the television, television helped accelerate this idea. John F. Kennedy emerged with a disputable national vote plurality over Richard M. Nixon by a razor’s edge of . 7 percent in popular vote (49. 72% to 49. 55%) that converted into a 303 to 219 Electoral College victory. Some historians believe that without the television, Kennedy would not have won the 1960 election. In fact, Joh n F. Kennedy himself stated that, â€Å"we wouldn’t have had a prayer without that gadget. † Besides affecting politics, television also transformed American culture. The average American viewer spent a little over five hours a day in front of a television screen. American television was paid for by private enterprise, unlike Europe’s government financed television.During the mid 1950’s advertisers spent an estimate ten billion dollars to push their advertisements on the air. Television transformed American culture into a consumer culture. Television also changed the way Americans live, and the ideology which Americans lived by. Popular television series, such as Leave It To Beaver, portrayed the ideal family as a male breadwinner, a woman full-time homemaker, and three or four children. On television, married women did not have paying jobs and depended on their husbands. Americans began getting married at a younger age and the birthrate soared.Space Race Technology Microwaves Cell Phones Home Computer Bibliography â€Å"Atomic Culture. † Social Culture. (accessed May 3, 2012). Renka, Russell. â€Å"The 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon Election. † The Modern Presidency. cstl-cla. semo. edu/renka/ui320-75/presidents/kennedy/1960_election. asp (accessed May 3, 2012). Roark, James L.. Understanding the American promise: a brief history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Roark, James L..Understanding the American promise: a brief history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 717. [ 2 ]. â€Å"Atomic Culture. † Social Culture. http://www. centennialofflight. gov/essay/Social/atomic_culture/SH23. htm (accessed May 3, 2012). [ 3 ]. Renka, Russell. â€Å"The 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon Election. † The Modern Presidency. cstl-cla. semo. edu/renka/ui320-75/presidents/kennedy/1960_election. asp (acc essed May 3, 2012). [ 4 ]. Roark, James L.. Understanding the American promise: a brief history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 765. [ 5 ]. IBID, 764.

Effective writing Essay

Effective writing is very important when writing an essay because it helps us explore our thoughts and feelings about a certain topic. Especially when you have so many essays you must write during the years in college, you must know how to use different writing such as persuasive or informative skills to accomplish good writing. There are so many different writing elements to use but you must understand these skills to achieve good paper potential. When it comes to having different type of writing skills, there is a lot to know which ones are important to remember. Writing is not only for school but it is where you can express your thoughts by using strong writing skills and techniques. I think effective elements of academic writing is having a strong thesis, good supporting details, and knowing your audience because this will create your paper. Having a strong thesis is the main point of an academic paper. It is where you have a quick summary on what you are trying to inform or support for your whole paper. A thesis is the statement you put in your introduction where you discuss what your paper is going to be about which is very significant to build well. Read more:  How to write a good thesis for a synthesis essay. Your thesis is very important because it is where your reader will understand in the beginning what your paper will be about. The introduction paragraph is a very important part of the essay, and the thesis is a main part in the introduction for the reader. The thesis drives the essay from the beginning because it hooks the audience. As a student, I ahave learned that building a strong thesis is very important because it has to be very specific on what you will be explaing about further on the paper. It has helped me start my paper with a guideline, that I must support my thesis during the whole essay. Although all the paragraphs in the essay are academically important, the introductions take a very big part of it due to the thesis. For example, when you start a research paper and pick your topic you must determine your working thesis. Your thesis will be mostly based on your synthesis on what you have found in research, class, or even experiences. The thesis can be a struggle to make at first but once you achieve a working thesis, then the flow of your paper will be easier. Your thesis may change during the time you write your paper because of many ideas that will pop in your head during writing. The thesis is very detailed to where a five year old child would know what you will be trying to inform in your paper. When writing different types of essays where you would need put good supporting detail, you have to have credible sources. The supporting detail can be known as different terms such as, information, and evidence that will add more information, and then supports the idea or claim. Back to the last paragraph of a thesis, the supporting details â€Å"support† the thesis with proven information in which you research for. When you are writing a research paper, the supporting details come to a play, and you must have very detailed information to support your research. Supporting details is not always to give detailed information, but also to support you point in your paper. The term sounds so simple to do but the concept in having good supporting detail is so important in many types of writing or speaking. The supporting detail comes after the topic sentence in each paragraph. It is like the structure of the body paragraphs because you must use good support to make up the body paragraphs. It not only makes the paragraph but supports the main idea of the paragraph which supports your thesis also. Your details also must be very relevant to your main point and thesis, you cannot just write unintellectual facts to put in your paper. In other words, you have to realize that in writing you should avoid unnecessary words and to also avoid on focusing on the wrong this in your paper. Good writers probably spend a lot of time in providing supporting evidence and information about their topic for their paper. A good writer’s focus is to provide supporting details for your arguments in a form of facts, data, opinions, anecdotes, reasons, and proofs. Another valuable element to put in your writing is to know your audience. When writing your essay, it is to determine what the audience is looking for in your writing. To produce a good piece of essay you must not only know your audience but also you have to become your own audience. You must see what you are writing and what your audience might compel to it, or understand it. You have to make sure you understand your reader’s expectation, how they might react to your paper, and if they’re going to understand you whole point of your essay. Knowing your audience helps you make decisions about what information to include in your paper, how you should arrange your paper, and what kind of supporting detail you might use for your paper to have the audience to understand. When writing an academic paper, you also must remember that your instructor will not only be the audience you will have. While it is important to know that your instructor is your audience and you must meet requirements in your writing, you should consider the intended audience that might read your paper. In order to effectively plan and write your paper, you must know who your audience is, and what specific needs they might have. The best place to understand is to read your professors hand outs and also their prompt. All three of these writing elements I believe is very important to use in academic writing. To use and understand a strong thesis, good supporting detail, and knowing your audience correctly, the paper would work out smoothly. There are so many different writing uses that can comply to writing a good paper, but having a strong thesis is a main part in your paper which I inform during this whole essay. Also having good supporting details make the essay enjoyable to read and builds it. Finally knowing your audience is a strong source to use when writing the essay because you would know how to write it due to who is reading your paper. Writing is very difficult when you doing know what type of writing elements to use and understand some of these might help you write a good paper.

Why Picassos work is not just inferior or unskilled art

Why Picassos work is not just inferior or unskilled art Pablo Picasso is regarded as one of the greatest painters in the modern day due to the variety that he offered in his paintings. He was a Spanish painter, ceramicist and sculptor. He was further regarded as the father of the 20th century art due to the way that he formatted his paintings to suit the likes of his admirers and fellow painters as a whole. The most notable achievement for the painter perhaps is founding the cubist movements.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Why Picasso’s work is not just inferior or unskilled art specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This meant that he pioneered the invention of constructed sculpture. He also helped in the co-invention of the modern day collage that is widely used in painting and art as a whole. Amongst his greatest, works are the Guernica that portrayed the bombing of Guernica in the period of the Spanish civil war. The presentation focuses on the artist’s maste ry skills mainly focusing on Les Demoiselles d’Avigno painting. Discussion Why Picasso’s work is not just inferior or unskilled art Picasso’s art is not in any way regarded as inferior because he is ranked in the level of Henri Matisse who is regarded as the father of art. He is additionally looked upon in the same breath as Marcel Duchamp and the three of them together are regarded as some of the pioneers of plastic arts. When his arts are studied keenly with a person who has a clear view of a classic art, it shows that the works of the painter are not inferior in any form. His works in printmaking and ceramics are widely used in the contemporary art world to give out a sense of direction in art. The arts of Picasso are also significantly incredible since apart from being knowledgeable he was talented in art, therefore, it was in born (MDC 2). He painted in a reasonable manner since he was a child and this is a point that proves that his work of art is not infe rior. The artist is further universally acknowledged for his works of art and if he can gain global recognition then it means that his works of art are in no way substandard. Why it is a highly significant painting The Les Demoiselles d’Avigno that was originally titled the brothel in Avgnon is a significant painting first because of the way that it has stood the test of time. It was painted in the year 1907 and gained global recognition unto the recent days. The painting depicts five different women who are nude in a brothel in Barcelona. This painting is significant because every figure in the art is depicted in a disconcerting confrontational approach and yet none of them is conventionally womanly. In addition to this, the women in the painting appear to be somehow intimidated and have angular disjointed body physiques. The women are given an animalistic impression by endowing them with masks. This is a beautiful way of depicting them away from the customary way of portray ing a nude woman photo (Rubin, Seckel and Cousins 45). The art also employs primitivism and does not employ the conventional two dimensional flat picture planes.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He also uses new art of painting in the piece of art as opposed to the conventional European mode of painting. The piece of art is considered influential in the development of the modern day art and the development of cubism. The art also created an admiration for the painter amongst his peers and work associates since the artist had employed new ideas that had not been used earlier in painting. The work that went into the final finishing of the piece of art was also enormous. This is because the artist had employed numerous sketches into realizing the final piece of art. He encompassed the Iberian culture coupled with Spanish art to make the piece of art exemplary. The piece of art is also highly significant since it employs the use of African culture that was unexploited during his period and the art of Oceania that is a famous form of art. It is said that the artist was influenced by a visit that he made to the Musà ©e dEthnographie du Trocadà ©ro where he saw the opportunity of a new style in artistry and used it to accomplish the piece of art. The art also captures the painting styles of Matisse who is additionally a famous painter (Andersen 340). How did it change art in general? Although the style takes much influence from classical painting, it changed the general art world since it incorporated in new ideas that seemed to break out from the conventional renaissance art. This was something never thought of in the period that Picasso lived. Consequently, it brought in the new ideology of painting in the art world. The fruits that are in the back of the picture helped artists figure out how they could mix live paintings that are the women and still life (MDC 3). The painting also has harsh and strong coloring as opposed to the paintings of his era something that as changed the modern perception of art. Conclusion In conclusion, the painting by Picasso is an excellent representation of modern day artistry. It features the artist’s change in mind and his will to break from traditional ways of painting. The art further brings in the new style of creating unfinished art that had not been fully exploited before. The artist further incorporated disturbing images in the picture to bring out the full viewpoint of cubism art. The addition of a local color with influences from African paintings also served as an integral point in the painting. Andersen, Wayne V. Picassos brothel: les demoiselles dAvignon. London: Other Press, LLC, 2002. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Why Picasso’s work is not just inferior or unskilled art specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More mdc.edu. â€Å"Picassos Les Demoiselles dAvignon: Breaking with Tradition.† mdc.edu, 2000. Web. Rubin, William Stanley, Hà ©là ¨ne Seckel and Judith Cousins. Les Demoiselles dAvignon, Issue 3. Michigan: The Museum of Modern Art , 1994. Print.

