The Minutemen and Their World

Robert A. Gross in his book, â€Å"The Minutemen and Their World†, takes a nearer look at the American Revolution by investigating the lives of the people that exist in Concord, Massachusetts. By exploring and understanding court records, diaries, colony records, families’ trees, and private papers the writer begins to illustrate a civilization prior, during, and subsequent to the American Revolution.He in addition succeeds in producing an excellent written chronological text that is simple to read, understand, and enjoy. It can be thought that Gross achieves this by providing the reader an enhanced sense of the living of a person in the period of the American Revolution. As well, the writer provides the true information that not only were the people of Concord experiencing a Revolution to battle for their autonomy, but they were furthermore undergoing economic, social, agricultural, and religious revolutions.Prior to the Revolution, Concordians were living in their own world, symbolically and accurately speaking. The social order of Concord was well developed and controlled issues domestically. These problems hampered with the daily social and economic environment. For instance, relationships between parents and their children were deteriorating. Also, the soil was being used up for the reason of excessive farming which led to the problem of too man sons and not enough land to be divided up between them.The generation gap between social classes was also broadening and political offices were held by a privileged few which were passed down almost as an inheritance through families. These domestic problems were temporarily put on hold with the appearance of the characteristic of a Revolution. The harmony necessary to conquer the reliance by the British Crown was much more significant to the people of Concord than their somewhat small problems and bickering. The most important feature behind the people's determination to stay free was that they desir ed to preserve and defend their traditional life, on the other hand by combating to protect that life, Gross would point out that the Concordians in consequence opened themselves to change.The mainly convincing argument Gross makes reveals the loss of patriarchal control in Concord, and apparently across the colonies. He portrays the manners sons rely on fathers for land, and daughters depend on fathers for dowries. As the financial environment changes, dowries are condensed, local fruitful land turn out to be limited and mature children have enticements to leave the relatives to trail the frontier. This outlays the father his basis of labor and outlays the children the resource of heritage and constancy.The changes the Revolution had on the people of Concord were the building blocks of the democratic society as one recognizes it today. By joining together to depose the crown the people of Concord defeat the â€Å"barriers of residence and wealth†(61). Men in all positions of the society desired to defend their freedom, consequently after the Revolution the severe rules relating to the elitist model of government in Concord seldom existed.Gross points out that after the Revolution the â€Å"newly elected delegate† was sent a â€Å"strict set of rigid rules† for him to follow â€Å"in court†(163). With new prominence placed on the people and their rights, politics was hardly ever about religious status any longer but more about equal representation. Also, after the revolution, Gross indicate that by 1790 there are no slaves in Massachusetts. With the Concordians fighting for their autonomy in the Revolution, it would be archetypal for the Concordians to see enslavement of any persons as hypocritical; when that is the very thing they were fighting against.Agriculture also was alleviating by restructuring and intensive farming. This resulted in a better-off social life and landscape. In general, the competition between generations was declined and sons continued with their families instead of moving away. All things considered, a better-off economic and social approach developed the people of Concord after the Revolution, though not right away.Robert Gross carried out a marvelous quantity of research to uncover information about persons whose names and achievements have long since been elapsed by the world, but he enlightens their tale so systematically that he permits the reader to overlook what a demanding assignment he took upon himself. With the closer look at Concord, Gross means to symbolize Concord as a representation of an ordinary colonial settlement during the Revolution. The characters in the book provide the reader logic of why the people in this town opted to rebellion. By representing the people of Concord and their causes to battle, Gross efficiently signifies all of the colonies that battled in the Revolution; as Gross describes the Concord fight as a happening in a wider war.The Minutemen and The ir World was ground-breaking in personalizing a Revolution. The author prolonged past proceedings and statistics into a persuasive account of people both normal and great. The points of view are concrete due to the heavy quantitative research. Works CitedGross A. Robert, (April 30, 2001), The Minutemen and Their World, Hill and Wang; 25th Ann edition, IS

Philosophy, Theory, and Ideology : Comparison and Contrasts Essay

I. Definition of Philosophy, Ideology and Theory The words Philosophy, Theology and Ideology are linked with each other. In order to discuss and compare each, definitions of the words are important. Philosophy is a greek word that came from the words â€Å"philo† and â€Å"sophia†. â€Å"Philo† means love and sophia means wisdom. Taking these two words literally, the word philosophy can be defined as the â€Å"love of wisdom† (theophil-bcantens.barry.edu, 2007). An article from theophil-bcantens.barry.edu (2007) had further explained that philosophy is a study of the ultimate. This definition was taken from what the philosophers had said about philosophy and the concepts that have been studied in philosophy. Ideology as defined in the dictionary, according to Rolf Schwarz, â€Å"is a belief or a set of beliefs, especially the political beliefs on which people, parties, or countries base their actions.† On the other hand, Theory is defined by Curran and Takata (2007) as a systematic way of thought about a subject. II. Comparison of Philosophy, Ideology and Theory Based on the three meanings, differences can now be seen from the three words. Philosophy is seen as a discipline like a branch of science or a branch of education. It is a subject that has theories and ideologies on its own. On the other hand, Ideology is a belief, meaning a person or a group of person could belief on that particular idea or not. Ideology pertains to any belief, as long as there is a person that believe in an idea then that can be pertained as the ideology of that particular idea. A theory is a way of thinking that explains something logically. A theory is usually a way to help clarify the things that are happening around us. As the author had stated, Philosophy is a study of the ultimate. Ideologies are sometimes formed based on Philosophy. Most of the topic in Philosophy is quite complicated and almost all issues are still under debate. According to Aristotle in Metaphysics, â€Å"All men naturally have an impulse to get knowledge.†, because there are many things in the world that are yet to be clarified people tend to study why this is so. Philosophers tried to explain things and made some theories in philosophy. An example of which is Mentalism. This is considered as a philosophical theory wherein â€Å"the mind is the true reality and objects exists only as aspects of the mind’s awareness† (the freedictionary.com, 2007). However, others based their beliefs on Philosophy. Example is the Aetheist. The ideology of the Aetheist is that â€Å"God does not exist†. That is what they believe, however it is not yet proven still. III. Conclusion As a conclusion, theory, ideology and philosophy differ in form. Philosophy is a discipline, Ideology is a belief and Theory is a way of thinking. These words are concerned with how the people think based on their everyday lives. People are curious about what is happening in their environment and because of this, people formulated several questions about the existence of something or about the meaning of something. The questioning is then perceived as a philosophy if people start to study and try to discover the answer to the questions that are still yet to be found. Philosophical theories can become ideologies depending on the one who perceives it. On the other hand, an Ideology cannot be accounted as a theory because it is based on the belief of people. The belief could either be logical or not.

Understanding the phenomenon of shale gas revolution Research Paper

Understanding the phenomenon of shale gas revolution - Research Paper Example The cost of gas is projected to go down as there is surplus production. The future of the revolution depends on proper policies to solve any crisis and bringing balance in regard to energy prices that will be suitable for both the countries experiencing the revolution and the major oil and gas producers. In the recent past, the energy sector has witnessed some technological advancement aimed at resolving the global energy crisis. Research beyond the current crude oil reserves has led to significant discoveries such as shale oil deposits that have added to the annual increase in production of oil and gas. These developments are thought to play a significant role in the global oil markets and energy at large. The technology is prevalent in the North American continent that is United States and Canada, who are exploiting the venture in large scale. Shale gas is said to be one of the greatest energy revolutions of all time. Although the technology is in its infancy stages in America, implications both political and economic go beyond its borders. Adversaries and allies of the United States will experience different effects due to the diversity of ways through which the technology will influence international energy markets and politics. Although there are a lot of uncertainties regarding the global energy markets, shale technology offers a great deal of ways that will enable America take advantages in the geopolitical sphere. The promise and potential of shale gas production are relatively high with the ability to impact substantially on the market economy. Shale gas presents a cheaper source of non-renewable energy that is environment-friendly, and most plants are substituting coal for it. However, the potentiality of shale technology depends on the primary producers that are Canada and the United States who are currently the supply hub. The

Plato's Timaeus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Plato's Timaeus - Essay Example 8). Moreover, it is â€Å"apprehended by understanding rather than senses. According to Platos cosmology, â€Å"the cosmos is the physical world†. Everything will come and pass away and supported by the opinion and perception of sense. Plato describes Cosmos that it became into being and was created with world of forms model, â€Å"The cosmos itself came into being, created using as its model the world of Forms. â€Å"Plato, in naming the Kosmos generation, he was simply trying to bring the fact that the account has less representation of faith in likeness known as the â€Å"likeness of an eternal model" (Plato & Donald, p 7-p. 8). In general, it means that the account is actually not probabilistic. Plato also describes the Cosmos as a living being simply because the Cosmos is based on a living being. Moreover, it is unique as it has souls and spherical shape due to its perfect and beautiful shape. Various presocratic philosophers also support Plato’s Cosmos nature and composition they include Heraclitus, Parmenides, Anaxagoras as well as Philolaus. The relationship between Plato’s and these dialogues from other philosophers has led to the rise of acrimonious and fruitful debate. Heraclitus also tried to examine the Cosmos and its nature, which made him offer a cosmological account concerning the nature of the physical world. He proceeds deeper than the Plato in inquiring and investigating the physical nature of the world (Plato & Donald, p 6-p. 8 ). Being one of the Presocratic philosophers, he further supports the nature of the world as containing an enormous variety of objects that will be, and have always been present. He claims, â€Å"all things on earth simply came from a common source or any other kind of stuff. The statement â€Å"that which always is, is that which becomes† by Plato is in line with the Parmenides passage (B1.30, B8.32-41). Plato also describes that order in every way is always better

Project governance structures and leadership Essay

Project governance structures and leadership - Essay Example Rio Tinto shares were listed in the ‘Australian Securities Exchange’, ‘London Stock Exchange’ and ‘New York Stock Exchange’. Headquarter of the company is situated in the UK and it was operating in 40 countries with around 71,000 employees. The main objective of the business is undergo the operation of ‘finding’, ‘mining’, and ‘processing mineral’ of the global resources. Furthermore, the company is engaged in the production of ‘metals’ as well as ‘minerals’ that includes ‘copper’, ‘gold’, ‘diamonds’, ‘uranium’, ‘aluminium’, ‘coal’ and other industrial minerals (1Rio Tinto, 2014). The aim of the essay is to analyse the current business model in terms of the project governance structures and leadership approaches of Rio Tinto Group. In this regard, an assessment is conducted with the aim of having a better understanding about the procedure based on which the company businesses approach in the global context. . The organisational structure of Rio Tinto Group is based on the hierarchical pattern i.e. top-down structure and the overall job role of the group is sub divided into separate departments. These departments are centrally accountable for the functional management linkage with the corporate management that consist of board level. The corporate management of the company includes the chairman, two executive directors and eight independent non-executive directors and presidents (2Rio Tinto, 2013). The company board regulates and evaluates the opportunities that need to put forward and strive to keep a balance between expenses and income of the business. The 2013 strategic report of the company reveals that board evaluates the planning reports and plays a supportive role to approve such plans. Sam Walsh is the chief executive of the company decision during the year 2013 is highly supported by the board level of implementing

