Ilab Week 6 Math 221 Essay - 818 Words

Elementary Statistics iLab Week 6 Statistical Concepts: * Data Simulation * Discrete Probability Distribution * Confidence Intervals Calculations for a set of variables Mean Median 3.2 3.5 4.5 5.0 3.7 4.0 3.7 3.0 3.1 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.1 3.0 3.6 3.0 3.8 4.0 2.6 2.0 4.3 4.0 3.5 3.5 3.3 3.5 4.1 4.5 4.2 5.0 2.9 2.5 3.5 4.0 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.0 3.3 4.0 Calculating Descriptive Statistics Descriptive Statistics: Mean, Median Variable N N* Mean SE Mean StDev Minimum Q1 Median Q3 Maximum Mean 20 0 3.560 0.106 0.476 2.600 3.225 3.550 3.775 4.500 Median 20 0 3.600 0.169 0.754 2.000 3.000 3.500 4.000 5.000 Calculating Confidence Intervals for†¦show more content†¦The mean for the column â€Å"mean† is 3.56. It is very close to the parameter of interest but is not equal to it. You can calculate a confidence interval for the mean of the mean column, but a specific confidence interval would need to be provided. In that case, the confidence interval would be centered on 3.56, not 3.5. | 4. Give the mean for the median column of the Worksheet. Is this estimate centered about the parameter of interest (the parameter of interest is the answer for the mean in question 2) The mean for the median column is 3.6, which is close to the mean in question 2 but not as close as the answer in question 3. | 5. Give the standard deviation for the mean and median column. Compare these and be sure to identify which has the least variability? Standard Deviation of Mean= 0.4762Standard Deviation of Median= 0.7539The standard deviation of the Mean is smaller, which means all of the data points will tend to be very close to the Mean. The Median with a larger Standard Deviation will tend to have data points spread out over a large range of values. Since the Mean has the smaller value of the Standard Deviations, it has the least variability. | 6. Based on questions 3, 4, and 5 is the mean or median a better estimate for the parameter of interest? Explain your reasoning. The Mean seems to be the better estimate asShow MoreRelatedMath 221 Complete Course2525 Words   |  11 PagesMATH 221 COMPLETE COURSE A+ Graded Tutorial Available At: http://hwsoloutions.com/?product=math-221-complete-course Visit Our website: http://hwsoloutions.com/ Product Description PRODUCT DESCRIPTION MATH 221 COMPLETE COURSE, Discussions Week 1 Descriptive Statistics (graded) If you were given a large data set such as the sales over the last year of our top 1,000 customers, what might you be able to do with this data? What might be the benefits of describing the data? Week 2 Regression

Project Management International Conference on System

Question: Delivering successful projects is increasingly becoming a daunting task for most of the organisations that work on projects that deliver strategic, business and operational outcomes. Today there are many project management practices in use by project managers depending on the industry, organisation and its culture, in order to deliver project successfully. PRINCE2 is claimed to be a rapidly growing project management practice used internationally and specially in the UK Government sector, to manage projects regardless of its type and size. (PRINCE2.com) Task 01 (60 Marks) Select an organisation that has a implemented a successful Project Management Methodology and critically evaluate the process related to the following areas of Project Management: Project Selection Management of the Triple Constraints Risk Management Your answer should explain the practices, tools and techniques used and should be elaborated with suitable and relevant sample artefacts. Task 02 (40 Marks) Critically evaluate the PRINCE2 methodology against Waterfall and Agile methodologies and assess its suitability in using to manage and successfully deliver projects in Sri Lanka. Answer: 1: Project Selection The case study selected for the task is Portbase. This case has been selected for the reason that this is a very huge project, which has been built and developed based on the traditional Waterfall project management methodologies. The project has been working for longer period of time and has been experiencing various stages of positive and negative. Eventually, the management and administration has decided to transition the methodology to a new one, which has more Agility. The Portbase is a natural and reliable hub that is located through the Dutch ports for the logistic information necessary. It is the port-transcending Port Community System that has been developed to benefit the companies with many services that are intelligent for exchange of information between both the public and private sectors as also the companies. The project allows the optimization of the logistic processes by the participants, for the competitive position to be improved (Bannink, 2012). The non-profit organization works as non-profit organization and also serves for the port community. Portbase has been serving over 10,000 end users in over 2300 companies, through over the services of about 42. The project has been facing many challenges with the Waterfall methods, with which it has been operating. The Portbase project is developed with the methodology called Waterfall. There are many challenges that have been faced by the organization, from the Waterfall methodology. The waterfall method has been a viable project management methodology, when the project was developed initially. At the point of time, this methodology was considered as