The Best Way to Review Your Mistakes for the SAT

The Best Way to Review Your Mistakes for the SAT/ACT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What do you do when you've been prepping tirelessly for the SAT, sit down to take a practice test...and then have to face all the questions you missed? Since banging your head against a wall is not very effective, other strategies must be employed. This article lists ways to grapple with missed questions on the SAT, with targeted strategies for students scoring in the 500 and 700 ranges on the SAT (or the 21 and 31 ranges on the ACT). All these tips apply equally to the SAT and the ACT, though for simplicity I'll mostly use the SAT for specific examples in this guide. feature image credit: "Questioned Proposal" by Ethan Lofton, used under CC BY 2.0/ Cropped from original. Reconsidering How You React to Mistakes Getting questions wrong on an SAT practice test or ACT practice test can be anywhere from mildly disappointing to absolutely infuriating. Discovering that you have answered a question incorrectly can trigger any or all of the following impulses: Impulse 1: Focusing on what you did well and ignoring what you did wrong (not helpful). Impulse 2: Disregarding questions you got wrong because they were just "careless mistakes" (not helpful). Impulse 3: Focusing on the fact that you got things wrong and ignoring review in favor of self-loathing (popular among some overachievers, and yet...still not helpful). Reviewing the questions you missed, however, is an extremely important part of test prep. As this article on preparing for the LSAT states, "Reviewing...preptests is the point at which you switch over from merely practice to actually teaching yourself." Strategy: Analyze Your Confidence for Each Question It is not only important that you review missed questions, but that you also review them effectively. A helpful way to do this is by going through the questions you messed up on and sorting them into categories. Many times, questions can be sorted into these general categories: Skipped (guessed randomly on), Guessed (through elimination), and (thought you) Knew. Seeing how many questions you skipped, how many you guessed, and how many you were certain were correct can help to focus your studying. For instance, if the majority of the questions you missed were ones you skipped answering, it's possible that you could be eliminating more answers before guessing on more questions. Alternatively, you might be accidentally skipping over some questions because you're rushing and end up zipping right past them. Once you've sorted the questions you missed into these general categories, make sure to review all of the questions you guessed on, including the ones you answered correctly. Compare these questions with the questions you guessed incorrectly on. Was it just blind luck, a combination of the process of elimination and Pin the Pencil on the Scantron ®? Or is there a difference between the way you approached the guessed questions you got correctly and incorrectly? "140617_FF_CHEAPDEGREE" by Natalie Freitas, used under CC BY-S.A. 2.0/Cropped from original. Pin-the-pencil-on-the-Scantron ®: probably the worst party game. Strategy: Understand the Reason for Missing Each Question Sort the questions by the fundamental reason you missed them. Don't just think, "Well, I got that one wrong." That's not useful in figuring out where you're really making mistakes. I find that nearly all mistakes fall into four categories: Time Issue: You were pressed for time. Question Comprehension Issue: The question was too complicated, you weren't exactly sure what it was asking, or you were tricked by the question. Procedural/Content Issue: You didn't know how to find the answer to the question, or didn't know the material the question covered. Careless Error: A.k.a. careless mistakes, a.k.a. stupid mistakes, a.k.a. the most frustrating mistakes of all. We'll go more deeply into each one. I'll also give you tips on how to prepare, depending on whether you're scoring around a 500/21 level or around a 700/31 level. Mistake Type 1: Time Crunch These are questions where you were pressed for time and couldn't answer the question. This is often the case with skipped or incorrectly guessed questions. Out of all the questions you missed, how many of these "ran out of time" questions are there? If the majority of your missed questions happened because you were running low on time, you may have a time management issue. Do You Have Good Time Management? So how do you know if you have a problem with time management? One way to check is by taking a timed practice test (under realistic conditions). If you run out of time to answer all of the questions, continue answering questions, but mark the questions for which you needed the extra time. Afterwards, you can go back and categorize the questions you needed extra time for and sort them into the remaining three categories of errors. How many questions did you get right with extra time, as compared to questions you answered correctly during test length? If your scaled scores differ by more than either 50 points on any section of the SAT, or by more than 4 points on any section of the ACT, then you have a time management issue. For more information about why time management is so important, look into our article on scoring perfectly on the SAT. If you want more specifics on how to combat time management weaknesses, especially for Reading, definitely check out 10 Strategies for getting a perfect SAT Reading score and how to avoid running out of time on SAT Reading (or ACT Reading). You may notice particular skill weaknesses across all the questions you ran out of time on. Make a note of these: if you know what is wrong, then you can fix it. If there are no commonalities between the questions, you might just be spending too much time on some questions, and you need to improve your fluency with taking the test by following some of our suggested actions. Actions for a 500/21 Scorer: Don't get sucked in- monitor your time on each question. On the SAT, the breakdown of total time allowed for each question (including double-checking!) is as follows: Section Total Questions Total Time (minutes) Approximate Time per Question Reading 52 65 75 seconds Writing and Language 44 35 47 seconds Math (No Calculator) 20 25 75 seconds Math (Calculator) 38 55 86 seconds And here's the breakdown of time per question for the ACT: Section Total Questions Total Time (minutes) Approximate Time per Question English 75 45 36 seconds Math 60 60 60 seconds Reading 40 35 52 seconds Science 40 55 52 seconds You can do the math yourself, if you want the practice! For more information on the SAT and timing, try our expert guide on the SAT's length, or read our equivalent article on the ACT's length here. Do you find that you always run out of time? One of the best strategies for students scoring in the 500 range is to just guess on the hardest questions. In fact, because of the way the SAT is scored, you can actually guess on up to 25% of the multiple choice questions and still get a 600. How do you know which questions are the hardest ones? In Math, the questions at the end of each section are the most difficult. This means that, for instance, in the 20-question Math section, you should completely skip the last 4 questions. Focus the energy you would have spent on those questions on getting the other 16 correct. For more surefire strategies to attain a 600 in SAT Math, read our article on improving your SAT Math score. Reading is a little trickier, since it includes lengthy reading passages, and the questions are not (for the most part) ordered by difficulty. Our blog has more specific information in our post on improving your SAT Reading score, but the basic takeaways are: -When faced with a lengthy passage, read and mark-up the questions first. This way, you will already know the information you should be considering when reading the passage. -Skim the passage on your first read-through. Sometimes, several lines of the passage will not have relevance to any of the following questions, so why spend extra time on a detailed read the first time through? If possible, try finishing the passage in 3 minutes or less. -If you cannot answer a question in 30 seconds or less, guess "B" on it and move on. You won't have points taken off for incorrect answers, so if you guess the same answer choice for every answer you don't know, you should get it right about 25% of the time. Overall, practice can help you get faster at taking the SAT/ACT, and the more high quality practice questions and tests you do and take, the more comfortable you'll be. Actions for a 700/31 Scorer: If you're already scoring in the 700 range, and you know time management is not the issue, chances are you just need to up your speed (whether for one particular type of question or overall). Again, this comes from practice, like endless lay-up drills in basketball or scales on a musical instrument. When I had to learn piano scales as part of the graduation requirements for my Master's program, I started out by seeing what my natural pace was (average of 1 note every 4-5 seconds). I followed this by calculating the difference between that and the target pace (1 note/second) for the exam, then setting incremental goals for myself so that I could create a realistic timeline for learning this new skill and focus my practicing towards that timeline. The same strategy works for test prep. For every section, you should calculate your own time per question. For ACT Math, for example, there are 60 minutes to solve 60 questions. This means an average of 1 minute per question, but the questions at the end will likely take you much longer than 1 minute. This means you might have a goal of 30 seconds per question for questions 1-20, 60 seconds per question for #21-40, and 90 seconds per question for #41-60. The key here is that during the test, if you find yourself spending more than your target time goal, you need to skip that question. You want to avoid getting sucked into wasting time on a question. On these points every question is worth the same point, and at your level every point counts. Therefore, your goal should be to answer as many questions correctly as possible. Mistake Type 2: Question Comprehension SAT questions might need to have one unambiguous answer, but that doesn't mean that they can't trick you with the wording of the question. Oddly, this is especially lethal for those who read quickly, because it can lead you (and by you, I perhaps mean me) to focus on the wrong part of the question. The first time I looked at this question, I read through it too quickly and solved for p, rather than 3p + 2. Always make sure you know what the question is asking before you look at the answers. Often, the SAT will give several incorrect answer choices that each could be correct if you'd misread the question a particular way. "It's a trap!" by anneheathen, used under CC BY 2.0/ Cropped from original. Not all traps are this obvious. Actions for a 500/21 Scorer: In some cases, it can help to write out the information the question provides in simpler form. Take this sample math question: In one semester, Doug and Laura spent a combined 250 hours in the tutoring lab. If Doug spent 40 more hours in the lab than Laura did, how many hours did Laura spend in the lab? Now, write out the information given in the question separately, in your scratch area: Total hours in lab = 250 Laura = x hours Doug = x + 40 hours Solve for x (take that, Doug!) It might seem redundant, but writing out the information separately not only gets it into your brain, but also prevents you from grabbing the wrong number or unit of measure when you go to plug it into your equation or answer. If you're concerned that writing everything out will take too much time, underlining the relevant information in the question can also be useful. Example (underlining mine): Which of the following does the author suggest about the "female goats" mentioned in line 59? A) They secreted antithrombin in their milk after giving birth. B) Some of their kids were not born with the antithrombin gene. C) They were the first animals to receive microinjections. D) Their cells already contained genes usually found in humans. Actions for a 700/31 Scorer: Slow down when reading the question for the first time. Students who leave time to double (or even triple) check their answers sometimes don't bother re-reading the question on their second (or third) time through, which means that if you misread the question the first time, it doesn't matter how many times you double-check your thinking process- you won't be able to correct your mistake. Because of this, re-reading the question is important as well, because it allows you to make sure the question is asking what you think it was asking when you go through it again. Mistake Type 3: Procedural/Content Issue If it is a multiple choice question, identify what type of question it is. For instance, we at PrepScholar have identified the major SAT Reading passage question types as: #1: Big Picture/Main Point #2: Little Picture/Detail #3: Inference #4: Vocabulary in Context #5: Function #6: Author Technique For a breakdown of the SAT Math question types, read our article here. If you want to learn more about the Writing section, try our complete breakdown of SAT grammar rules. Is your problem with how to answer certain types of questions, like Inference questions? Or is the problem knowing the content, like specific grammar rules or trigonometry formulas? Actions for Everyone: For these kinds of missed questions, there are two main steps to take. Step 1: Find a source for lesson material. For content issues, this could be class notes, textbooks on the material, or a test prep book or a complete prep program like PrepScholar. For procedural issues, definitely check out SAT prep books and sites on strategies. Step 2: Practice answering questions, over and over and over (see above regarding lay-ups and scales), reviewing them well. If you follow these two steps, you will be full of well-founded confidence when questions that previously stymied you (whether in terms of how to answer them or what they were asking about) pop up on test day. "consumer confidence" by Chris Karen Highland, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/ Cropped from original. Cape not suggested as part of your test-day apparel. Bonus (or possibly not, depending): You are far less likely to drive your siblings crazy by drilling yourself on practice questions than by drilling yourself on piano arpeggios! Not that I would know from personal experience. Nope. Mistake Type 4: Careless Error My favorite type of mistake- seemingly innocuous, but with a potentially fatal impact. Story time: Once upon a time, during my very sleep-deprived junior year of high school, I added 2 and 2 together to get A) 8 and B) 2. At various points on the SAME CALCULUS TEST. And while yes, I was sleep-deprived, this was not the only factor. Rushing headlong through answer choices (or problem solving, in the case of some math questions) is often the prime culprit for careless mistakes. This is completely understandable, as you are taking a timed test, but ultimately it can be counterproductive if you don't have the appropriate backups in place. Common Careless Errors Here I've broken down some of the most common careless errors by subject area. Reading: Misreading the question, particularly by not noticing words like "except." On practice tests, I would sometimes lose valuable time by trying to choose among answers that seemed to be all correct, only to realize that the question was actually asking for the one that was INcorrect. Math: Solving for the wrong value. I cannot stress enough how annoying it is to finish a practice test and realize you solved for the wrong value (particularly since these are often answer choices). See my previous example of the sort of questions where this can happen particularly easily. Writing and Language: Reading through the question too quickly and choosing "NO CHANGE," particularly with questions at the end of the section. Don't just select "No Change" if the sentence looks right to you- also make sure you can eliminate all three other answer choices. Actions for a 500/21 Scorer: Ask yourself why you made the careless mistakes. Were you feeling pressed for time? Were you actually pressed for time? What can you do in the future to help head this off? Check out our article on top SAT test day tips for some helpful suggestions. Actions for a 700/31 Scorer: Make sure you leave yourself enough time to go back over questions- not just going over your work, but redoing questions (especially those you are unsure of). PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng suggests leaving yourself at least 5 minutes to spare in his article on how to get a perfect SAT score. How to Streamline Future Review Okay, you know everything now about what you were doing wrong with your reviewing of missed questions. How can you make it more efficient (and effective) in the future? A few final tips: #1: When going through tests, always mark the questions you think you have a 3/4 or less chance of getting correct. Circling the numbers of the questions works well for me, because you can circle them lightly on your first time through the test, and circle ones you're still unsure of more heavily on your second time through. You'll be able to review everything you were unsure about, even if you ended up getting them right. Knowing you've looked over everything you were unsure about, even if you ended up getting the question correct, will make you more confident you're choosing the right answer in the future, because you will have put in the time. #2: Just like a tooth with a cavity, the best way to get better is to...drill. I have no regrets about this wordplay. I am also 100% serious. Practice may not make perfect, but it does make answering the questions you have trouble with more routine, which in turn can get you closer to perfection. See also my earlier explanation for why you should structure your practice. "Facepalm" by Philipp Boisserà ©e, used under CC BY-ND 2.0. #3: Don't immediately go back and try to re-do missed questions (or if you do, don't let that be the only time you re-do them). It's more helpful to let some time pass in between attempts- a day is usually good enough, but anywhere between few hours or a week can also work, depending on the person- because then you can try it again fresh. #4: Keep a notebook or computer record of questions you got wrong, sorted by subject (Math, Reading, Writing and Language for the SAT, or English, Math, Reading, and Science for the ACT) and question subtype (e.g. big picture vs. little picture questions in Reading). Note for each question why you missed it and how you plan to remedy this in the future (even if the remedy is just "Practice this kind of question until it appears in my dreams, possibly accompanied by piano scales"). Reviewing questions you got wrong is integral to effective test prep. Learning from one's mistakes is not just a saying- it reflects the reality that can help you break through a score ceiling and drastically improve your score on the the SAT or ACT. The trick is to know not just where you are making mistakes, but to practice those same types of questions over and over until you have mastered them. What's Next? What's a good target score you should aim for? Find out in our guides for the SAT and the ACT. Want to score a perfect SAT score or ACT score? A perfect scorer has the advice you need. Read our guide on getting a 1600 on the SAT or getting a 36 on the ACT. Not sure when to start studying? Get advice on how much time you should put into studying for the SATs here. If you want more specifics on how to prepare for each section for the SAT, try our study guides for low scorers (Math, Reading, Writing) or high scorers (Math, Reading, Writing). Looking to review mistakes in your code as well as on your SAT/ACT? Our guide to the JavaScript TypeOf Function explains what TypeOf can tell you and how to use it. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT and ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160+ points or your ACT score by 4+ points. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Charles Darwin Student WebQuest