Report to Caifu Investments Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Report to Caifu Investments Ltd - Essay Example It is noteworthy that both the company are strong competitors in the apparel industry of the United Kingdom. Since both the companies operate in the global retail industry, it is natural to assume that external environmental factors will affect both the companies in similar manner. These factors are: Advanced technology: Rapid technological development has profound transformation effect on the retail industry at global level. The exuberant adoption of mobile digital technologies such as tablets and smartphones in retailing has influenced consumer behaviour as well. Technological development has become a source of competitive advantage and differentiation. Advancement can be observed in terms of increasing implementation of QR (Quick Response) code, self checkout systems, digital advertising displays, smart kiosk and electronic price tags (Krafft and Mantrala, 2010). Product Life Cycle: The retail industry of the UK has reached the mature phase of its life cycle; as a result, high street shopping is declining at a rapid rate. Since 2000, approximately 25000 stores have been closed and around 183 retail brands disappeared from the market in 2011. E-commerce, high product diversification and recession are being considered as some of the contributing factors (Marketline, 2013). Competition: the competition in the industry is relatively high and considering the extensive diversity maintained by most contemporary retailers, the degree of rivalry has increased tremendously. Consumers have variety of choices but with limited purchasing power, retailers are losing significant share of the deserving profit (Marketline, 2013; 2014). Consumer behaviour: Thomas (2013) suggested that consumer buying behaviour in UK as well as in the world was largely affected by the recession. Consumers have changed their purchasing behaviour significantly. For majority

Mountains Beyond Mountains Essays Answer each of the following Essay - 1

Mountains Beyond Mountains Essays Answer each of the following questions from the course readings - Essay Example ral reaction because now the place (Haiti) had become part of his life as if seen from the angle of W Curve of Cultural Change, one can realize that Paul Farmer had absorbed the cultural shock and then able to adjust himself. He had been with the conflicts like poverty and poor health of the Haitians that he had to fight with and he adapted himself to integrate with the people and the place that made it quite hard for him to leave the place at the end. Anyone may have the similar feeling like when one visits a tourist resort for a period and while returning back he/she feels obliged to that place though one is returning to his own home. Kidder briefs the readers about Paul Farmer that he used to meet with different people around him and he liked to socialize with the people of diverse backgrounds. His ways to interact with variety of people helped him to know more about the problems and perspectives of different people about the ongoing issues like poverty and health. He did not usually sleep for more than four hours a day and kept his doors opened all the time for the suffering people. He allowed everyone to talk to him and his words left positive impact on them. His ways of interaction and communication were significant to judge the people in relation to their worries and then he endeavored with all energy to heal them accordingly. Such a diverse connectivity with the people let him understand better about how to deal with the intense situations and how to have an improved health system even during his absence. His methods can be adopted to improve understanding with humans and to have better skills of applied co mmunication. The proverb â€Å"mountains beyond mountains† has several interpretations at Haiti. Usually it is taken as there are several opportunities and another is that there are many obstacles that one you overcome to only see a clear view of another obstacle. Haiti has been the worst place in the western world in context of poverty and poor health

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

Edit - Essay Example The intent of using two images to illustrate the details of the van Gogh’s use of style is commendable, however I recommend that use of student-centered approach would help the learners understand the stylistic shift of Van Gogh. This should be done theoretically, as it will offer the learners more time to examine the attributes mentioned. The student’s participation in the learning process is a positive sign of understanding the topic. The indication that the students are able to access the National Art Gallery Website and create their digital archives is an illustration of the students’ participation. The general concept of the lesson is admirable; however, I am not sure the nature of the sources you will use to authenticate your content. There is need to offer a wide perspective of the lesson by giving a range of sources relative to the topic of discussion. In addition, how can one measure the progress of the students who do not grasp the contents of the lesson, particularly the computer

Multiculturalism in Canada in political view Essay

Multiculturalism in Canada in political view - Essay Example Multiculturalism in the country helps in integrating immigrants and removing barriers to participation in Canadian lifestyle, this makes the immigrants feel welcome in the society, which results in strong sense of national pride and belonging (Patels, 2006). The Muslim community in Canada has high socio-economic status and its contribution to society is evident in their strong presence in various sectors that include politics, health care, the hospitality industry and media. Multiculturalism policy in Canada was officially adopted in 1971 and its foundation is mutual respect among Canadians from all backgrounds. Institutionalization of multiculturalism encouraged genuine acceptance of the various cultures without fear of accommodating different cultures could lead to weak Canadian laws. Several polls performed in 2006 and 2007 illustrate that Canada is less bothered by the global increase in anti-Muslim attitudes and the resulting polarisation, when compared to other nations. The 2006 survey by Focus Canada indicate that 83% of Canadians believe that Muslims make positive contribution to the nation (Simanovsky, 2012). Moreover, international polls indicate small likelihood of Canadian Muslims believing that fellow citizens are harsh tow ard them, when compared to Muslims from other nations. One example of Muslim community incorporation into Canada society is the selection of Canada’s first Muslim mayor in politically conventional towns in the country (Simanovsky, 2012). The country deserves the reputation of being an all-encompassing society that commemorates diversity; even though, the system is not perfect, Canada embraces other cultures while adhering to the various country laws and policies (Simanovsky, 2012). Community relations in Canada are quite peaceful and the country has reduced tension and violence in comparison to European nations. Multiculturalism

The Future of the Middle East Essay Example for Free

The Future of the Middle East Essay The repercussions in the wider Middle East should have spurred more emphasis on the other nations. When the United States decided to invade Iraq in 2003, the whole of the Middle East underwent numerous changes. Some of the more secured regimes were actually discredited with quite important examples of the inability of these countries in their abilities to cope with the crisis. The entire region was thrown into an atmosphere of anti-Americanism. Robin Wright’s â€Å"Dreams and Shadows† captures the future of the Middle East, veering away from the more controversial war in Iraq and its consequences. It is able to describe the struggles of the people in Iran including other countries such as Morocco. She airs what others are not able to say, giving her an edge as she naturally has an access to the inner chambers of the experiences and journeys, with her journalistic experience to her credit. Vicariously, readers were able to glean her many experiences such as when she was present when the ruins of the United States Embassy in Beirut stood before her, knowing that there were 60 Americans who had been killed then by a suicide bomber. She ponders that at that time, she felt that the Islamic fundamentalists had the upper hand and who dominated the future of the region. Today, she speaks her heart all too willingly as she says that Islamic extremism is no longer the most important, interesting and dominant force in the Middle East. This book speaks of the different stories that relate to the brave reformers in terms of their human rights. She knows that there is a culture of change that is represented by the different upright persons who cause a change in the system. Those who have tried to achieve some changes are, sadly, just the religious movements such as the Hamas in Gaza and the Hezbollah in Lebanon. The recent events have convinced leaders that these suicide bombers are part of the dangerous trend of events. The author examines the reasons why the moderate reformers have been unsuccessful in the way they have acted in the Middle East. Wright gives a tug to the heart in her book as she narrates the heroes and heroines who publicly denounce inhumanity. She suggests how these autocratic regimes in the Middle East have been quite corrupt in the way they have run their governments. She looks at the different ethical dilemmas that arise at all levels. Individuals are often faced with ethical questions. More often than not, the answers to these questions are difficult because it involves weighing of values. Conflicting values in a given situation are not capable of compromise. One has to choose one over another. Sometimes, the ethically correct course of action is clear, and hopefully individuals act accordingly. But the answers are often not simple. The availability of weapons of mass destructions from rogue states is an alarming reality today, which maybe used against countries that adopt democracy as a way of life. This makes terrorism not only a threat to democracy, but also to the stability of the world as a whole, and most importantly, the preservation of human race. After the bombings, the border restrictions and protections in different nations were questioned. How did it come to be that the suspected hijackers managed to obtain visas easily and to use them freely? Thus, the U. S. –Mexico border was rigorously restricted but, quite confusingly, fewer restrictions were placed upon European, Asian and Middle-Eastern countries, resulting in hundreds of non-immigrants passing through the country where the government had no actual control. They were allowed to engage in activities in violation of their visas. Over and above that, a major aspect seriously affected by the actions taken by the government against terrorism was the civil liberty. What is to be noted is the different target areas that need to be address. She sees the potential for a meeting of the minds between the Hamas and the Fatah so that there will be democracy in Palestine. After the 9/11 bombings, the nation was swept with investigations and questionings. Many, mostly from the Middle-East communities were arrested and detained. There were people who were secretly indicted just because of several false statements in their Social Security card application; statements they made because they needed to work. A great number of the detained suspects of the 9/11 bombings, including the suspected terrorist group members and supporters of terrorist groups, cannot be charged with any crimes because of lack of evidence or the prosecutors could not really indict them with anything based on the 1996 Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. Still, they were â€Å"jailed for â€Å"questioning† or as material witness, detained on â€Å"immigration holds. † Because they have not been charged with any crimes, the victims of the Government’s post-September 11 nation-wide dragnet have few constitutional protections, and for the most part are unable to defend themselves because there are no known charges to defend against. The Government refused to release the names of the detained, the reasons for the arrests and where they were being detained. It was obvious the detainees had no access to representation. A new rule was issued by the Department of Justice giving INS the power to decide whether to release the immigrant detained on a reasonable bail or not. The stay of release was affected until the Attorney General reviews the case and determines appropriate action, which could happen in months, even years Indeed, Wright brings to question the array of ideas that make the region possess a rich past. What is to be noted is the different target areas that need to be address. She sees the potential for a meeting of the minds between the Hamas and the Fatah so that there will be democracy in Palestine. REFERENCES The New York Times. Retrieved Jan. 20, 2009 at: http://www. nytimes. com/2008/03/02/books/review/Cockburn-t. html? _r=1 Wright, Robin. Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East. Penguin Press HC, The (February 26, 2008)