a standard methodology and eventually, the same methodology had been selected. However, in the later stages, the problems and challenges associated with the methodologies have been discovered. Though Waterfall methodology is completed structure methodology, certain challenges have been resulting and it even demanded to transition the project towards the Agile management methodology (Bannink, 2012). The following are the challenges of the project, being used by the Waterfall project management methodologies. Triple Budget Constraint The project has gone through many issues, in terms of time management. The reason is that the Waterfall method has the process, in such a way that the final product or outcome can be checked only at the end of the project. If there are any errors or missing of the features and any incompleteness, the process has to be started overall again. Eventually, the overall design and development tasks would be delayed and consume a lot of time. When the entire process has to be repeated, the overall budget or cost of the project has also been increasing to an extent that there will be no surprise if the budget is doubled or even more that. Challenges of delayed design Since, the entire process is completely structured, where each and every process is to be executed only one after the other, the process of design has taken the time, than the expected time. It is because of the major flaw associated with the methodology (Hajjdiab, et al., 2012). The result, which is the outcome after the ending stages of the process, may or may not meet the expectations or the objectives defined, at the time of commencement of the project. At that point of time, the result may need to modify, as there may be new developments or there may be new challenges that could be discovered, as the time goes on. The Waterfall methodology does not give any opportunity for the project manager or the team of the project to assess the quantity and quality of the result of the outcome, during the design and development of the product. If the challenges and developments are discovered after testing of the product at the end of the methodology, it would be disappointing for the team of the project. When the deviations are minor, the customer or sponsor may get compromised with the unsatisfied product. However, if the deviation is long and does not give the result as expected and does not fulfil the object of the project, it is definitely going to make a tedious challenge for the project team. Eventually, the correction and development of the objective of the product is going to take, almost double the time and duration of the project. If the final product after the development during the repetition of the product, it has been taking more than double the time of the project. Doubling the time or eve n more would make the resources to be wasted and it will have a definite and huge impact over the budget and resource allocation for the project. Risk Management The project is huge and involves thousands of customers from hundreds of companies. The risk management involves anticipation or prediction of the possible risks, associated with the hub. The risks are more of physical and eventually, they do have influence over the health and welfare of the employees, resulting in massive losses to the company and eventually over the reputation of the company. Poor communication, between the control of perception and phases Another major problem associated with the Portbase project development is the hierarchy and the level of communication among various levels of the management. The middle and upper level managements follow the approach of the command and control, would give least powers and privileges to the team of development of the product. It eventually, gives a lot of pressure ot the team of the project and they have not been able to take any decisions independently, even though there is a minor change proposed (Hajjdiab, et al., 2012). The protocol is completely designed and developed by only the management and the workforce or the team of the project would be left with the only option of following the commands. This kind of command and control approach involved in the Waterfall management methodology, would primarily effect the communication between the management and the members of the team. The communication here is made almost from one way, rather than two ways (Mahalakshmi Sundararajan, 2013). The Portbase project eventually, has taken a decision to transition the project management methodology from Waterfall to the new and modern methodologies that have been proven working better (Mahalakshmi Sundararajan, 2013). 2: Project Management Methodologies PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology PRICE2 is an acronym for the projects IN Controlled Environments and is developed in the UK. The methodology consists of six variables, timescales, risk, quality, benefits and scope. The methodologies include the focus and approach on stakeholder involvement, control through review, and business involvement right from the initiation till the end of the project with continuous and consistent improvement (Reid Amy, 2013). The design of PRINCE2 roles is very specific in design that includes customers, management, suppliers and other stakeholders. Relevance of Methodologies There is a perception in the project management methodologies that PRINCE2 is based on the approach of the traditional waterfall, where the waterfall approach was considered to be a good and standard for the project