Charles Darwin Student WebQuest Learning about the life and work of scientist Charles Darwin can be more engaging with a lesson plan incorporating a WebQuest. Students can do their own research to learn more about the Father of Evolution by using these questions with the links provided. Charles Darwin WebQuest:    Directions:  Go to the webpages listed below and answer the following questions using the information on those pages.    Link #1:  Who Is Charles Darwin?  https://www.thoughtco.com/who-is-charles-darwin-1224477​    1.  When and where was Charles Darwin born?  What were his parents named and did he have any siblings?    2.  Briefly describe Darwin’s schooling and why he did not become a doctor.    3.  How did Darwin get selected to sail on the HMS Beagle?    4.  What year did Darwin first propose the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection and who was his collaborator?      5.  What was the name of his most famous book, when was it published, and why was he so reluctant to publish it?    6.  When did Charles Darwin die and where is he buried?    Link #2: 5 Interesting Facts About Charles Darwin https://www.thoughtco.com/interesting-facts-about-charles-darwin-1224479​    1.  Who did Charles Darwin marry and how did he meet her?  How many children did they have?    2.  What TWO things did Charles Darwin have in common with Abraham Lincoln?    3.  How did Darwin influence the beginning of Psychology?    4.  What is the name of the book Darwin wrote that was influenced by Buddhism and how is it related to that religion?    Link #3:  People Who Influenced Charles Darwin https://www.thoughtco.com/people-who-influenced-charles-darwin-1224651​ (Note:  In this section, you may have to click on the links of the people’s names to get to their biographies to answer some of the following questions)    1.  Give the birth and death dates of Jean Baptiste Lamarck.    2.  What did Lamarck believe would happen to older, unused structures as new adaptations took over for them?    3.  Who influenced Darwin to come up with the idea of Natural Selection (also sometimes called â€Å"Survival of the Fittest†)?    4.  The Comte de Buffon was not a scientist.  What area was he most known for and what did he help discover?    5.  Alfred Russel Wallace contributed to the Theory of Evolution as well but is far less known outside scientific circles. Briefly describe Wallaces contributions.    6.  What relation was Erasmus Darwin to Charles Darwin and how did he influence Charles Darwin?    Link #4:  Darwin’s Finches  https://www.thoughtco.com/charles-darwins-finches-1224472​    1.  How long did it take the HMS Beagle to reach South America and how long did they stay there?    2.  Besides the finches, what two things did Darwin study while on the Galapagos Islands?    3.  What year did Darwin return to England and whom did he enlist to help him figure out the situation with the finches’ beaks?  (Name the man and his occupation.) Describe the man’s reaction and what he said about Darwin’s information.    4.  Relate why the finches had different beaks to the evolution of the species.  How did this new information compare to Jean Baptiste Lamarck’s ideas?    5.  What is the name of the book Darwin published about his trip to South America?