Critic The Pestel Analysis As Model Commerce Essay

Critic The Pestel Analysis As Model Commerce Essay The topic of the project concerns research questions, which are based on previous observations over Bohemia Travel Agency. It is an interesting topic to follow, because of the arising opportunities for the company. With the long years of experience in the tourism sector, the company has already created image and during the whole years that positive image increased the profitability of the company. While becoming a leader on the market, the travel agency increased the potential of its performance, so that is the main reason of choosing the certain company and the researched questions. The investigation of finding solution to these research questions are strictly related to pursuing an appropriate theories. These theories bind together with appropriate analysis will open the future paths for increasing the business performance of the company. As mentioned in the problem formulation and the methodology the project will harshly follow the strategy of the travel agency and based on the strategic direction and choices, we will find a better ways for the company to develop and expand its business. The usage of the theory will start with examination of the macro-environment. The analysis is the first step of the planning process, as it helps to identify issues to be removed in the development and implementation of effectiveness in the business development. In this sense, it is crucial to examine the microenvironment and immediate impact on the organization. The most commonly used technique is the so-called PESTEL analysis divides the entire external environment of six segments, thus covering almost everything that can affect the organization. These six areas are: economic, political, social, technological, environmental and legal. The thing that should be considered when one PESTEL analysis is conducted is to identify the environmental factors that affect the organization in the long term, and arrange them in order of importance. When the organization develops the strategy, there is a variety of important factors they have to consider. We are going to take a look at all the factors that affect the economic environment and examine the relationship between business and the environment. This part will explain the key macro-economic variables that affect the business of the organization and will identify the trends in these variables. The PESTEL model will assess how changes might affect the company and will evaluate the strategies that the company might deploy in response. Thus, we are using that model in our research. The plan of action of the travel agency could be always ruined by the external economic changes, thus the PESTEL analysis will help us in finding out the appropriate solution for the further strate gic choices. According to Farnham (1999), the PESTEL and Porters (1980) five forces model provide a useful start for analysis the external environment and providing a crucial set of inputs for strategic development and implementation. (P. Rudolpf, 2005) It is important to critic the PESTEL analysis as model, because it clarifies the external factors of the company, but these factors (Lynch 2006) are viewed as almost uncontrollable. In addition (Sutton 1988) suggests that analysis of the external environment is undertaken to gain competitive advantage and improve long and short term planning. McMillan and Tampoe, (2000) state that the PESTEL framework represents a guide to the general environment but is based only historical data and the past, but it refers to forces of changes in the environment and can be used to forecast the future. In other words, understanding changes taking place currently is an important guide to anticipating the future (Fahey, 1986). (Aguilar 1967; Choo and Auster 1993) suggest that the external environment in relation to an organisation or business is where information that is of critical importance can be analysed. This in turn will help the strategic planning and future development of the organisations future. Organisations and businesses choose to analyse the external environment in order to understand forces out with the business or organisation that can change a proposed strategy instantly. Organisations and businesses do this in order to avoid any surprises and in turn identify threats and opportunities. Such as the SWOT/TOWS analysis, the PESTEL analysis has been discussed and proposed as an excellent tool by many authors and researchers (Lynch, Sutton, Farnham. In addition (Sutton 1988) suggests that analysis of the external environment is undertaken to gain competitive advantage and improve long and short term planning. Moreover (Lynch 2006) asserts that external factors outside the business or organization are viewed as almost uncontrollable. In addition we will say that conducting the PESTEL analysis will be much more reliable than any other models, because it strongly influences our further strategic choices. The next step of in understanding the firms competitiveness is to look at the competitive arena in an industry. Porter five forces model is created by Michael Porter in Harvard University (1979). The aim of the model is to analyze the industry in order to identify the level of intensity regarding the competition and attractiveness of the industry. A good technique for analysing the microenvironment is Porters five forces model that helps to identify the level of competition in an industry (Stonehouse, 2001). However, it is essential, by using this model, to consider the characteristics of the industry in regard to technological and economical environmental aspects and the influence of the government in regulation competition (Porter, 1980). According to variety of authors (Porter, Kotler, Lynch, Hollensen etc.) the external environment should be accompanied with competition analysis. That is why our next step will be based on the authors advices. In our case, that is the Porters five forces analysis. As already described in the methodology part (see the previous chapter above), the Porters five forces are going to clarify our picture of the competition in the tourism sector of the chosen travel agency. One of the most useful frameworks for analyzing the competitive structure has been developed by Porter. Porter (1980) suggests that competition in an industry is rooted in its underlying economic structure and goes beyond the bahaviour of current competitors. (Hollensen, 2010) As we can see, one of the authors following the Porters model is Svend Hollensen, who as an Associate Professor can confirm the benefits of using the Porters five forces as a constructive model of analyzing the competition in the industry. Moreover (Hollensen, 2010) asserts that the goal of competition analysis is to find a position in industry where the company can best defend itself against the five forces, or can influence them in its favour. If we agree with Hollensen (2010), there will be two possible outlines for our travel agency positive and negative. But no matter of the final results, in overall, the analysis will ensure and confirm our further strategic choices and will influences on our proposal of investment plan. Michael Porters five forces model was also harmed of other authors criticism, such as Lynch who says that the model assumes that there are no changes in the industrial environment but in fact the market is very flexible. This is shown for example on the enormous growth of the e-commerce sector. If you use this tool, you have to repeat this analysis continuously. (Lynch, 2009, p. 101-102) The main reasons why Porters five forces has endured much criticism are that the world radical economic changes has occurred since the time the model has been developed; there is a very strong impact of internet on the industry. Of course, the recent years, there are authors, investigating the strategic planning in the business and one of them Larry Downes stated that Porters five forces are no longer viable. Due to that reason, Downes has developed three new forces, which are: Digitalization, Globalization, and Deregulation. Downes insists that Porters five forces model is obsolete. Downes arguments are convincing. In fact, digitalization, globalization and deregulation have become powerful forces during the last years, but Porters models rarely take them into consideration. Todays markets are highly influenced by technological progress, especially in information technology. Therefore, it is not advisable if not to say impossible to develop a strategy solely on the basis of Porters models. (Recklies, 2008) Downes critique of Porter implies that Porters models focus too much on the economic conditions of their era of origin. Therefore, their viability is limited under changed conditions. We need to add here that Downes new forces are derived from the economic conditions of their particular era too. Within some years or decades, they will have lost some of their importance because other developments have taken over the driving role. (Downes, 1997) Further criticism comes from those who say the model simply provides a snapshot of an industry, rather than a more dynamic picture which says something about the future, and can be more readily translated to strategy. Lawton argues, however, that the idea of assessing substitutes does bring dynamism, highlighting where the challenges will come from. Then there are those who criticise the model for having missed out a vital stage in the process of assessing the market. Lampel says: It doesnt explain how to define the industry, and sometimes that is a tricky question. Porter picked industries that were easy to identify, but a lot of people get the industry wrong, so the analysis is worthless. Some people argue that defining the industry is the critical input of knowing where you stand. (SPS, Nov. 2009) However, some criticism has been made that the five forces are an analytical tool and rather static. Rumelt, (1991) suggested that companies have company-specific preferences of strategic development regarding profitability, which has lager influences than the competitive forces of environment. Furthermore, the five forces largely ignores the human resources aspects of strategy (Farnham, 1999), which will be of increasing importance in the future. But still we can stick to the proving of PESTEL analysis combined with Porters five forces, because as Thomas Lawton, professor of strategic management at Cranfield says: In a sense transposing the PESTLE ideas onto the Five Forces is the best way. (SPS, Nov. 2009) The very next theoretical model conducted in our project will be SWOT/TOWS analysis. The SWOT analysis is a rottenly used strategic tool in bigger or smaller organizations. It examines the internal and external environment of a company and gives a clearer picture for an organization of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis is developed by Albert Humphrey, who named the strategic tool alternately SWOT Matrix. The matrix is also described by (Jobber and Fahey 2006) as the structured approach to evaluating the strategic position of a business or organisation by identifying its strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats. (Lynch 2006) furthers the view of (Jobber and Fahey 2006) by suggesting that the SWOT analysis is how a business or organisation can further their development from the PEST and Porters Analysis and make an amalgamation of the analysis of the internal and external environment by doing the SWOT analysis. On the other hand, the SWOT has end ured a lot of criticism of variety of authors and researchers, working in the field. In relation to the external factors of the SWOT analysis (Johnson Et al 2009) suggest that the analysis of opportunities and threats is extremely valuable when the organisation or business is looking to formulate a proposed strategic plan for the future. Other criticism is provided by (Mintzberg 1994) who suggests that SWOT is the main cause of what is considered there an excessive formalization of the strategy making process. Many authors (Baramuralikrishna and Dugger 1998; David 1997; Hill and Westbrook 1997; Johnson et al 1989; Thompson and Strickland 1998; Wheelan and Hunger 1998) suggests that this usage rarely amounts to much more than a poorly structured, very general, hastily conducted exercise that produces unverified, vague and inconsistent inventories of factors regarded by the proposing individuals as most important components of their organizations strategic situation. Most of the SWOT critics are arguing that the matrix is too superficial and basic. It does not provide detailed analysis of a company and many times it is used in a wrong way. Due to much criticism and conflicts between authors about the SWOT analysis, we decided to conduct the TOWS matrix represented and developed by Heinz Weihrich, Professor of Management, University of San Francisco. He writes a detailed article about TOWS analysis, also called The TOWS Matrix A Tool for Situational Analysis. (Heinz Weihrich, GODINA) has two main purposes One is to review general considerations in strategic planning and the second to introduce the TOWS Matrix for matching the environmental threats and opportunities with the companys weaknesses and especially its strengths. These factors per se are not new; what is new is systematically identifying relationships between these factors and basing strategies on them. There is little doubt that strategic planning will gain greater prominence in the future. In his article Heinz Weihrich is describing in details the ways of usage the matrix and the main benefits of using the matrix. In contrast of the SWOT analysis, the TOWS one is much more reliable and appropriate to conduct in our project, because it is focused in analyzing the company in much more details and gives much flawless picture of how to turn the weaknesses into strengths and the threats into opportunities. The TOWS matrix is combining the whole four outlines of the matrix and creates the opportunity of better observation into the internal and external factors influencing the company. Even sometimes the threats could ruin the forecasting, the TOWS help the company to forecast easily and once understood the strengths and the weaknesses, the company could find better future opportunities to develop. The relation between providing TOWS and the other strategic tools PESTEL analysis and Porter dive forces is that all the models and theories are bind together in building the most appropriate path for the company to find the most accurate strategy for the better performance of the company. The very next strategic tool of the project is the model of Igor Ansoff, who created the product-mission matrix, in other word the so-called Ansoff matrix. The matrix allows companies to realize the risk component of various growth strategies, including product versus market development, and diversification. The Ansoff matrix presents the product and market choices available to an organization. Herein markets may be defined as customers, and products as items sold to customers (Lynch, 2003). When developing the Ansoff matrix, the inventor Igor Ansoff aimed to measure the growth of risk that the company might take when choosing different directions of strategy. According to the matrix, we can say that the more different the territory is, the higher risk is taken. Managers of organizations should be aware of how to manage the risk appropriately and to take into considerations the right decisions. The Ansoff matrix helps the company to increase its profit by entering in new business oce ans. The strategies taken by a company may have huge consequences and that is why the risk should be observed carefully. However, due to these reasons in our project we will conduct an analysis over Ansoff matrix and will see how the strategies will work for it and for its future performance. As also known, the Ansoff matrix was developed 1957, but a few years later the Igor Ansoff realized that his work was not unique, because a similar matrix was developed earlier.Moreover few years after Ansoff matrix was much criticized by Henry Mintzberg, who didnt like the idea of strategy being built from planning, which is supported by analytical techniques.