and software development. In the same way, Agile approach is also a relevant approach to PRINCE2. So, eventually, a new approach called PRINCE2 Agile has been developed, as an extension to PRINCE2. It is an indication of the modernization of the PRINCE2, which is variant deviation from the waterfall method. In a nutshell, PRINCE2 had been synonymous to Waterfall method and now has been associating and integrating with the Agile method, because of its flexibility and application that suits to the modern complex business project management. PRINCE2 is more about associating with the process. It is more of a linear structure that starts from the starting up a project, initiating project, managing the delivery of project, having the necessary stage boundaries and finally closing the project towards handing the business for its operations. Figure: PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology Source: Zen Ex Machine 2013 According to the expert and the project management body opinion, this process is more describes more of the waterfall approach to the execution of the project. This perception is because of the following factors. A stage of PRINCE2 is equivalent to the stage of Waterfall There would be a stage for each of the processes of analysis, development, design and testing The project needs to be locked down, before the design is moved towards development and comprehensively complete the a detailed set of the proposed requirements Waterfall method is usually assumed to be suitable for the larger projects to manage and develop. And it is not quite suitable for the smaller projects. When it comes to the Agile method, it is suitable for more of small size projects, instead of the larger projects. PRINCE2, has built the perception that this methodology is more suitable for the larger projects and inappropriate for the smaller projects (Reid Amy, 2013), is suitable for small projects too. It is because of the perception that the smaller projects would be inappropriate, as the methodology needs longer process in the development of the logs, lists, registers and documents. However, according to the OGC (Office for Government Commerce) in the UK, THE PRINCE2 processes can be tailored and more importantly can be scalable to implement for smaller to larger projects, so that it can be made suitable for various unique requirements and projects in various environment. With no tailoring of the processes, which are needed for the project to adapt quickly for varied environments, needs of the user, business and systems, the project will become bogged down in reporting, red tape, committee meeting and approval processes that are lengthy, which would paralyse instead, than enabling the projects quickly to act to move towards the direction of change. Such difficulty could enable to adapt to change would ultimately stands as a primary reason for the failure of the Waterfall methodology. The same reason, the project management methodology, PRINCE2 is enabled to be implemented in UK, UK and in Sri Lanka. Figure: Waterfall and Agile Project successes and failures Combining Prince2 And Agile PRINCE2 can be made flexible and scalable based on the application of the project management methodology, PRINCE2. This is the characteristic, which is close to Agile, which is flexible and iterative process. So, integration of the PRINCE2 and Agile is considered to be more effective. The key considered for unlocking the PRINCE2 methodology with the Agile is towards using it in the stage of the Management Product Delivery (Reid Amy, 2013). Agile processes help the project team to focus intensively, over the delivery of each of the Sprint that would coincide the requirements of management reporting of PRINCE2 and committee meeting cycles of the project. Here, the opportunities and potentials that would render better outcomes and results, from the integration of the PRINCE2 and Agile to some extent. Project Plan Stage Plans Work Packages Lessons Learned Reporting The PRINCE2, as opposed to the perception of application to only larger projects, it can be utilized to a better extent, to move towards the Agile, from the inherent similarities of the Waterfall methodology (Reid Amy, 2013). References: Bannink, S, Challenges in the Transition from Waterfall to Scrum A Casestudy at Portbase, University of Twente. Friis, D., Ostergaard, J. Sutherland, J. 2011 Virtual Reality Meets Scrum: How a Senior Team Moved from Management to Leadership. In Proceedings of the 2011 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) Guidelines for Managing Projects (fully consistent with PRINCE2)from the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) Hajjdiab, H., Taleb, A. S. Ali, J 2012, An Industrial Case Study for Scrum Adoption. Journal of Software Karhatsu, H., Ikonen, M., Kettunen, P., Fagerholm, F. Abrahamsson, P 2010, Building blocks for self-organizing software development teams a framework model and empirical pilot study. In Proceedings of the 2010 2nd International Conference on Software Technology and Engineering (ICSTE) Mahalakshmi, M. Sundararajan, D. 2013, Traditional SDLC Vs Scrum MethodologyA Comparative Study. International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering Marchenko, A. Abrahamsson, P 2008, Scrum in a Multiproject Environment: An Ethnographically- Inspired Case Study on the Adoption Challenges. In Proceedings of the Agile, 2008. AGILE '08. Conference. OGC (Office of Government Commerce), 2009, Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2(2009 ed.). TSO (The Stationery Office) Overhage, S., Schlauderer, S., Birkmeier, D. Miller, J. 2011, What Makes IT Personnel Adopt Scrum? A Framework of Drivers and Inhibitors to Developer Acceptance. In Proceedings of the 2011 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) Reid, Amy, 2013 "Capita acquires majority stake in ITIL and PRINCE2".Association for project management. International project management association Sumrell, M. 2007, From waterfall to agile-how does a QA team transition? In Proceedings of the Agile Conference (AGILE), IEEE Winston, R 1970, Managing the development of large software systems. IEEE WESCON Zen Ex Machine, 2013, PRINCE2 Processes Vs. Agile Development Methodologies, viewed 19 July 2016, https://zenexmachina.