Slp5 599 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Slp5 599 - Coursework Example The new and final cumulative profit based on the recent decisions is 1,693,539,768 in comparison to the previous profit, which were 1,544,929,139. Therefore, this substantial change in the sum of profits revealed that incorporation of new decisions has allowed better results in comparison to previously decisions undertaken. Nevertheless, it is important to reveal that the new decisions pedestals upon the CVP analysis and data generated and presented in the market report. Hence, indicating that CVP analysis has been of great help in fetching larger profits. It can be noted from the above grid that the Research and Development expenditure on the tablet model X5 has been cut down to 0% throughout four year period from 2012 to 2015. The reduction in R&D is justified on the basis of the model losing its appeal in the market which was considered unlikely to create any new sales for this model. Moreover, it is also indicates that the price of the same model is maintained at the same level of $275 per unit in these years. Furthermore, during 2012-2015 the expenditure on research and development of X6 has been set at 60% in comparison to previous decisions for the model, which were 34% and 40%. The greater acceptance level of this model amongst customers and greater margins are bases for the decision to increase the R&D expenditure on this model. This would allow the model to maintain its position and offer better technology to customers. The price of X6 was increased in 2012 to $450 from $430; however, during the next three years 2013-2015 th e price was reduced to $440. In addition, the research and development expenditure has increased on X7 from 33% to 40% during 2012 and this increment on X7 was maintained till 2015. This was done to give this model a good platform for greater consumer acceptability and purchase of the model in its yearly years.

Colon Cancer in Tissue Engineering Literature review

Colon Cancer in Tissue Engineering - Literature review Example The reason being that reconstructive surgery does not replace the biological functioning of an organ or tissue 4. Medical researchers have had to be innovative. Their innovation has led to tissue engineering (TE), which is the initiation of the regeneration of organs and tissues by taking advantage of the individual’s self-healing capability 5. Normally, tissue engineering purposes to control cells to trigger the regrowth of the respective tissue 6. A process that is termed as therapeutic because it replaces the biological role of the damaged or malfunctioning tissues or organs 7. What does TE involve? TE comprises of the artificial stimulation of the capacity of cell differentiation, synthesis, and increase 8. It utilizes two tactics. The transplantation of cells 9 and the use of biomaterials and biomedical machinery 10. In the utilization of biomaterials and associated technologies, there needs to be the creation of in vivo like conditions. What is the purpose of these in vivo like conditions? The in vivo like environment is developed to ensure that the cells are able to boost their differentiation and proliferation to a sufficient standard that allows the biological capability of tissue regrowth 11. Hence, a cell-manipulated natural healing of the particular organ and tissue is attained without the need of transplanting cells. In addition, transplantation of cells is undertaken by transferring cells that have a huge capability for the differentiation and growth of cells to activate the regeneration of tissue in accordance with its potential 12. In this technique, the transfer is done using the infusion tactic 13 or the bolus injection method 14. However, in the use of biomedical and biomaterial technologies, bio signaling and cell scaffolds techniques have been used to deliver the necessary biomaterials that avail the required conditions for tissue regrowth.

The Service Quality in Bunzl Limited from the Customers' Perspective Essay

The Service Quality in Bunzl Limited from the Customers' Perspective - Essay Example It opens up a battle of supremacy between the workers’ union and the management. Watsons also has unnecessarily huge number of managers (actually 40) when the total workforce is just 200. It is impractical to have such a small company having 20 percent of the workforce at the management level. This means there is too much control and pressure towards the ordinary workers. As suggested, Managing Director Gordon Watson operates in a hands-off style where he rarely ventures in the shop-floor. It seems he has added many boxes in the chart so as to be left with little work to do. Organisational design is almost synonymous to organisational architecture. This architecture is designed to enable the company to realise its objectives as outlined in both its mission and vision. It acts as the basic infrastructure that supports all business processes and it should enable the company to take advantage of its core qualities (Triplett 2007). Watsons fails hugely also in this respect owing t o the fact that it operates without a concrete mission or vision. H&M Consulting is depicted as a successful company that has changed with the changing business environment by adopting better organisational structure and design. Considering its large global presence in 120 countries, the company has to have a reliable and practical organisation design and structure. Unlike Watsons, H&M Consulting has more than 13,000 workers meaning that handling all of them is a daunting and tricky task. For this company to be as successful as it is today, it has employed a networked structure with project teams. Most of its operations revolve around managing projects by their engineering experts or... Managing an organisation is not easy especially when operating in an international platform. Nevertheless, this needs not be an excuse for firms’ failure to persistently produce impressive results. There are many international firms that are doing well. However, looking deeply into reasons behind either performance or lack of it, it is clear to see that a great deal lies in the way a firm is managed. Contrary to the popular believe that employees can determine failure or success of a firm, they only do so as secondary participants as they simply act as agents of the management. Therefore, when employees constantly fail to deliver the responsibility should first fall on the management. Issues like organisational design and structure, extent and nature of teamwork, approaches to leadership and management and organisational culture need to be considered and formulated carefully for an organisation to achieve meaningful positive performance on a sustainable basis.

Discussions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussions - Assignment Example Indonesia which happens to be the major producer of palm kernel oil predicts increased yield which triggers increased production of coconut oil related products. From the social reorganization observed across the world, there is increased use of various products like cosmetics which are derived from coconut and this is likely to boost demand of this god substantially. It is important for the management to explore other factors that will improve demand. One of them is to undertake market research on people’s desires in terms of units of sales, packaging and the overall quality. It is equally important for managers to seek other price stabilizing strategies like collective bargaining approach with other producers (Kohler, 75). The Euro crisis is a significant determinant of US economic progress directly and indirectly. It is therefore undisputable fact that this economic slump had significant disturbance on the American Economy. The extensive foreign trade engagement between US and Europe which has been facilitated by globalization is a big factor that influences the existing dependency of the economic trend in these two regions. Most of the American businesses that are undertaken in parts of Europe especially value creation activities due to the comparative advantage concept has generally been affected since the dwindling economic climate offers confusion in terms of predicting the future (Kohler,75). There has been significant borrowing of capital goods by some Euro zone members like Greece and Cyprus besides foreign direct investment which undermines the economy future of US in the event of the Euro crisis that hit in 2012. It is therefore advisable that most businessmen study stock market trend very c arefully and divest to spread the risk and sustain their profit margin. This would entail seeking other value creation places like in Asia and Africa. Making decision to outsource input factor is a global debate among various managers. The thorny

Risk Planning Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Risk Planning Management - Essay Example s such, in response to risk, human beings have created and developed mechanisms with which they can avoid, prevent and minimize risk. This reaction stems from the fact that risk is considered as the probability that something could happen which can produce a loss, injury or even death. Contextualizing risk, the contemporary period has created a scheme in approaching risk – risk planning management. In effect risk planning management is protecting people, protecting companies. This notion of risk planning management is made more concrete in the intertwined relationships among the construction industry, risk planning management and fire and rescue operations.In this regard, the study will undertake a critical reflection pertaining to the intertwined relationships among the construction industry, risk planning management and fire and rescue operations. This study aims to carry out a critical reflection regarding the interconnection among the construction industry, risk planning m anagement and fire and rescue operations. This is significant as it affords new insights regarding the connection of construction industry, risk planning management and fire and rescue operations in the contemporary period.For this study, a critical reflection on theories as well as on the experiences of the researcher has been employed. In this regard, through critical reflection, a person gains deep learning that enhances not only personal knowledge but also professional skills and decision-making.