The New Scenes in Hawks The Big Sleep Essay -- Movie Film Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the film version of The Big Sleep, Howard Hawks invents scenes and characters that do not appear in Raymond Chandler's novel. No rare bookstore trist, no rough and ready female cabdriver, no winking cigarette girl grace the pages of his book; Marlowe and Vivian never talk of horses; and Carmen's always naked. But not in the film. In the film, she wears clothes, Marlowe is a jockey, Vivian is a horse, and all these characters appear. Faulkner, Brackett, and Furthman write these elements into the screenplay. But they do not develop ideas the text does not already suggest. The ideas are there--just evolved into new species that echo the original animal. Hawks had to do it, for the Production Code forbid directors to present any material that was overtly sexual, violent, vulgar or otherwise, profane. Therefore, since the Hays Office regulated what Hawks could present on film, his writers embedded the censored material in new forms. Todd McCarthy explains that, "the writers . . . and director . . . extract[ed] the maximum character and suggestiveness from every situation" (387). In other words, they invented and modified scenes and created characters while Hawks manipulated the mise-en-scene to suggest the forbidden ideas in Chandler's novel.    Three tenets of the Production Code impact the film directly. The Hays Office states as follows:    1. Sadism, homosexuality, incest, etc., should not even be hinted at in motion pictures. 2. The treatment of low, disgusting, unpleasant, though not necessarily evil, subjects should be subject always to the dictate of good taste and a regard for the sensibilities of the audience. 3. Complete nudity is never permitted. This includes nudity in f... ...tes, but he does not present everything. Nor can he, for the Production Code restricts what he can represent on film in 1946. For this reason, Hawks eliminated some ideas--i.e. Geiger's homosexuality, Vivian's violent aggression--entirely. But he kept the one element he felt he could not omit. In the novel, Carmen's nude figure possesses an incalculable amount of energy. Hawks wanted that energy to carry the film. Therefore, he employed writers who would help him inject the power of her image into the film in ways the Hays Office would accept.    Works Cited Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep. New York: Vintage Books, 1939. McCarthy, Todd. Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood. New York: Grove Press, 1997. Moley, Raymond. The Hays Office. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1945. The Big Sleep. Dir. Howard Hawks. Universal, 1946.

Pygmalions Obsession with the Statue of Cyprus Essay -- Bernard Shaw

Pygmalion's Obsession with the Statue of Cyprus Pygmalion decided to portray women as he searched for the most perfect being and he hadn't found any in Cyprus. He placed all his love and wishfulness in his statues and so the most beautiful of his creations was sculpted. Pygmalion, being a man, and having 'animal' urges, must have wanted a partner to share his emotions and get frisky with, so this was the perfect idea for him. What could be better, a woman with beautiful looks, and never talks back or argues with you? Bliss. Since no one came up to his expectations, it became an obsession that he wanted the perfect wife. Or maybe he wanted to show off to his mates that he had the perfect woman in Cyprus, even though it was ivory. Does anything in the earlier part of the story help to explain Pygmalion's behaviour? Pygmalion's behaviour gets a lot more elaborate and somewhat more perverted with each line. As the story progresses, his obsession and passionate love for the statue gets stronger and stronger, until it reaches the climax of what a man can do with a statue, sleep with it. Nonetheless it is possible to retrace the reason for his perversion. It is explained at the very beginning of the text. Ovid writes that the women around Pygmalion spent their time in wickedness, and that he (Pygmalion), was disgusted by their very many vices, which nature gave to women's minds: "quas quia Pygmalion aevum per crimen agentes viderat, offensus vitiis, quae plurima menti feminae natura dedit." It was from this fact that Pygmalion's troubles started. Ever since Aphrodite had turned the women of Cyprus into whores, Pygmalion was never able to be satisfied by the real women on his island. This is what had originally turned his thoughts into creating something female, which was perfect in every way for him. His solution to this was creating a sculpture of a woman. He made this out of white ivory, and it seemed so real that people thought that it could move, and was alive: "quam vivere credas et, si non obstet reverentia, velle moveri". This perfection made Pygmalion fall in love with it, because it was an ideal woman in every way. From this point on Pygmalion's behaviour became more strange; he did many odd things to the statue, for example he gave her presents, kissed it and felt it. Basically Pygmalion became so desperate that... ...wers of a thousand colours, lilies and painted balls of crystal or amber. He adorned her body with clothes and decorations such as jewels for her fingers, long necklaces for her neck, rings of light pearl hanging from her ears and pendants over her breasts. At this point in the story there is a turning point. He comes more normal and real, in that he decides to ask Venus to turn her into a real person. He seems to realise that he can't continue like this and that it would be in his best interests if he had a real person instead of a statue as his 'wife'. It seems at this point as though he is a real person and has completely shrugged off his former madness, by actually having a normal woman and not having anything else peculiar about him. There is however one final moment of madness. When he returns home, he doesn't at first believe that she is real and, although he realises that she is warm, he does not dare to celebrate lest he is proved wrong. Throughout the story he behaves very unlike a normal person and acts very irrationally. However, the very last few lines show that he did manage to overcome it and he did end up being a normal and conventional person.

Ray Bradbury :: History

Ray Bradbury Ray Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920. He was the third son of Leonard Spaulding Bradbury (a telephone lineman for Waukegan Bureau of Power & Light [Wolfe 62, http://www.brookingsbook.com/bradbury/biography.htm]) and Esther Marie Bradbury (a Swedish immigrant [Snodgrass 73]). Ray lived in Waukegan, Illinois for six years until his family left to Tucson, Arizona in 1926. (http://www.brookingsbook.com/bradbury/biography.htm. When Ray Bradbury was eleven, he would be writing stories on butcher. (http://www.brookingsbook.com/bradbury/biography.htm) Ray was very much into science fiction, horror movies, books, comic books, and magic acts. (Snodgrass 73) At age 12, Ray read a newspaper headline reading "World Would End Tomorrow". (Tucson 1932) Young Ray was all excited about this event so he and his brother packed a lunched and camped out on a ridge to see the end. They waited for some time and nothing happened. Disappointed, he and his brother left the ridge and went home. From that point on, Ray vowed to separate from religion. Why? Because he doesn't like a god who likes to see his people run in pseudo-terror. (Vollmer) In 1932, - after his father, Leonard Spaulding Bradbury, was laid off work because of the depression - his family moved to Los Angeles, California. (http://www.brookingsbook.com/bradbury/biography.htm) In 1935, at the age of fifteen, Ray would continue writing stories. Every once in a while he would send them to national magazines for print. (Wolfe 63) None of his work, at this time, was printed. Even though his work was never published, that didn't dispair him from his love of science fiction. With that, he joined the Los Angeles Science-Fiction Society. (Snodgrass 73) Later in the same year, Ray printed out his own magazine called Futura Fantasia. Futura Fantasia only consisted of Ray Bradbury's work. The magazine lasted for only four issues. (Snodgrass 73) In 1938, Ray Bradbury finished High School at Los Angeles High School in Los Angeles, California. (McNelly 918) Nearly four years of trying to have one of this stories being published, Ray has his fist printing with Imagination! Magazine and the story called Hollerbochen's Dilemma. (http://www.brookingsbook.com/bradbury/biography.htm) This was a big break for Ray. He had never had a piece of work of his being printed. Some of Ray's influences have been "†¦ L. Frank Baum's magic land of Oz, the never-never Africa of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes, and Barsoom, Burroughs' impossible, romantic Mars†¦". (McNelly 918) But with even these writers, his biggest influence was not of a writer, but of a magician act of a passing circus.