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/prince2-processes-vs-agile-development-methodologies/f

Mental Imagery as a Form of Mental Rehearsal

Introduction – What is Mental Imagery Mental imagery can be defined as a form of mental rehearsal wherein an individual visualizes an action or an event and then subsequently practices the motions within his/her mind in order to better understand how to perform that type of action within a given situation, all of this in absence of actual physical exertion (Menzies, 2004).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Mental Imagery as a Form of Mental Rehearsal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The practice of mental imagery has made several claims over the past few years which consist of supposed improvements in performance, energy, technique, motivation and the overall enjoyment that an athlete can derive from the sport that they are in (Eddy. 2003). Advocates of the technique claim that given enough time and practice, an athlete will be able to determine what mistakes he/she has made in previous games and, a s a result, can practice within his/her own mind in order to determine what to do right next time (Sargent, 2002). Skeptics of mental imagery argue that while understanding what is needed to be done during a performance is important as well as avoiding past mistakes the fact remains that the same results claimed by mental imagery can be achieved through physical exertion and training without the necessity of visualization in order to achieve a particular action. For such individuals, actually performing an action repeatedly is far better than thinking about it visually since through repeated physical action, muscle memory comes into play resulting in the almost â€Å"instinctive† rapid fire actions that players can accomplish during the heat of the moment of a game wherein split second decision making is necessary. Such a level of game play it is argued can only be achieved through constant and repetitive physical practice and it has been proven through solid, observable and measurable scientific data that such a method is an effective means of improving and boosting athletic performance. In the case of mental imagery, one of the primary arguments against it is the fact that there have been no conclusive studies which have showed solid evidence regarding its positive attributes since it is impossible to truly derive statistical data at the present from the thoughts of athletes and whether mental imagery actually results in better performance rates as compared to merely just practicing continuously.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Mental Imagery and Athletic Performance One of the main problems in resolving the debate regarding the impact of mental imagery on athletic performance is the fact that no conclusive studies can actually be created that can measure the impact â€Å"visualization† has on completing a set of actions since humanity has yet to develop the technology to be able to read the human thought process. It is based on this that when trying to determine the worth of visualization the following examination will utilize anecdotal evidence derived from a variety of studies and accounts that should provide a sufficient overview as to whether mental imagery is worthless or is actually an effective means of boosting athletic performance. One of the first theoretical guides in examining the worth of mental imagery is neuromuscular theory which specifically states that the neuromuscular pattern associated with a particular movement in a sport can actually be â€Å"excited† or rather activated through imagery as well thus facilitating the process of trial and error that comes with repeated practice of a specific skill. The basis of this particular theory can be seen in studies such as those by Knà ¤uper (2009) which show that the activation of neurotransmitters associated with a particular action do not n ecessarily need to rely on performing an action but can actually be accomplished by thinking of the action itself (Knà ¤uper, 2009). As such, it is theorized that the act of constant visualization would be the same as training those very same neurotransmitters as if the athlete was performing the actions using his/her body. The inherent problem with this particular theory is that while it does indicate that the same neurotransmitters are activated during periods of visualization such studies neglect to determine the transmission level. Transmission levels can be indicative of the amount of â€Å"activity† within a particular neural cluster; while it may be true that the transmitters are active if there is little in the way of actual neural activity this is indicative of an inferior means of training which would have little to no impact on actual performance during an event. Another way of looking at the supposed â€Å"benefits† of mental imagery can be seen in the att ention arousal theory presented in studies such as those by Ozel (2004). Ozel (2004) indicates that prior to a particular sporting event athletes who use mental imagery can â€Å"psyche themselves up† so to speak in terms of achieving an appropriate level of readiness for a particular event (Ozel, 2004).