Landscape regeneration project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Landscape regeneration project - Essay Example Landscapes are usually taken for granted and become so much a part of everyday life that they go unnoticed, till something happens to disturb the placidity. A landscape is never static; as cultures evolve, the concept and ideas underlying the definition of landscape also change. Landscapes contain myriad aspects, those of family history, familiar landmarks, historic buildings, art and antiques, plants and animals. Concerns with regard to landscape conservation are so widespread and growing so fast that it becomes extremely difficult to define a landscape. Most interpretations of the landscape reflect personal and collective self interest - things valued as mine or ours. Societies may be modest about what they are but are always proud of what they were. The Environment Act of 1995 places a duty on National Park Authorities aimed at 'conserving and enhancing natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park' and 'promoting opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of areas by the public'. National policy explicitly defines 'heritage' as ancient archaeological remains, sites and historic structures, and thus largely conceives of landscape in terms of the role it plays as a setting or backdrop for these remains, structures or sites. The time-depth this framing brings with it is clear: 'heritage' is to be defined more closely in line with the impressions it has of the past, as opposed to the impressions it may leave in the present. As such, the idea of heritage, and thus landscapes, as a process in itself is overlooked (Ross, 1995). In recent years, the world's waterfronts have provided a particular focus for culture led regeneration. Marshall (2001, p. 3) describes the waterfront as space "in the city which allows expressions of hope for urban vitality". "These waterfront redevelopment projects speak to our future, and to our past. They speak to a past based in industrial production, to a time of tremendous growth and expansion, to social and economic structures that no longer exist. . . ." (Marshall, 2001, p. 5). In this paper, we revisit the regenerative development work carried out in Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside and the West End to discover whether the stated objectives of the project have actually been achieved and to examine how the new developments have achieved different results in localities adjacent to each other. Landscape and Regeneration The meaning of the English word landscape both encompasses framed views of specific sites and the scenic character of whole regions; it applies equally to graphic and textual images as to physical locations (Daniels and Cosgrove: 1989). Landscape holds a broad intellectual scope as a theoretical concept across the arts humanities, and social sciences. It is easy to theorise and redefine landscape into distinct parcels of 'culture', 'history', 'environment', 'prehistory', 'associations' and 'nature' (Cosgrove, 1998, Olwig, 2002, Corner: 1999, Smith: 2003, Bender: 1993), but what and how does one combine these to define a landscape that takes all these within its ambit. How a person interprets a landscape depends upon the individual's background, knowledge and experience. The opinion of the 'expert' and that of the 'common man' on the street may, and is most likely to, be substantially different as to what represents the landscape of a

Risk Planning Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Risk Planning Management - Essay Example s such, in response to risk, human beings have created and developed mechanisms with which they can avoid, prevent and minimize risk. This reaction stems from the fact that risk is considered as the probability that something could happen which can produce a loss, injury or even death. Contextualizing risk, the contemporary period has created a scheme in approaching risk – risk planning management. In effect risk planning management is protecting people, protecting companies. This notion of risk planning management is made more concrete in the intertwined relationships among the construction industry, risk planning management and fire and rescue operations.In this regard, the study will undertake a critical reflection pertaining to the intertwined relationships among the construction industry, risk planning management and fire and rescue operations. This study aims to carry out a critical reflection regarding the interconnection among the construction industry, risk planning m anagement and fire and rescue operations. This is significant as it affords new insights regarding the connection of construction industry, risk planning management and fire and rescue operations in the contemporary period.For this study, a critical reflection on theories as well as on the experiences of the researcher has been employed. In this regard, through critical reflection, a person gains deep learning that enhances not only personal knowledge but also professional skills and decision-making.

Shanghais Education System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shanghais Education System - Essay Example Generally, Shanghai students have the confidence and zeal to work hard in achieving full potential. In disputing what had been termed as rote-learning in China’s education system, Shanghai students showed other skills that do not depend on cramming exams by demonstrating the application of knowledge learned in class in real life situation. A report showed that this was made possible given the fact that the teaching profession is highly valued in Shanghai. Teachers in Shanghai are well paid, offered opportunities to study abroad where they get the opportunity to learn from the best teachers and implement what they have learned in teaching back in schools in their country. It is, therefore, an indication that the Shanghai government values a teacher and is willing to invest in ensuring that students get the best teachers.Another factor that makes the Shanghai’s education system competitive to offer quality learning than most countries are the procedures and conditions put in place before a teacher begins to practice their profession. In Shanghai, teachers upon graduation have to undergo a further one and a half-year standardized training course before they can step in class to teach. They are also required to complete a 240-hour training in the first five years after qualification while in the profession. Apart from that, the teachers are required to attend each other's classes as a culture that reinforces the dissemination and sharing of ideas which creates positive competition.

The History Of Integration Strategies Marketing Essay

The History Of Integration Strategies Marketing Essay Toyota employees a diversified business since it has spread its business operations all around the globe. The corporation tends to work in developed countries like America and developing countries like Pakistan. Therefore Toyota can deploy a number of techniques which could enhance the synergy created by diversification. The technique suggested here is that Toyota should further integrate related diversification by manufacturing motor-bikes, Scooties, bi-cycles since these are fuel efficient and eco-friendly transportation means. They can also focus on niche markets like manufacturing metropolitan buses. Building on the topic above, determine how diversified the company you research could become before it created a negative impact on the companys bottom line. Explain your rationale.   According to researches it is found that related diversification is more profitable than unrelated diversification and that there exists a non-linear relationship between diversification and the value created since after an optimal point diversification tends to become value-destroying (Galvan, 2007). Looking at the perspective of Toyota if the company diversifies on the markets it penetrates along with the related product line diversification it will tend to thrive. For example Toyota right now is focusing on diverse automobiles like hybrid, electric, SUVs etc. However if Toyota tends to start manufacturing totally unrelated products like leather shoes, bags etc. it would be a disaster since the corporation does not have sufficient competitive knowledge and competencies for competing in this market. Galvan, A. (2007). Diversification: Value-Creating or Value-Destroying Strategy? Evidence from Using Panel Data. Retrieved from http://gredos.usal.es/jspui/bitstream/10366/17425/1/DAEE_04_07_Diversification.pdf Victory Motorcycles From the case study, evaluate the business-level strategy of Victory Motorcycles to determine whether you believe the strategy is appropriate to offset forces in the industry. Provide specific examples to support your response. The business level strategy which has made Victory Motorcycles so famous around the globe is its diversification strategy. The business is highly diversified with a wide variety of products manufactured like motorcycles, snowmobiles and watercrafts. This makes the organization a highly diversified one. Furthermore the company also targets a diverse market across the globe. Their target market ranges from America all the way to China, Russia, Brazil and Australia. They tend to target customers through a variety of innovative designs and high quality motorbikes. Make recommendations for improving this strategy as well as describing any challenges you foresee in executing those recommendations. Provide specific examples to support your response. Since there are several other automotive firms in the market who have the tendency, capacity and technology to manufacture even better and highly efficient motorbikes the company need to take potential competition in check. What the company needs to do is formulate strategic plans for new automotive design and improve the efficiency. Along with that the company needs to manufacture environment friendly motorbikes like electric cars so that this challenge can also be met. Integration Strategies Explicate how the first company you researched was either helped or harmed by the integration strategy it chose. There are several ways in which companies can integrate for example mergers, forward/ backward vertical integration and horizontal integration etc. The company we researched is Dell.com. Dell has integrated the concept of forward vertical integration in its business model by selling to the consumers directly through its web portal thus calling for a virtual forward integration. This strategy has helped Dell in a variety of ways like increased consumer satisfaction by providing them with customized product right at their doorsteps and an approach to study consumer patterns. Magretta, J. (1998). The power of virtual integration: an interview with Dell Computers Michael Dell.  Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from http://autodesarrollate.vitro.com/PORTAL/cdh/thunderbird/files/Power%20Virtual.pdf Recommend at least one way this strategy could have been improved. This strategy could be further improved by reducing the price of the products since due to forward integration the distribution and placement cost decreases thus the company should also benefit its consumers with the reduced prices. Justify how the first company you researched could benefit from the vertical integration strategies it has not implemented. Include at least one advantage and one disadvantage of each strategy. The company could further take advantage from backward vertical integration strategy in which Dell can focus on manufacturing its own operating system, application software and chips. In this way the company can target a broader market segment along with providing customization in the personal computer internal environment as well. However this strategy might increase the cost of manufacturing along with complexity since there might be bugs in the newly developed programs due to incompetent software developers and company might lose its customers.

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: essays research papers

Charlotte Bronte makes use of nature imagery throughout "Jane Eyre," and comments on both the human relationship with the outdoors and human nature. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines "nature" as "1. the phenomena of the physical world as a whole . . . 2. a thing's essential qualities; a person's or animal's innate character . . . 4. vital force, functions, or needs." We will see how "Jane Eyre" comments on all of these. Several natural themes run through the novel, one of which is the image of a stormy sea. After Jane saves Rochester's life, she gives us the following metaphor of their relationship: "Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea . . . I thought sometimes I saw beyond its wild waters a shore . . . now and then a freshening gale, wakened by hope, bore my spirit triumphantly towards the bourne: but . . . a counteracting breeze blew off land, and continually drove me back." The gale is all the forces that prevent Jane's union with Rochester. Later, Bront†°, whether it be intentional or not, conjures up the image of a buoyant sea when Rochester says of Jane: "Your habitual expression in those days, Jane, was . . . not buoyant." In fact, it is this buoyancy of Jane's relationship with Rochester that keeps Jane afloat at her time of crisis in the heath: "Why do I struggle to retain a valueless life? Because I know, or believe, Mr. Rochester is living." Another recurrent image is Bront†°'s treatment of Birds. We first witness Jane's fascination when she reads Bewick's History of British Birds as a child. She reads of "death-white realms" and "'the solitary rocks and promontories'" of sea-fowl. We quickly see how Jane identifies with the bird. For her it is a form of escape, the idea of flying above the toils of every day life. Several times the narrator talks of feeding birds crumbs. Perhaps Bront†° is telling us that this idea of escape is no more than a fantasy -- one cannot escape when one must return for basic sustenance. The link between Jane and birds is strengthened by the way Bront†° adumbrates poor nutrition at Lowood through a bird who is described as "a little hungry robin." Bront†° brings the buoyant sea theme and the bird theme together in the passage describing the first painting of Jane's that Rochester examines. This painting depicts a turbulent sea with a sunken ship, and on the mast perches a cormorant with a gold bracelet in its mouth, apparently taken from a drowning body.