Conflict in Organisations

To what extend do you accept the view that conflict is an inevitable feature of management and organizational behaviour? Suggest how management can attempt to avoid the harmful effects of conflict. Introduction All organizations, by their very nature, have built in conflicts Conflict is seen as an inherent feature of organisations and induced, in part, by the very structure of the organisation. The causes might stem from individual characteristics, interpersonal factors, communications, behavior, structure and previous interactions. Conflict, per se, is not necessarily good or bad but an inevitable feature of organisational life and should be judged in terms of its effects on performance. Even if organisations have taken great care to try to avoid conflict it will still occur. Conflict will continue to emerge despite attempts by management to suppress it. † J Mullins Pge 490. A more recent view of conflict is the interactionist perspective, which believes that conflict is a pos itive force and necessary for effective performance.This approach encourages a minimum level of conflict within the group in order to encourage self-criticism, change and innovation, and to help prevent apathy or too great a tolerance for harmony and the status quo. Conflict Defined Conflict is defined as an incompatibility of goals or values between two or more parties in any relationship, combined with attempts to control each other and antagonistic feelings toward each other (Fisher, 1990). The incompatibility or difference may exist in reality or may only be perceived by the parties involved.Nonetheless, the opposing actions and the hostile emotions are very real hallmarks of human conflict. Main Causes Of Conflict In Organisations Differences in Goals: In an organisation, functional departments or sub units become specialised or differentiated as they develop different goals, tasks and personnel. Although the overall organisational goal is agreed upon, such specialisation or di fferentiation leads to conflicts of interest or priorities.For example in a firm involved in manufacturing certain products, the sales and marketing department might want low prices to attract more customers or to gain a bigger market whilst the production department might want higher prices on those products to meet the production cost. Limited resources: Competition for limited resources is also a factor for conflict. The classic example here is the normal budgetary requirements that usually exceed available funds. This is probably the most prevalent and familiar source of conflict at the TRB.Departments request more than what the budget can sustain. For example, replacement of obsolete laboratory equipment by the analytical services Division against the refurbishment of the tobacco curing barns by the Field Services Division. Departments fight to get preference as Heads of Departments attempt to present their problems as the most pressing and urgent. Communication barriers: This arises when two individuals or groups are unable to express themselves, verbalize their needs, state their case adequately, provide logical and structured argument, or listen effectively.Miscommunication and misunderstanding can create conflict even where there are no basic incompatibilities. Lack of communication skills often results in confusion, hurt and anger, all of which simply feed into the conflict process. Language barriers and socio-cultural backgrounds can inhibit the intended meaning of a particular message. Perception differences or differences in the value system: Parties may have different perceptions as to what are the facts in a situation, and until they share information and clarify their perceptions, resolution is impossible.Self-centeredness, selective perception, emotional bias, prejudices, etc. , are all forces that lead people to perceive situations very differently from the other party. Because of this perception variation, people tend to value reality differ ently. As perceptions become a person’s reality, value judgements can be a potential source of conflict. Ambiguity – the ambiguous purposes and objectives, the imprecision in establishing tasks, authority and responsibility of some jobs and compartments, lack of clarity in transmitting decisions or the deformed presentation of reality are causes of conflict at TRB.Management sets unclear policies. These can cause much argument, confusion and wasted resources. When rules and standards are also inequitably applied e. g. one set for management and another for the workers, the credibility of management regarding its value system can be significantly undermined. At TRB, the policy states that work starts at 0700hrs. Some managers adhere to this policy together with the bulk of the employees, but others do not. The earliest that they are seen at work is at 0745hrs. No action is taken against them, but if lower level would dare to do the same, they will suffer the consequence s.Interdependent work activities: Wherever the input to one process is dependent on the output from another before the finished product is complete, the potential for conflict is high. The Accounts Department at TRB depends on the stock take figures that the Business Development Department among other departments submit at the end of each month. How, BD personnel have their own priorities that occupy them. The BD team may not particularly be aware of Accounts’ deadlines and as such the moment Accounts tries to hasten their stock take process, and a conflict arises.Unclear job boundaries: These result in employee confusion and criticism of one another, as well as management, and are extremely counterproductive. Responsibility for tasks is abrogated and it becomes virtually impossible to determine accountability. There is Business development as a department and on the other hand there is a interdepartmental committee called the PR and Marketing Committee. The leaders of these two groups, the AGM Business Development and the PR and Marketing Chairperson (a Head of the Plant Health services Division) are always in conflict as they sometimes duplicate tasks often, using different methodologies.Some tasks are left undone or imperfect because of the diffusion of responsibility. These causes show that management might be to blame for some of the conflicts emanating mainly from communications and structure but has nothing to do with the individual characteristics and previous interactions. There is affective conflict i. e. one which refers to inconsistencies in interpersonal relationships, which occurs where organizational members become aware that their feelings and emotions regarding some of the issues are incompatible. Members would end up focusing on reducing threats and increasing their power to the neglect of work productivity.This has a negative effect on both organizational members and the organization itself. Members become resentful, negative, irritab le and suspicious. Group performance and group loyalty are also impeded as the members are antagonistic to each other and have high levels of stress and anxiety (Rahim 2002). There is also substantive conflict i. e. where people disagree on their task or content issues. This occurs when there are disagreements among group members about the content of the tasks being performed, including differences in viewpoints, ideas and opinions (Jehn 1995).This has a positive effect on group performance if it is moderate as it stimulates discussions and debates which usually lead to more efficient ways of performing the tasks. Such debates lead to a better understanding of the issues resulting in more informed decisions. It has been found to be more effective among groups that are involved in non-routine tasks than in those carrying out standardized activities. However, like affective conflicts, they usually diminish group loyalty, job satisfaction, and workgroup commitment (Jehn 1995).The chall enge for management is to maintain a level of substantive conflict so as to increase group performance but reduce affective conflicts avoid job dissatisfaction. Negative Effects of Conflict The negative effects of conflict are that communication breaks down, individual needs are not heard or met, creativity is stagnated and relationships with others usually deteriorate. Therefore, organizations which don't encourage the effective resolution of conflict will usually have lower staff morale, strained relationships, higher levels of fear and tension among staff and lower productivity. This has a negative effect on both organizational members and the organization itself. Members become resentful, negative, irritable and suspicious. Group performance and group loyalty are also impeded as the members are antagonistic to each other and have high levels of stress and anxiety (Rahim 2002). Management can attempt to resolve these harmful effects of conflict through the following methods and a pproaches. Effective Resolution of Conflict According to J. A. F. Stoner and R. E. Freeman, the three most frequently used conflict resolution methods are dominance or suppression, compromise and integrative problem solving.The methods differ in the extent to which they yield effective creative solutions to conflict. There are various methods and approaches to conflict resolution but this paper shall evaluate the effectiveness of the above three methods under different approaches. Dominance and Suppression Method The dominance and suppression methods usually suppress conflict rather than settle it, by forcing it underground and they create a win-lose situation in which the loser usually gives up and ends up in a disappointed and hostile state.Dominance and suppression can occur in the following ways; Forcing / Coercing: this is a tendency to punish or reward the other party to agree with one’s position. This is a power orientated, assertive and often uncooperative approach wh ere the interests of one individual or group are put ahead of other individuals’ or groups’ interests. This approach is most suited when quick decisions are to be made, say in an emergency, or as a last resort to resolving a long standing conflict.Smoothing; smoothing is a common tendency to emphasize common interests while minimizing or suppressing perceived differences. It is a more diplomatic way of suppressing conflict. The approach can help protect more important matters by giving up on less important matters and this gives an opportunity to assess the situation at a later stage from a different angle and in a different environment. The disadvantage is it can be abused by some employees taking advantage of the accommodating nature of the other employees.Avoidance; is the tendency to withdraw from conflict situations or remain neutral. This approach defers, sidesteps or simply does not address the conflict at hand. Another form is refusal to deal with the conflict by stalling and repeatedly postponing action. This can be applied where the potential costs of resolving the conflict outweigh the benefits of its resolution or when it is not the right time to address the conflict. Compromise; through compromise, managers try to resolve conflict by convincing each party in the dispute to sacrifice some objectives in order to gain others.It is suitable when goals are moderately important and decisions need to be made quickly. This approach is common in organizations, particularly in resolving employee-employer conflicts, for example, wage negotiations where employees may require a 20% increment and the employer offers 10%, the parties may eventually agree to compromise and settle for 15%. Integrative problem solving This method involves creating a shared goal that cannot be attained without the cooperation of each of the conflicting parties. Intergroup conflict is converted into a joint problem solving technique.Together, parties to the conflict try to solve the problem that has arisen between them. Instead of trying to find a compromise or suppressing the conflict, the parties openly try to find a solution they can all accept. There are three different methods of integrative conflict resolution methods namely consensus, confrontation and use of sub-ordinate goals. The major drawback is that this strategy is time consuming and requires an environment where parties can build mutual trust. Conclusion Conflicts are inevitable in any organization. A modest level of conflict can e useful in generating better ideas and methods, inspiring concern and ingenuity, and stimulating the emergence of long-suppressed problems. Thus I strongly agree and support the view that conflict is an inevitable feature of management and organizational behavior. Conflict management strategies should aim at keeping conflict at a level at which different ideas and viewpoints are fully voiced but unproductive conflicts are deterred. If conflicts are not man aged properly, they can be damaging, as they waste a lot of energy and time, and invoke tension, which reduces the productivity and creativity of those involved.A manager should be able to see emerging conflicts and take appropriate pre-emptive action. The manager should understand the causes creating conflict, the outcome of conflict, and various methods by which conflict can be managed in the organization. In this context, the manager should evolve an approach for resolving conflicts before their disruptive repercussions have an impact on productivity and creativity. Therefore, a manager should possess special skills to react to conflict situations, and should create an open climate for communication between conflicting parties.REFERENCE De Bono, E. 1985. Conflicts: A Better Way to Resolve Them. London: Harrap. Eggert, M. A. and Falzon W. , 2003, The Resolving Conflict Pocketbook, Management Pocketbooks Filley, A. C. 1975. Interpersonal Conflict Resolution. Glenview IL: Scott, For esman Mullins,L. J. (1999) Management and Organisational Behaviour. Pitman Publishing Putnam, L. L. ; Poole , M. S. , 1987. Conflict and negotiation, in Jablin, F , Putnam, L. , http://www. nmmu. ac. za/documents/theses/LourensAS. pdf

Abigail Williams Analyzation

Williams is a cruel, vengeful and power hungry person. She has the ability to manipulate almost anyone she wants, whenever and wherever. She uses this ability to gain power and deem people witches who don't have any real proof against them. This puts her in a position where she can Just do almost anything she wants to, like eliminating people that she doesn't want to see anymore. Abigail Williams is really just one power hungry, vengeful person. Abigail had been one of the original girls that started the whole witchcraft ordeal y practicing voodoo rituals in the woods outside of her town.She later then blamed the whole event on the slave of Reverend Paris saying â€Å"Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tuba conjured Ruth Putnam dead sisters. † The people she told believed her as slaves were of lower class then Abigail, and that Just happened to be how it worked then. Abigail also was in an affair with John Proctor, which after Elizabeth found out about it, who is John's wife, Abigail was fired from her position as a servant to the Proctors.Abigail went on to accuse people of the town of witchcraft. This allowed her to rise to power and become a member of the court. Abigail sought vengeance on the people that witnessed her in the woods with Tuba as well. She pin pointed those people and decided she would accuse them of witchcraft In any way she could. For instance, she accused Elizabeth of witchcraft because she had a doll with a needle In Its stomach, saying she was using voodoo to hurt Abigail.Even though Abigail set the whole thing up and punctured herself with a needle. All these situations show how Abigail nature Is to be cruel, and how she manipulates people's views and emotions. Abigail also became a huge power fugue throughout the act. She rose to power after accusing people for witchcraft. She made up fake stories and false evidence to get people to go to trial. For Instance when she accused Elizabeth proctor of witchcraft, Abigail said she was stabbed by Elizabethan spirit.When the authorities searched the Proctors house, they found a doll with a needle In Its stomach. This was enough â€Å"proof' they needed to take her away. Abigail got away with a lot of things throughout act 1 . She used peoples emotions to get what she wanted and didn't have any sympathy for anyone she came across. She ended up In a position where she can Just do almost anything she wants to, Like eliminating people that she doesn't want to see anymore. Ball Williams Is really Just one power hungry, vengeful person.Abigail Williams Analyzing By shinning pin pointed those people and decided she would accuse them of witchcraft in any OLL with a needle in its stomach, saying she was using voodoo to hurt Abigail. Even situations show how Abigail nature is to be cruel, and how she manipulates people's false evidence to get people to go to trial. For instance when she accused Elizabeth authorities searched the Proctors house, they found a doll with a needle in its stomach. This was enough â€Å"proof† they needed to take her away. She ended up in a position where she can Just do almost anything she wants to, like

Ob Robinssolutionchap2

Chapter 2 Foundations of Individual Behavior MULTIPLE CHOICE Ability 1. Which of the following statements is true about the term â€Å"ability†, as it is used in the field of organizational behavior? a. It refers to an individual’s willingness to perform various tasks. b. It is a current assessment of what an individual can do. c. It refers exclusively to intellectual skills. d. It refers exclusively to physical skills. e. It is a prediction of future aptitude based on current attitudes. (b; Moderate; Ability; p. 45) 2. Which one of the following words is the best synonym for â€Å"ability†, as the term is used in organizational behavior? . motivation b. capacity c. experience d. intellect e. wisdom (b; Challenging; Ability; p. 45) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 3. Which of the following is not a dimension of intellectual ability? a. number aptitude b. perceptual speed c. spatial visualization d. dynamic flexibility e. social aptitude (d; Moderate; Intellectual Ability ; p. 45) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 4. What is a factor of intelligence that suggests that it makes sense to talk about overall intelligence? a. general mental ability b. intelligent quotient c. ability d. cultural intelligence e. perceptual speed (a; Moderate; General Mental Ability; p. 6) 5. Which of the following is not one of the nine basic abilities involved in the performance of physical tasks? a. stamina b. dynamic flexibility c. speed d. body coordination e. trunk strength (c; Moderate; Nine Basic Physical Abilities; p. 47) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Biographical Characteristics 6. Which of the following is not a biographical characteristic? a. political affiliation b. age c. sex d. tenure e. race (a; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 7. What will be the largest demographic change in the U. S. workforce in the next decade? a. ncreasing ethnic diversity b. a fall in married workers c. increasing age of workers d. decreasing tenure of workers e. m ore women in the workforce than men (c; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 8. Research shows that which of the following is likely to decrease as a worker grows older? a. productivity b. likelihood of quitting c. absenteeism d. vacation days taken e. work ethic (b; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 9. Which of the following statements is true? a. Older employees have lower rates of avoidable absence than younger workers. b.Older employees have lower rates of unavoidable absence than younger workers. c. Older employees are more likely to quit their job than younger workers. d. Older employees are perceived to be more flexible than younger workers. e. Older employees generally have lower productivity than younger workers. (a; Moderate, Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 10. Which of the following is true concerning the relationship between age and job satisfaction? a. Most studies have found a negative association between age and satisfaction. b. Some studies have found a U-shaped relationship between age and satisfaction. . Satisfaction decreases among professionals as they age. d. Satisfaction increases among nonprofessionals during middle age. e. Satisfaction decreases among nonprofessionals after middle age. (b; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 11. Research does not support which of the following statements about gender in the workplace? a. Women are more willing to conform to authority than men. b. Men are more aggressive than women. c. Women are more productive at work than men. d. Men have higher expectations of success. e. Women have lower turnover rates than men. c; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 12. Research supports which of the following statements about men and women in the workplace? a. Men are more productive. b. Women are more productive. c. Men are the most receptive to socialization. d. Women are more likely to resign. e. Wome n have more absences. (e; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 13. Which of the following is the most likely explanation for the higher absentee rate of women in the workplace? a. Women tend to have more illnesses that keep them from work than do men. . Traditionally, women have had the responsibility of caring for home and family. c. Women tend to be less satisfied with their jobs than men. d. Women generally have jobs for which a temporary replacement can be hired. e. Women tend to work in jobs that have less flexible schedules than men do. (b; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 14. Which of the following is a major problem in the use of ability tests for selection and promotion of personnel? a. The tests are not reliable. b. The tests fail to take into account the personality of the individual. c.Some individuals with high intelligence are poor test takers. d. Women enjoy an unfair advantage on these tests. e. The tests may have an adverse impact on different racial and ethnic groups. (e; Moderate; Race; p. 51) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 15. Which of the following statements concerning tenure is not true? a. Recent evidence demonstrates a positive relationship between seniority and job productivity. b. Tenure does not appear to be a good predictor of employee productivity. c. Tenure is a potent variable in explaining turnover. d. Tenure and satisfaction are positively related. . Tenure and organizational investment are negatively related. (b; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 16. Studies indicate that which of the following tends to decrease with increased tenure? a. job satisfaction b. productivity c. absenteeism d. raises and promotion e. efficiency (c; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 17. Perhaps the greatest religious issue revolves around what? a. Christianity b. Judaism c. Catholicism d. Buddhism e. Islam (e; Moderate; Religion; p. 53) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 18. What F ortune 500 company offers domestic partner benefits for gay couples? . Wal-Mart b. Alltel c. Rubbermaid d. Nestle e. Heintz (a; Moderate; Sexual Orientation; p. 53) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} Learning 19. Which of the following indicates that learning has taken place? a. the ability to perform well on exams b. a change in motivation c. a change in behavior d. a high I. Q. score e. an increase in experience (c; Easy; Learning; p. 54) 20. Learning has not taken place in which of the following cases? a. A farm worker makes sure that she always wears a hat after she was badly sunburned. b. A salesman watches a training video and then uses some f the techniques in that video. c. An athlete trains rigorously, until he can run a mile in less than 4 minutes. d. A warehouseman avoids working by staying in areas of the warehouse where he has observed that the foreman does not enter. e. A manager only completes an important project by working through the night. (e; Moderate; Learning ; p. 54) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 21. All of the following are true about learning except that it _____. a. involves change b. can have a very short duration c. requires a change in behavior d. requires some form of experience e. affects aptitude b; Moderate; Learning; p. 54) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 22. A cashier starts greeting her customers with a simple â€Å"Hello† rather than following the company policy of greeting them with the standard greeting â€Å"Thank you for shopping with us†, since she find saying the latter slightly embarrassing. In this case, what is the experience that has led to learning? a. the feeling of embarrassment when she uses the standard company greeting b. the direction of the company to use the standard greeting c. the decision not to use the company greeting d. her use of the informal greeting of â€Å"Hello† . the decision of the company to adopt the standard greeting (a; Moderate; Learning; p. 54) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 23. Ex periments performed by Ivan Pavlov led to what theory? a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. social learning d. method reproduction e. behavior shaping (a; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 24. What role did the meat play in Pavlov’s experiment with dogs? a. an unconditioned response b. a conditioned stimulus c. a conditioned response d. a reconditioned stimulus e. an unconditioned stimulus (e; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 5) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 25. Classical conditioning would view which of the following as most likely to be a conditioned response? a. wincing when you stub your toe b. driving on the right side of the road c. flinching when startled by a loud noise d. looking for shelter when the sky turns gray e. mouth watering when you eat delicious food (d; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 26. In Pavlov’s experiment, the bell was a/an _____. a. unconditioned stimulus b. unconditioned response c. con ditioned stimulus d. conditioned response e. none of the above c; Easy; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 27. Which of the following is not true of classical conditioning? a. Classical conditioning is passive. b. Classical conditioning can explain simple reflexive behaviors. c. Learning a conditioned response involves building an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. d. A neutral stimulus takes on the properties of a conditioned stimulus. e. Classical conditioning is different in many respects from operant conditioning. (d; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 28.When Joe gets stressed he often drinks chamomile tea. This calms him since he associates chamomile tea drinking with happy visits with his grandmother in his childhood. The calm feeling brought on by the tea is an example of which of the following? a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. sensory learning d. social learning e. shaping (a; Easy; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 29. Why does classical conditioning theory fail to adequately describe behavior in the workplace? a. Most behavior of individuals in the workplace is reflexive rather than voluntary. b.Most behavior of individuals in the workplace is emitted rather than elicited. c. Most behavior of individuals in the workplace is complex. d. It is very difficult to determine exactly which conditioned stimulus elicits which response in the workplace. e. Classical conditioning works well describing animal behavior but not human behavior. (b; Challenging; Classical Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 30. Operant conditioning argues that _____. a. behavior is reflexive b. behavior is unlearned c. behavior is a function of its consequences d. the tendency to repeat a behavior is very strong e. he tendency to repeat a behavior is instinctual (c; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 31. Which of the following researcher s thought that reinforcement was the central factor involved in behavioral change? a. Pavlov b. Fayol c. Skinner d. Deming e. Surber (c; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 32. Stella has been late to work often in the past. Stella’s manager tries to change Stella’s behavior by praising her whenever she is on time. However, Stella realizes that this is what he is doing and resents his attempts to manipulate her behavior. This is an example of what problem with behaviorism and OB Mod? . Behaviorism and OB Mod assume that people’s thoughts and feelings in response to their environment are irrelevant. b. Behaviorism and OB Mod put undue emphasis on cognitive processes. c. Behaviorism and OB Mod only have an effect on human subjects when those subjects are unaware that these techniques are being used. d. The best reinforcement to use and the schedule on which it should be used varies widely between individual subjects. e. Behaviorism and OB Mod are based upon sim ple models of stimulus and response that may not hold true in a complex, real world environment. a; Challenging; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 33. Your boss does not follow through on her promise to pay you double for overtime hours worked. When asked again to work overtime, you decline. This is an application of _____ conditioning. a. classical b. operant c. sensory d. association e. disappointment-weighted (b; Challenging; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 34. According to operant conditioning, when a behavior is not reinforced, what happens to the probability of that behavior occurring again? a. It increases. b. It declines. c. It remains unchanged. . It becomes zero. e. It may increase or decrease based on other factors. (b; Easy; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 35. What do we call the view that we can learn both through observation and direct experience? a. situational learning theory b. classical learning c. soc ial learning theory d. hands-on learning experience e. the Pavlov principle (c; Easy; Social Learning; p. 57) 36. Social learning theory is an extension of _____. a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. shaping d. Pavlovian theory e. continuous reinforcement principles (b; Moderate; Social Learning; p. 7) 37. Isadora observes that when her brother Mikey crosses the street without looking he is punished by their parents. Based on this, she is careful to look before she crosses the street. Isadora has learned through what principle? a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. shaping d. extinction e. social learning theory (e; Challenging; Social Learning; p. 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 38. Social learning theory would best describe the learning in what situation? a. An employee works through lunch several days in a row after being told by her boss that she will receive extra pay. b.A man learns how to perform yoga by watching a videotape of a yoga teacher. c. A child always addresses his grandmother politely after he is given candy as a reward for his good manners. d. A man stops wearing brightly colored shirts to work after being teased for doing so by his co-workers. e. A postal worker’s pulse rate rises whenever she approaches a house where she has been bitten by a dog before. (b; Challenging; Social Learning; p. 