Internet Censorship Essay - Filters Help Improve Morality :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Internet Filters Help Improve Morality Hello there. My name is Apple Internet Macintosh, known to most people as "iMac". I was born a very long time ago as an Apple Computer; computer nerds keep updating my brain and I seem new and young every new year. I know it is hard to understand, but actually it is really helpful to my users. Most of my users mainly use one of my programs, which is the Internet. Sometimes my users don't use this in a good way and look at nasty and sick sites. I don't like looking at these sites and change is needed. The Internet first came to me and many of my other computer friends from the ARPANET project, a defense related project to help the army become more educated in technology. It came together between UCLA and Stanford in 1969, when UCLA students tried to log "onto the Stanford computer and try to send it some data". Problems occurred, and some major events took place; then, in 1976, networking was available to many, and the Internet was off and running (Gromov). Today you can even shop from home and have products delivered right to your doorstep using the Internet. The Internet is a great way to find anything that you need and even find a loved one you haven't heard from and want to get in contact with again. To do this, there are many search engines on the world wide web that help you find what you are looking for. Some people abuse this help to find porn sites, bomb-making sites, and other dangerous sites. There are many people that use the web every day learning new ways to be sick minded such as making bombs to blow up buildings, killing people, and looking at naked bodies of children. Not only are these sites available, but there are sites out there that teach young people how to damage their bodies by starving themselves or how to hurt others by making weapons. I am not alone in my decision to stop this nonsense. People use my program in many ways, but there is also a different side of this picture. Take the events of September 11, 2001, for example. There are many web sites out there that support Osama bin Laden and his actions. A boy from Florida, for example, flew a small plane into a multi-story bank building trying to recreate the events of September 11, 2001.

Portrait and Best-self Stories

We wish to acknowledge our collaborators, Brianna Barker Caza, Ph. D. , and Emily Heaphy, Ph. D. , for their contributions to our ongoing research on the Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢ (RBSEâ„ ¢). This research served as the inspiration and conceptual anchor for this exercise. We thank Jennifer Suesse for her collaboration on the Bringing My Reflected Best Self to Life action steps, which inspired Phase 2 in this edition of the exercise. We thank the Stephen M. Ross School of Business for its continued support of the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship.We appreciate the questions and comments we have received from those who have completed and/or facilitated the RBSEâ„ ¢. Thank you for sharing how you have brought your best self to life! COPYRIGHT INFORMATION This copy is intended for single use only. Please do not copy or distribute. The Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢ is available for sale as a PDF download at the website of the Center for Positive Organiza tional Scholarship, www. centerforpos. org. REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANEXECUTIVE BRIEF Born from empirical research from University of Michigan’s Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship, the Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢ (RBSEâ„ ¢) uses stories collected from people in all contexts of your life to help you understand and articulate who you are and how you contribute when you are at your best. With this new insight, you will feel immediately strengthened and connected to others, experience clarity about who you are at your best, and refine personal development goals to be your best self more often.The RBSEâ„ ¢ guides you step-by-step through the process of identifying potential respondents, making the request for feedback, creating your a priori best-self portrait, analyzing your reflected best-self stories, creating a new, reflected best-self portrait, and translating that portrait into proactive steps for living at your best.  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ OVERVIEW All of us can recall our own extraordinary moments, those moments when we felt that our best self was brought to light, affirmed by others, and put into practice in the world.These memories are seared into our minds as moments or situations in which we have felt alive, true to our deepest selves, and pursuing our full potential as human beings. Over time, we collect these experiences into a â€Å"portrait† of who we are and what we do when we are at our personal best. This â€Å"best-self portrait† is a resource we call on to build confidence, to help us make decisions, to be courageous, to prepare and see possibilities for the future, to face challenges, and so much more.We can strengthen our own best-self portraits with insights reflected back to us from significant others in our lives. Our friends, colleagues, and family members have dif ferent perspectives, and can offer unique and valuable insights into the ways we add value and make positive contributions. Research shows that the difference between a weakness-based self portrait and a strong best-self portrait is closely correlated to the difference between normal and extraordinary leadership.A popular assumption of personal development exercises and programs is that a person’s area of weakness is that person’s greatest area of opportunity (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Proponents of a strengths-based orientation argue that the deficit model may diminish people’s chances of making their greatest contributions, which is performing at their best, or achieving an integrated sense of who one is at one’s best.A strengths-based approach to personal development assumes that progress towards excellence is not a function of improving on weaknesses, but is a function of building on strengths. As you’ll see in the last step of this exercise, the RBSEâ„ ¢ takes a nuanced approach to developing understanding of both your strengths and weaknesses. CHANGES TO THIS EDITION The 2011 version of the Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢ has been updated to reflect advancements in research and years of feedback from users and facilitators of the exercise. Some of the important updates were to: Highlight unique attributes of the RBSEâ„ ¢, such as the use of stories, an emphasis on strengths exclusively, and solicitation of respondents from all contexts of the participant’s life †¢ Instruct participants to write personal best-self stories to consider with the reflected best-self stories †¢ Provide more instruction on the analysis of best-self stories individually and in aggregate †¢ Incorporate action-planning activities into the RBSEâ„ ¢ to help participants identify developmental goals that relate to the best self †¢ Combine the best of the original Reflected Best Self Exercise: Assig nment and Instructions to Participants and the Bringing My Reflected Best Self to Life booklet previously published separately †¢ Honor wisdom gained by facilitators and users over the years since first publication REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TABLE OF CONTENTSParticipant Instructions †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 Phase 1: Creating the Reflected Best-Self Portrait Step 1: Identify Potential Respondents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1, 2 Step 2: Request Reflected Best-Self Stories †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2, 3 Step 3: Write Your Own Best-Self Stories †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3, 4 Step 4: Analyze All Best-Self Stories†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4, 5, 6 Step 5: Compose the Reflected Best-Self Portrait†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 Phase 2: Bringing the Reflected Best Self to LifeStep 1: Analyze Context, List Enablers and Blockers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7, 8, 9 Step 2: Create an Action Plan †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9, 10 Author Information†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 History and Basis in Research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12 About the Center for POS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ PARTICIPANT INSTRUCTIONS Two phases comprise the Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢ (RBSEâ„ ¢).In Phase 1, you will create your reflected best-self portrait. In Phase 2, you will create a personal development action plan inspired by new insight into you at your best. (Conte nt previously found in the Bringing My Reflected Best Self to Life workbook. ) After each step in either phase you will see how our sample participant, Shawn, approached the step and a â€Å"Your Turn† icon ( ) with suggestions for how you can approach the step yourself. For some steps we also discuss other options to augment the exercise. Phase 1 | Creating the Reflected Best-Self Portrait Step 1: Identify Potential Respondents Thoughtfully select 15-20 people whom you will ask to write stories about you at your best. Why 15 – 20?Over time, researchers of the RBSEâ„ ¢ have found that identifying 15-20 potential respondents from whom you wish to solicit best-self stories should help surface a sufficient number of stories. Realize that due to time and other constraints, not everyone will be able to respond. Ideally, you will receive at least 30 stories, or three stories from 10 respondents, of you at your best. This number has provided past RBSEâ„ ¢ participants w ith sufficient data in which patterns across those stories can be found. How should I create this list of potential respondents? Choose people who have seen you at your best and people who will give you their honest opinion.Research shows that the RBSEâ„ ¢ is most effective when your respondents come from a mix of colleagues (former or current), superiors or subordinates, friends (old or recent), family members, customers, and anyone who has had extended contact with you. Know that past participants have found that their respondents have been quite willing, even eager, to assist with this exercise. (And past participants have been happy to reciprocate the favor! ) TABLE 1: SAMPLE LIST OF POTENTIAL RESPONDENTS PAGE 1 /// REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN YOUR TURN: Review the lists of contacts in your email account, address book, or social networking sites to refresh your memory.When you create a list of potential respondents , double-check to make sure a cross-section of people from your spheres of influence is represented. Shawn used a spreadsheet to organize the list. Step 2: Request Reflected Best-Self Stories Compose a story request (see example request below) and email it to the 15-20 potential respondents you identified in Step 1. NOTE: There are many ways to solicit and gather these stories. The below example is written for an individual user who is soliciting and compiling best-self stories as a class assignment. If your professor or program administrator is soliciting and compiling stories on your behalf, please use the customized instructions that they provide for contacting potential respondents.Shawn’s Sample Email Request for Stories Dear [name], I hope this message finds you well! I am writing to request your help with a class assignment. I am taking a course on leadership development as part of my MBA program. I would be grateful for your help with one of the required exercises for the course, the Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢ (RBSEâ„ ¢). The Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at University of Michigan created the RBSEâ„ ¢ to help individuals expand their understanding of who they are and what they do when they are at their best. The RBSEâ„ ¢ is a unique story-, strength-, and contribution-based approach to feedback-seeking and analysis.A former RBSE participant said of the process, â€Å"Besides feeling closer to my friends and peers for their positive views of me, it was very interesting to note the different impact that I seem to have made on each of them. The specifics mentioned by them allowed me to see some of the mechanisms by which I influence and have had an impact on people. † I am asking people who know me well to provide me with three stories of when I was at my best in their eyes. What was my positive contribution in each story? Additional instructions and examples can be found below. Please e-mail your responses to me by [insert date]. Thank you very much for your cooperation. I will keep all responses anonymous and will be sure to tell you what I learn after the exercise.Kind Regards, Shawn ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS This will require you to think about your interactions with me and to identify those times when I was at my best in your eyes. In writing, please be sure to provide details so I can understand the context, what happened, and what my positive contribution was. Best-self stories often capture things that people say or do in critical times or everyday routines that make a difference. These stories are  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ /// PAGE 2 often unacknowledged publicly. Best-self stories may describe someone’s approach to people, challenges, tasks, or even a work environment. I have included some examples of what these stories could look like. Please use this only as a guide. STORY EXAMPLES 1.From work colleague: You have the ability to get people to work together and give all they have to a task. For example, I think of the time that we were working on the Alpha project. We were getting behind and the stress was building. We started to close down and get very focused on just meeting our deadline. You noticed that we were not doing our best work and stopped the group to rethink our approach. You asked whether we wanted to just satisfy the requirements or whether we wanted to really do good and important work. You reminded us of what we were capable of doing and how each of us could contribute to a better outcome. No one else in that room would have thought to do that.As a result, we did meet the deadline and created a result we all feel proud of. 2. From a friend: You have capacity to persist in the face of adversity. For example, I think of the time that we were helping Lila empty her flooded basement. Her family lives far away and she was impossibly short-handed. Instead of getting overwhe lmed with her, you became more focused than I have ever seen anyone get. I think you went 24 hours without sleep to help her remove the water. I was amazed that you could maintain a positive attitude and consistently helpful orientation to Lila under those conditions. 3. From a boss: You are great at building relationships critical to project success.For example, I think of the time that: We were working for a clothing company committed to using organically grown cotton, and to having fair labor practices. You were the liaison with the various agencies and individuals critical to sourcing the organic cotton, and to creating the worker-owned sewing cooperatives here and in Central America. Despite resistance, you crafted and co-created a vision for how the business could work to meet these radically different goals. You easily navigated cultural differences and built strong relationships that thrive to this day. If you want to learn more about the Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢, please visit http://www. centerforpos. org YOUR TURN: Feel free to copy and edit Shawn’s letter to suit your situation and personal style.Consider the options for disseminating this request—hard copy letter, email, online form or survey—while keeping in mind instructions from your facilitator, speed of delivery and response, ease of compilation, and so on. Step 3: Write Your Own Best-Self Stories While you are awaiting your stories from respondents, we ask you to engage in deeper personal reflection about times when you believe you were at your best. You will analyze your own best-self stories, and the analysis will be part of your final reflected best-self portrait. Write your own best-self stories Think about three times in your life when you were at your best. Allow yourself to think of stories from all PAGE 3 /// REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN contexts and time periods. For three of these memories, write the story of what happened.In the story you could describe the context, the role you played, the actions you took, the characteristics you displayed, the results, and the reasons behind your actions. The examples and explanation in the sample letter in Step 2 can be helpful also. Sample Best-Self Story I feel I was at my best helping my organization create and pursue a new vision. We had been in existence for ten years and had tried and learned so many things along the way. I believed in the organization’s mission but wanted to move us in a new direction to expand our impact. I reflected on what was possible and crafted a vision of our team at our best. I presented the vision to my team and was delighted to incorporate their ideas into mine, thus creating something entirely new in a way that united the team.YOUR TURN: Pretend you received the story request you sent in Step 2. Reflect about times when you were, and normally are, at your best and capture the stories that exemplify that time in the same space, document, or file that will eventually house the stories you receive from respondents. Step 4: Analyze All Best-Self Stories Collect and aggregate your stories and the stories from respondents. Read and reflect on each story Read each of your stories carefully. In a table like the one below, note key insights into who you are and what you do when you are at your best. You’ll have an opportunity to analyze the context of the story. Please focus on your actions, contributions, attitudes, etc.WARNING: Reading these stories can stir up a great deal of (positive) emotions for you. It is normal to find yourself surprised by how people saw you positively. We recommend you find a quiet time and space where you can be free from interruptions and you can reflect on what you are learning. NOTE: We have analyzed the stories provided in the line sample email in Step 2 as an example below. TABLE 2: SAMPLE INDIVIDUAL STORY REFLECTION  © 2003, 2011 RE GENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ /// PAGE 4 YOUR TURN: Collect the stories you receive in a spreadsheet or other document, using the column headings shown in the example for the analysis.OPTIONAL STEP: Have a trusted group member or friend read your personal and reflected best-self stories to see if they come up with different themes or interpretations for each of the stories. Analyze the stories in aggregate After you have thought deeply about each of the stories, look for patterns and themes that emerge from considering the stories and analysis together. These patterns or themes will help you write declarative statements about you at your best. These declarative statements will be represent anchoring â€Å"truths† about you at your best and can later be woven into your reflected best-self portrait. PATTERNS: Recurring behaviors, contributions, etc. , across all of the stories and analysis.If you are unsure about how to find patterns, t ry looking for verbs, adjectives, and nouns that you see repeated in the stories or in your analysis of each story. For example, repeated verbs could lend insight into some of your best skills and strengths, and repeated adjectives may lend insight into some of your values and aptitudes, your approaches to problem solving, and the nature of your relationships. THEMES: Underlying truths about your values and beliefs and the essence of you at your