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 39. Four processes have been found to determine the influence that a model will have on an individual. Which of the following is not one of those processes? . attentional processes b. retention processes c. motor reproduction processes d. reinforcement processes e. consequential processes (e; Moderate; Social Learning; pp. 57-58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 40. Which of the following processes deals with how well an individual remembers a model’s action after it is no longer readily available? a. attitudinal b. retention c. motor reproduction d. reinforcement e. attention (b; Easy; Socia l Learning; p. 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 41. What do we call the practice of reinforcing closer and closer approximations of a desired behavior? a. modeling b. haping c. classical conditioning d. social learning e. aping (b; Moderate; Shaping; p. 58) 42. You want to increase the productivity of an employee. Your goal is to have him produce 10 units per day. On the first day he produces 5 units and you give him a reward. On the second day he produces 5 units and you don’t give him a reward. On the third day he produces 6 units and you give him a reward. Which method of behavioral change are you using? a. modeling b. shaping c. classical conditioning d. social learning e. ego impairment (b; Challenging; Shaping; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 43.Using shaping, which of the following is not a method that can be used to change behavior? a. negative reinforcement b. punishment c. counseling d. positive reinforcement e. extinction (c; Easy; Shaping; pp. 58-59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 44. Which of the following can be used in shaping behavior? a. positive reinforcement b. diminishment c. reaction d. manipulation e. unionization (a; Easy; Shaping; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 45. What is it called when a desired response is followed by the termination or withdrawal of something unpleasant? a. negative reinforcement b. positive reinforcement c. anipulation d. elimination e. psychic withdrawal (a; Moderate; Negative Reinforcement; p. 58) 46. Suspending an employee for dishonest behavior is an example of which method of shaping behavior? a. extinction b. negative reinforcement c. punishment d. poor planning e. reaction (c; Moderate; Punishment; p. 59) 47. Which of the following is an example of the use of extinction in shaping behavior? a. A teacher does not respond to any student who speaks before being called upon. b. A workplace institutes a zero-tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use. c. A manager docks the pay of all workers who arrive late. . A ca t owner sprays his cat with water every time it tries to sit on the couch. e. A soccer coach rewards his players with praise and small rewards if they prevent the other team from scoring. (a; Moderate; Extinction; p. 59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 48. Which of the following statements about positive and negative reinforcement is not true? a. They both result in learning. b. They both strengthen a response and increase the probability of repetition. c. They tend to weaken behavior and decrease its subsequent frequency. d. They are effective shaping tools. e. They are often used in learning. c; Challenging; Methods of Shaping Behavior; p. 59) 49. An employee is frequently late for work. Every time he is not tardy the manager compliments him for being on time. What form of reinforcement is the manager using? a. continuous schedule b. negative c. intermittent schedule d. repetitious e. repetitious negative (a; Moderate; Continuous Reinforcement; p. 59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 50. The cor porate audit staff makes a series of randomly timed, unannounced visits to a company office. On each visit they check the records to see that they are up to date and correct. These visits are an example of which of the ollowing? a. positive reinforcement b. variable-interval reinforcement schedule c. continuous reinforcement schedule d. fixed reinforcement schedule e. static response method (b; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 51. In which reinforcement schedule is a reward provided after a given number of responses? a. variable-ratio b. fixed-ratio c. variable-interval d. fixed-interval e. viable (b; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 52. According to research, which of the following is a schedule of reinforcement that promotes the greatest resistance to extinction? a. continuous b. ixed interval c. variable interval d. fixed ratio e. negative (c; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 53. In general, _____ reinforcement schedule s tend to lead to higher performance than _____ reinforcement schedules. a. variable; fixed b. fixed; intermittent c. fixed; variable d. variable; ratio e. fixed; static (a; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 54. The application of reinforcement concepts to individuals in the work setting is referred to as _____. a. classical conditioning b. self-management c. reengineering d. OB Mod e. social modeling (d; Moderate; OB Mod; p. 2) 55. Which of the following is one of the steps of the problem-solving model followed by the typical OB Mod program? a. identifying critical behaviors b. reinforcing behavior c. developing horizontally arrayed data d. developing vertically arrayed data e. identifying member barriers (a; Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) 56. A manager wishes to use OB Mod in order to increase the friendliness of his staff towards customers. The manager starts by determining exactly what behaviors his sales staff needs to use in order to increas e their friendliness towards customers. What is the next step that the manager should take? . determine why employees are not friendly towards customers b. develop a strategy for increasing the friendliness of employees towards customers c. reward employees who are friendly towards customers d. record how often employees are friendly to customers at the present time e. establish what is needed to motivate employee friendliness towards customers (d; Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Summary and Implications for Managers 57. Who said â€Å"Give me a child at birth and I can make him into anything you want†? a. B. F. Skinner b. Ivan Pavlov c. Sigmund Freud d.James Emery e. Ben Franklin (a; Moderate; Shaping Behavior; p. 66) TRUE/FALSE Ability 58. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses in terms of ability that make them relatively superior or inferior to others in performing certain tasks or activities. (True; Easy; Ability; p. 45) 59. Ability is the assessme nt of what one will do. (False; Easy; Ability; p. 45) 60. An individual’s overall abilities are essentially made up of three sets of factors: thinking, reasoning, and problem solving. (False; Moderate; Ability; p. 45) 61. A high I. Q. is a good prerequisite for all jobs. (False; Easy; Intelligent Quotient; p. 45) 62.It is illegal in the U. S. for employers to use I. Q. tests for employment selection. (False; Moderate; Intelligent Quotient; p. 45) 63. Stamina, dexterity, and strength are dimensions of physical ability. (True; Easy; Nine Basic Physical Abilities; p. 47) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 64. Individuals who have a high score on one dimension of physical ability will usually score high on all other dimensions. (False; Moderate; Physical Abilities; p. 47) Biographical Characteristics 65. Biographical data is easier to acquire than information on employee motivation levels. (True; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 66.Collecting biographical data is typically a very difficult task in organizations. (False; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 67. Personal characteristics that are objective and easily obtained from personnel records (such as age, sex, and marital status) are called biographical characteristics. (True; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 68. A person’s age is an example of a biographical characteristic. (True; Easy; Biographical Characteristics; p. 48) 69. The relationship between age and job performance is likely to be an issue of increasing importance during the next decade. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 8) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 70. Recent American legislation makes it easier for a company to enforce mandatory retirement. (False; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 71. Mandatory retirement has become an increasingly rare phenomenon in organizations. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 72. Age and turnover rates are directly related. (True; Moder ate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 73. Age and avoidable absences are negatively related. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 74. Worker’s productivity tends to decline with age. False; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 75. Age and job satisfaction are related for professional workers. (True; Moderate; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 76. In general, woman and men desire the same work schedules. (False; Moderate; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 77. There is no significant difference between the absenteeism rates of men and women. (False; Easy; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 78. In employment settings, individuals tend to favor colleagues of their own race in performance evaluations, promotion decisions, and pay raises. True; Easy; Race; p. 51) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 79. Mental ability tests used for selection, promotion, training, an d similar personnel decisions may have a negative impact on racial and ethnic groups. (True; Challenging; Race; p. 51) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} 80. People who have been on a job longer are more productive than those with less seniority. (True; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 81. Tenure is negatively related to absenteeism. (True; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 82. Tenure is negatively related to turnover. (True; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) 83.Tenure and satisfaction are negatively related. (False; Moderate; Tenure; p. 52) Learning 84. Learning has occurred when there is a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience. (True; Easy; Learning; p. 54) 85. One can easily observe others learning. (False; Easy; Learning; p. 54) 86. Classical conditioning grew out of the work of B. F. Skinner. (False; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 87. In Ivan Pavlov’s study, dogs salivated in response to a ringing bell. (True; Easy; Classical Conditioning; p. 55 ) 88. The meat in Pavlov’s experiment was an unconditioned stimulus. True; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 89. Learning a conditioned response involves building up an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. (True; Challenging; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 90. To explain why Christmas carols often bring back pleasant memories of childhood, you would use operant conditioning. (False; Challenging; Classical Conditioning; p. 55) 91. Classical conditioning is passive. (True; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 56) 92. Classical conditioning can explain simple reflexive behaviors. (True; Moderate; Classical Conditioning; p. 6) 93. Operant behavior means voluntary or learned behavior in contrast to reflexive or unlearned behavior. (True; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 94. What Pavlov did for operant conditioning, Skinner did for classical conditioning. (False; Challenging; Learning Theories; p. 56) 95. Rewards are most effective if they are delayed following the desired response. (False; Moderate; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 96. Your supervisor has explained that he will reward those who take extra effort to see that their jobs are done well. This tactic follows from research into operant conditioning. True; Easy; Operant Conditioning; p. 56) 97. Learning through both observation and direct experience is called operant conditioning. (False; Easy; Social Learning; p. 57) 98. Older workers are not as capable of learning as younger employees. (False; Moderate; Age and Learning; p. 58) 99. Trainability is a measure of a person’s willingness to learn. (False; Moderate; Trainability; p. 58) 100. Reduced motivation has been found to significantly influence learning and training outcomes. (True; Moderate; Learning; p. 58) 101. Shaping occurs when we mold individuals by using intensive training to change their behavior quickly. False; Easy; Shaping; p. 58) 102. One method of shaping behavior is called positi ve reinforcement and occurs when a desired response is followed with something pleasant. (True; Moderate; Positive Reinforcement; p. 58) 103. Eliminating any reinforcement that is maintaining a behavior is called punishment. (False; Moderate; Extinction; p. 59) 104. Both positive and negative reinforcement result in learning. (True; Easy; Methods of Shaping Behavior; p. 59) 105. Both punishment and extinction weaken behavior and tend to decrease its subsequent frequency. (True; Moderate; Methods of Shaping Behavior; p. 59) 06. A continuous reinforcement schedule reinforces the desired behavior each time it is demonstrated. (True; Easy; Continuous Reinforcement; p. 59) 107. A piece-rate incentive plan is an example of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement. (False; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 108. Salespeople on commission are examples of individuals on a variable-ratio schedule. (True; Moderate; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) 109. In the typical OB Mod progr am, everything an employee does on his or her job is equally important in terms of performance outcomes. (False; Moderate; OB Mod; p. 62) 110.The first step in OB Mod is to identify critical behaviors impacting the employee’s performance. (True; Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) 111. Our knowledge about learning suggests that punishment is a more effective tool in OB mod than reinforcement. (False; Moderate; OB Mod and Reinforcement Theory; p. 63) SCENARIO-BASED QUESTIONS Application of Biographical Characteristics You work in the air filter manufacturing business. Your division is made up of three other people with very different biographical characteristics. Gina is 27 years old, single and female. She has been with the company only six months.Jonathan is 63 years old and a widower who has been with the company for thirty years. Sally is a single mother with four children who has been with the company for five years. 