best, inferred from the collection of stories and analysis. Identify themes and patterns and list several examples from your stories that exemplify that theme.NOTE: You may also find stories that exemplify seemingly opposite characteristics. If this is the case, it may indicate adaptability or flexibility as a strength in particular contexts. For example, you might find stories where you find creative solutions, but also consistently comply with standards. TABLE 3: SAMPLE AGGREGATED STORY REFLECTION PAGE 5 /// REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ⠀ž ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN YOUR TURN: Use a spreadsheet or other document to create a table like the one in Table 3. OPTIONAL STEP: Have a trusted group member or friend read your personal and reflected best-self stories to see if they come up with different themes or interpretations.Step 5: Compose the Reflected Best-Self Portrait Create a portrait of your best-self that captures the wisdom in your personal and reflected best-self analysis. The portrait is meant to be an aggregated articulation of your personal and reflected best self which you can refer to and revise well into the future. It should synthesize the themes and declarations you identified in the tables above. However, be sure that the themes are authentic to you—not necessarily just things you do well, but that reflect your identity as a human being. Reflected best-self portraits are often represented in the form of written narratives (see below for an example).We have also seen participants employ a variety of media to create their reflected best-self portraits. For example, you might represent your portrait in a pictorial collage or montage, a video, a song, or a poem. You may even choose to use multiple formats. Shawn’s Sample Reflected Best-Self Portrait When I am at my best, I tend to be creative. I am enthusiastic about ideas and I craft bold visions. I am an innovative builder who perseveres in the pursuit of the new. I do not waste energy thinking about missed opportunities or past failures nor do I take on the negative energy of the insecure or worry about critics. I stay centered and focused on what is possible and important. I use frameworks to help me make sense of complex issues.I can see disparate ideas and integrate them through â€Å"yes and† thinking. So I make points others do not readily see. In doing so, I frame experiences in compelling and engaging ways. I paint visions and provide new ways for people to see. I use metaph ors and stories to do this. I find the stories in everyday experiences, and people find it easy to understand them. The new images that follow help people to take action. In helping others, I try to empathize with them and understand their needs. I give them my attention and energy but I allow them to be in charge. In exercising influence, I try to enroll people, not force them, in new directions. I invite people to work with me.I use dialog to help people surface their ideas, and then I weave them together with others until we create knowledge in real time. I ignore symptoms and focus on the deep causes. I help people and groups surface the darkest realities and the most painful conflicts. From these emergent tensions comes the energy for transformation. I liberate people from their fears and help them embrace new paths. In all of this I try to model the message of integrity, growth and transformation. YOUR TURN: Be sure to check with the instructor or facilitator of the RBSEâ„ ¢ to see if there is a preferred portrait format. Otherwise choose a medium that inspires you!As mentioned above, it could be a pictorial collage or montage, a video, a song, or a poem, or a combination of multiple formats. OPTIONAL STEP: Share your draft and final portraits with a trusted group member or friend and request feedback. He or she may be able to help you see your portrait differently.  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ /// PAGE 6 Phase 2 | Bringing the Reflected Best Self to Life As you complete your reflected best-self portrait and begin to talk about your best self with others, more questions may emerge. You may be wondering: †¢ How can I use this knowledge to enhance the quality of my work and my life? †¢ How might I incorporate my best self into my current job, relationships, and future career plans? Which situations will stimulate me to contribute maximally from a position of strength? Can those situa tions also help me to grow and develop? †¢ How can I manage my limitations? The steps below can help answer these questions. Step 1: Analyze Context, List Enablers and Blockers As you review your portrait, stories, themes, and patterns, look to identify contextual elements that either helped or hindered your ability to be your best. These enablers and blockers can be personal, relational, or situational. Personal enablers or blockers include the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that affect your ability to leverage your best self in a given context. How do your personal beliefs support or undermine your best self?EXAMPLE: An individual’s belief in his or her ability to contribute in class is correlated with how often he or she chooses to do so. Relational enablers and blockers are those relationships that either support or undermine your best self. EXAMPLE: Shawn has one sister who is a great sounding board for new ideas, but another sister who only points out what could go wrong. Situational enablers and blockers include any contextual features (e. g. , organizational standards, systems, and practices) that promote or inhibit leveraging your best self. Which situations bring out the best in you? Which situations inhibit your best self? EXAMPLE: Some people are at their best in group situations, rather than when working alone.Shawn is best working with others and rarely does well when isolated or working in an impersonal environment. On Weakness: A word of caution as you begin this analysis: remember that your weaknesses should be considered as blockers. While this exercise focuses on your strengths, neglecting any known Achilles’ heels could interfere with your ability to capitalize on your strengths. Robert Kaplan1 has identified two common distortions in behavior that are useful to consider here: overdoing strengths and underdoing strengths2. The table on the next page illustrates some other common â€Å"fatal flaws†: 1 2 Kaplan, S . (2002). Know your strengths. Harvard Business Review. 80(3), 20. From High Flyers by Morgan W. McCall, Jr. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1998) page 29, figure 2-1. PAGE 7 /// REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TABLE 4: AVOID OVER-RELIANCE ON YOUR STRENGTHS 2 Sources of initial success†¦ Track Record Makes an impressive impact in functional or technical area > > †¦ can become fatal flaws. Seen as too narrow in a particular area Brilliance Seen as uncommonly bright > Intimidating; dismissive of other people’s ideas Commitment Sacrifice Extremely loyal to the organization > Defines life in terms of work; expects others to do the same Charm Capable of considerable charisma and warmth > Uses selectively to manipulate other people AmbitionDoes whatever is required to achieve success > Does what is necessary to achieve personal success, even at the expense of others in the organization In m any situations you are required to operate in your areas of weakness. If you do not perform your job’s tasks at a reasonable level of competence, failure will follow. Try managing around weaknesses instead: this may mean finding someone else to do the tasks you do poorly, putting in enough effort to develop your areas of weakness to an acceptable level of performance, and so on. Now is the time to analyze your data to see if they reveal any patterns or insights regarding either personal, relational, or situational factors.TABLE 5: SAMPLE IDENTIFICATION OF ENABLERS AND BLOCKERS  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ /// PAGE 8 YOUR TURN: Shawn listed some enablers and blockers in a spreadsheet with two columns. In the end, his list was actually much longer than this with many more enablers than blockers. It might be good to have two totally different documents for listing these to allow yourself room for more creativity. Step 2: Create an Action Plan As you navigate choices about what type of assignments to seek and what kind of skills to develop among a million other choices you face, it helps to work toward an action plan rooted in the insights about you at your best.Having a better understanding of your best self and the skills, characteristics, and opportunities that you need to make a positive impact increases the odds that you will make choices differently after this exercise. Your challenge, therefore, is to identify how to grow from where you are today. This is precisely the purpose of visioning and articulating an action plan. Visioning: Reflect on the choices you will have to make in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. Reflect on your best-self stories, your reflected best-self portrait, and your list of enablers and blockers as you prepare to write your action plan. What can you do to amplify the conditions or relationships that enable you to be your best at these decision points? How c an you work around or lessen the â€Å"blockers†?How can you make your best self even better? TABLE 6: SAMPLE REFLECTION PAGE 9 /// REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN YOUR TURN: Consider your key choices and the (short-term and long-term) actions that will help you be at your best. Write your thoughts down! Shawn chose a spreadsheet dividing the choices by immediacy. Shawn could do a chart like this for personal and community life, too. Action Planning: In this section, take look at your reflections and think about what you would need to do to bring them to life. The following questions might be helpful: †¢ How will you know if you are making progress with your best self goals? What evidence will you seek to document your progress? †¢ What resources will you need to continue to develop into your best self? †¢ What is your plan for accessing or building these resources? Sample Action Plan When I give perform ance evaluations I will know I am my best self when employees leave feeling energized about what is possible for their future with my team. I will help him/her see his/her best self and possibilities for managing weakness. We’ll come up with an action plan together. I will watch the employee’s behavior during our meeting but also in the weeks following the evaluation. I will meet with the employee regularly to listen to his/her story of progress.I will need to make time in my schedule to do this but it is time well-spent if we can keep the team energized. I will talk to my boss this week to enroll him in this plan, which will help me get the resources I need to execute it. YOUR TURN: Shawn chose to reflect the action plan in narrative form, create in a picture of goals the steps necessary to attain them. Choose the medium to do the same that works best for you—calendar reminders, apprise accountability partners, etc. OPTIONAL STEP: Have a trusted group member or friend read your reflections for this section. Encourage this person to help you see even more resources and hold you accountable to your action plan. Thank you for completing the Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢!We wish you the best!  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ /// PAGE 10 AUTHOR INFORMATION Robert E. Quinn Margaret Elliott Tracy Collegiate Professor in Business Administration; Professor of Management and Organizations, University of Michigan Robert E. Quinn is interested in the process of positive change. He seeks to understand processes that lead to increased individual and collective capacity. His recent books include Lift: Becoming a Positive Force in any Situation (Berrett-Koehler 2009) and Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture (Jossey-Bass 2006). He combines both a research and an applied orientation.He has 25 years of experience in working with executives on issues of organizational change. He teaches in both the MBA and Executive Education programs at the University of Michigan and is known for innovative instructional efforts. Jane E. Dutton Robert L. Kahn Distinguished University Professor of Business Administration and Psychology, University of Michigan Jane Dutton’s research on positive organizational scholarship began with an interest in compassion and the difference it makes for individuals and organizations. Her research has expanded to focus on the power of positive relationships at work, positive identities and meaning, job crafting, and resilience.Her recent books include Exploring Positive Identities and Organizations (Routledge 2009), Exploring Positive Relationships and Organizations (Lawrence Erlbaum 2007), and Positive Organizational Scholarship (BerrettKoehler 2003). Jane’s background in strategic management keeps her focused on how positive dynamics create sustainable capabilities in organizations. Gretchen Spreitzer Professor of Management and Or ganizations, University of Michigan Gretchen Spreitzer’s research focuses on employee empowerment and leadership development, particularly within a context of organizational change and decline. Her most recent work is looking at positive deviance and how organizations enable employees to thrive and become their best selves.Most recently she is involved in a large-scale project to validate a measure of thriving at work and better understand strategies employees can use to regulate their subjective and physiological energy. Her books include A Company of Leaders (Jossey-Bass 2001) and the Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship (Oxford, 2011), co-edited with Kim Cameron. Laura Morgan Roberts Professor of Psychology, Culture, and Organization Studies, Antioch University Laura Morgan Roberts’s research focuses on how to construct, sustain, and restore positive identities at work. She became interested in positive organizational scholarship through her doctor al dissertation research on social identity-based impression management among medical professionals.Her interests in the social construction of positive identities now include: the reflected best self, diversity, authenticity, strengths, leadership, and talent management. She is a faculty affiliate of the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship. PAGE 11 /// REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HISTORY AND BASIS IN RESEARCH The Reflected Best Self Exerciseâ„ ¢ (RBSEâ„ ¢) is the product of work by scholars at the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. It had its genesis in Bob Quinn’s belief in the benefit of colleagues sharing their thoughts on each other’s strengths. After seeing the power it had in executive education rograms, he joined Jane Dutton, Emily Heaphy, Laura Morgan Roberts, and Gretchen Spreitzer to form the Refl ected Best Self lab in 2002. The team conducted research on the concept, and began using it in classes, with great success. In 2003, Bob Quinn, Jane Dutton, and Gretchen Spreitzer wrote the Reflected Best Self Exercise: Assignment and Instructions to Participants, and they, along with Laura Morgan Roberts, created an accompanying teaching note. Since then, use of the RBSEâ„ ¢ has spread throughout the U. S. , and it is increasingly being used around the world. Universities, which have included it in their curricula include Darden School of Business, Harvard Business School, MIT, Stephen M.Ross School of Business, University of British Columbia, University of Southern California, and Washington University. It was also the subject of articles in the Harvard Business Review and the Academy of Management Review in 2005 and in the Journal of Positive Psychology in 2009. Key references include: Roberts, L. , Dutton, J. , Spreitzer, G. , Heaphy, E. , & Quinn, R. (2005). Composing the re flected best self portrait: Building pathways for becoming extraordinary in work organizations. Academy of Management Review, 30(4), 712-736. Roberts, L. , Spreitzer, G. , Dutton, J. , Quinn, R. , Heaphy, E. , & Barker, B. (2005). How to play to your strengths. Harvard Business Review, 83(1), 75-80. Spreitzer, G. , Stephens, J. P. , & Sweetman, D. (2009).The Reflected Best Self field experiment with adolescent leaders: exploring the psychological resources associated with feedback source and valence. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(5), 331-348. ABOUT THE CENTER FOR POS At the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS), we are devoted to energizing and transforming organizations through research on the theory and practice of positive organizing and leadership. We are passionately dedicated to the development and dissemination of POS research. Our activities include conducting research, writing on POS topics for academic and general books and periodicals, writing teach ing cases, and creating tools to help individuals improve their work life.We share POS principles in BBA, MBA, and Executive Education programs at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and in presentations at various academic institutions. Positive Links, our monthly speaker series, brings together scholars and practitioners to learn and discuss new POS research and POS links to practice. We are also passionate about building the community of researchers who study POS, and our biennial conference attracts scholars from around the world. We are all on a quest to reveal what is possible in organizations and for employees.  © 2003, 2011 REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REFLECTED BEST SELF EXERCISEâ„ ¢ /// PAGE 12 DESIGNED BY STEPHANIE HARDEN