112. Based on the information given, which employee would be least likely to quit his or her job? a. all these employees would have about the same likelihood of quitting b. Gina c. Jonathan d. Sally e. Gina and Sally (c; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 113. Based on the information given, which employee would you expect to have the lowest rate of avoidable absence? a. ll these employees would have about the same rate of avoidable absence b. Sally c. Gina d. Jonathan e. Gina and Sally would probably have equally low rates (d; Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 114. Based on the information given, which employee would you expect to most desire the option to telecommute or arrange a more flexible work schedule? a. all these employees would have the same desire for these options b. Jonathan c. Sally d. Gina e. Gina and Sally (c; Moderate; Gender; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills}Application of Learning Theoryâ⠂¬â€Shaping Behavior You are the first-line supervisor for a group of employees who make cheese slicers. Their job is not terribly interesting or challenging and you have noticed that they are frequently tardy returning from their breaks. You have studied the concept of shaping behavior and decide that you will try to apply it to this situation. 115. You praise Allen for returning on time from break. This is an example of _____. a. negative reinforcement b. positive reinforcement c. extinction d. social learning e. modeling (b; Moderate; Positive Reinforcement; p. 8) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 116. You want Allison to take an accounting course so that she can help with the bookkeeping. Allison does not want to go to night school to take the course and has been resisting. You know that her least favorite duty is preparing payroll. You tell her that she will be given extra help with preparing payroll whenever she takes an accounting class. This is an example of _____. a. positive reinf orcement b. negative reinforcement c. punishment d. extinction e. classical conditioning (b; Challenging; Negative Reinforcement; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 117.Sam is late coming back to work and you dock his pay. This is an example of _____. a. positive reinforcement b. negative reinforcement c. punishment d. extinction e. classical conditioning (c; Moderate; Punishment; p. 59) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Different Schedules of Reinforcement You have decided to experiment with the relationship between reinforcement schedules and maintaining desired employee behavior. You are interested in observing the differences between continuous and intermittent reinforcement and between the various types of intermittent reinforcement schedules. 118.Veronica is paid $10. 00 per dozen units that she produces. This is an example of _____ reinforcement. a. intermittent, fixed-interval b. continuous c. intermittent, variable-interval d. negative e. none of the above (a; Challengin g; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 119. Gerald is a staff accountant who is visited several times a year by the corporate auditor. These visits are unannounced. This is an example of _____reinforcement. a. intermittent, fixed-interval b. continuous c. intermittent, variable-interval d. negative e. reactive (c; Challenging; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 0) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 120. John’s attendance has historically been unreliable and you have decided to use reinforcement and compliment him when his attendance record shows improvement. The most effective schedule of reinforcement will probably be _____. a. variable-interval intermittent b. fixed-interval intermittent c. continuous d. punishment-based e. shaped (a; Challenging; Intermittent Reinforcement; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 121. You know that the reinforcement schedule that your firm chooses for compensation will have an impact on the behavior of employees.Which of the following is not likely based on available research? a. Continuous reinforcement schedules will lead to early satiation. b. Continuous reinforcement schedules are appropriate for newly emitted, unstable, or low-frequency responses. c. Variable schedules do not clearly link performance and rewards. d. Fixed schedules will lead to higher performance than variable schedules. e. Variable schedules will be highly effective. (d; Challenging; Reinforcement Schedules and Behavior; p. 60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Behavior Modification Your manager has read about the now-classic study of Emery’s use of OB Mod.He was impressed by the savings to the company of $2 million over a three-year period. He has announced that he is implementing an OB Mod program at your organization. 122. You can expect to see the application of which of the following in the work setting? a. reinforcement concepts to individuals b. open book management c. additional stock option plans d. analysis of biographi cal characteristics e. higher health care benefits (a; Easy; OB Mod; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 123. What is the first step that your manager is likely to take? a. identify behavioral consequences b. identify critical behaviors c. evaluate performance improvement . develop baseline data e. none of the above (b; Challenging; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 124. In the first step of the OB Mod program, your manager will most likely be attempting to identify those five to ten percent of behaviors that may account for up to _____ percent of each employee’s performance. a. 20-25 b. 40-50 c. 60-70 d. 70-80 e. 100 (d; Challenging; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) SHORT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 125. Why is the relationship between age and job performance likely to be an issue of increasing importance during the next decade? First, there is a widespread belief that job performance declines with increasing age.Regardless of whether it’s true or not, many people believe it and act on it. Second is the reality that the workforce is aging. Workers age 55 and older are currently the fastest-growing sector of the labor force. The third reason is that U. S. legislation, for all intents and purposes, outlaws mandatory retirement. (Easy; Age; p. 49) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 126. Has research indicated the existence of gender differences in job productivity? Explain. There is little evidence indicating that an employee’s gender affects his or her job productivity.In this area of study the similarities between male and female workers seems to far outweigh the very minor differences (for example, in the area of absenteeism) that have been found in some studies. (Easy; Gender; p. 50) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 127. What is learning? Learning is defined as any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience. (Easy; Learning; p. 54) 128. How can managers shape employee behavior? Managers can shape employee behavior by systematically reinforcing each successive step that moves the individual closer to the desired response.Managers can mold individuals by guiding their learning in graduated steps. Reinforcement increases as responses more closely approximate the desired behavior. Managers may use positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction to promote this gradual shaping of employee behavior. (Easy; Shaping; p. 58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 129. Give an example of a fixed-ratio schedule for paying employees and an example of a variable-ratio schedule for payment. In a fixed-ratio schedule, rewards are initiated after a fixed or constant number of responses.For example, a worker is rewarded with a piece rate system paying $10 for every 12 widgets produced. Each dozen earns the worker another $10. A variable-ratio schedule provides variable reward relative to the behavior of the individual. For example, a car sa lesman on commission is on a variable-ratio schedule. Each potential customer does not necessarily result in a sale and thus a commission. (Easy; Intermittent Reinforcement; pp. 59-60) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} MEDIUM LENGTH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 130. What is ability? What are the two sets of factors comprising a person’s ability level?Ability refers to an individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a given job. It is a current assessment of what one can do. An individual’s overall abilities are essentially made up of two sets of factors: intellectual and physical abilities. 1) Intellectual abilities are those needed to perform mental activities. 2) Physical abilities are important for successfully performing jobs that are more standardized which require manual labor. (Easy; Ability; p. 45-47) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 131. What is the relationship between age and the organizational issues of productivity, turnover and satisfaction?This is a somewhat comp lex set of relationships. The older you get, the less likely you are to quit your job. Older workers are less likely to resign than are younger workers because their long tenure tends to provide them with higher wage rates, longer paid vacations, and more attractive pension benefits. In general, older employees have lower rates of avoidable absence than do younger employees. However, they also have higher rates of unavoidable absence, probably due to the poorer heath associated with aging and the longer recovery that older workers need when injured.The demands of most jobs, even those with heavy manual labor requirements, are not extreme enough for any declines in physical skills due to age to have an impact on productivity; or if there is some decay due to age, it is offset by gains due to experience. The evidence is mixed when examining the relationship between age and job satisfaction, however. Most studies indicate a positive association between age and satisfaction, at least up to age 60. Other studies, however, have found a U-shaped relationship.Satisfaction tends to continually increase among professionals as they age, whereas it falls among nonprofessionals during middle age and then rises again in the later years. (Moderate; Age; p. 48) {AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity} {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 132. Identify and briefly describe the five steps of a typical OB Mod program. The typical OB Mod program follows a five-step problem-solving model: identifying critical behaviors, developing baseline data, identifying behavioral consequences, developing and implementing an intervention strategy, and evaluating performance improvement. ) The first step is to identify the critical behaviors that make a significant impact on the employee’s job performance. 2) The second step requires the manager to develop some baseline performance data. This is obtained by determining the number of times the identified behavior is occurring under present conditions. 3) The third step is to perform a functional analysis to identify the behavioral contingencies or consequences of performance. This tells the manager the antecedent cues that emit the behavior and the consequences that are currently maintaining it. ) In the fourth step, the manager develops and implements an intervention strategy to strengthen desirable performance behaviors and weaken undesirable behaviors. 5) The final step is to evaluate performance improvement. (Moderate; OB Mod Steps; p. 62) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} COMPREHENSIVE ESSAYS 133. How do we learn? Identify and discuss the theories to explain the process by which we acquire patterns of behavior. Be sure to specifically identify the key elements of each of these theories by name. Classical conditioning was discovered by Pavlov.Learning a conditioned response involves building up an association between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus in order to invoke the performance of a conditioned response, which was formerly an unconditioned response. When the stimuli, one compelling and the other one neutral, are paired, the neutral one becomes a conditioned stimulus and, hence, takes on the properties of the unconditioned stimulus and leads to the performance of a conditioned response (which is the same response as the original unconditioned response).Skinner, who discovered operant conditioning, argues that behavior is a function of its consequences. People learn to behave to get something they want or to avoid something they don’t want. Operant behavior means voluntary or learned behavior in contrast to reflexive or unlearned behavior. The tendency to repeat such behavior is influenced by the reinforcement or lack of reinforcement brought about by the consequences of the behavior and can be manipulated through positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, shaping, and extinction.Social learning is the theory that we can learn through both observation and direct expe rience. Social learning theory is an extension of operant conditioning; it assumes that behavior is a function of consequences – it also acknowledges the existence of observational learning and the importance of perception to learning. People respond to how they perceive and define consequences, not to the objective consequences themselves. (Challenging; Learning Theories; pp. 54 to 57) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 34. Discuss the four processes management should include when creating employee training programs. The likelihood that training programs will be successful can be improved with the inclusion of attentional, retention, motor reproduction, and reinforcement processes. People learn from a model only when they recognize and pay attention to its critical features. We tend to be most influenced by models that are attractive, repeatedly available, important to us, or similar to us in our estimation.A model’s influence will depend on how well the individual remembers th e model’s action after the model is no longer readily available. After a person has seen a new behavior by observing the model, the watching must be converted to doing. This motor reproduction process demonstrates that the individuals can perform the modeled activities. Individuals will be motivated to exhibit the modeled behavior if positive incentives or rewards are provided. (Moderate; Social Learning; pp. 57-58) {AACSB: Analytic Skills}