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Mental Imagery as a Form of Mental Rehearsal specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This can involve mentally preparing themselves for the event by envisioning the steps they must do, the actions they have to accomplish and how they are to do so. What must be understood is that a variety of studies, such as those by Gregg (2007), indicate that one of the primary problems associated with athletic performance prior to an event is when they develop a case of nervousness (Gregg, 2007). In such instances, this particular mental state actually freezes up muscles resulting in d ecreased performance. If an athlete is able to achieve an astounding degree of performance within a controlled environment yet is unable to perform to such a degree within a competitive setting, then for all intents and purposes, such an athlete is considered subpar since statistics mean nothing if victory cannot be achieved. As such, advocates of mental imagery state that by helping an athlete ease into an event by helping them imagine what needs to be done and how to accomplish it this in effect boosts an athlete’s performance since it gets rid of the associated feelings related to nervousness. Krendl (2012) gives a more detailed account of this particular phenomena by explaining that an individual’s performance during a sporting event is at times dictated not through physical ability alone but the attitude they bring to the game (Krendl, 2012). This is in line with the self efficacy theory which states that through self imagery, an athlete is able to subsequently vi sualize victory and as a result brings a positive degree of performance to the game through a certain degree of confidence in being able to win. While all of these accounts have so far shown the positive effects of mental imagery in athletic performance the fact remains that they are in fact considered anecdotal and inconsequential in the face of sustained scientific inquiry due to the fact that all of the data acquired based on the theories presented is in fact through the verbal accounts of athletes which in itself is an insufficient method of deriving a conclusion from an examination that is meant to measure performance levels and not the way in which athletes can describe them. What is needed are cold hard facts that can be examined statistically, unfortunately, such data cannot be provided since the supposed â€Å"positive† effects of mental imagery are in the thoughts of the athlete which at the present cannot be accessed or measured.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Muscle Memory One of the views against the effectiveness of mental imagery are those focusing on the concept of muscle memory and how such a process produces a measurable and above all effective response in athletes as compared to the purely mental process that is mental imagery. Muscle memory can be described as a form of movement that has been repeated over and over again by the body that the end result is no longer a long and protracted effort by the mind in communicating what needs to be done when it comes to a particular bodily set of actions rather the result is the creation of an immediate response mechanism wherein the action follows through smoothly based on environmental data and how the body was taught to respond to a particular set of â€Å"triggers†. By developing this particular set of ingrained muscular movements, this creates a far faster response mechanism which creates an observable and measurable performance increase in athletes that participate in particul ar sporting events. This is one of the reasons why studies such as those by Young (n.d.) indicate that the constant practicing conducted by coaches is not just a means of getting an individual or team to anticipate the possible strategies that the opposing team will attempt but it acts as a means of further enhancing the muscle memory associated with such activities which would enable an athlete to not only perform to an adequate set of standards but exceed them since they can think of possible counter strategies while in the â€Å"heat of the moment† instead of merely concentrating on how to perform a particular action (Young, N.D.). In fact, the study of LeBoutillier (2003) considers the process of mental imagery during practice sessions to actually be detrimental towards athletic performance since it creates a habit of constant visualization which would get in the way of actual performance (LeBoutillier, 2003). What must be understood is that muscle performance is just one facet of the way in which the body adapts to certain actions, events and stressors. Cox (2010) explains that the body and the mind has a habit of internalizing certain actions and making them into habits which become so ingrained into a person’s daily routine and way of thinking that it becomes almost impossible to extricate such an action from an individual’s daily processes (Cox, 2010). For example, a person may develop the daily habit of drinking coffee in the morning, exercising in the afternoon, or pausing to consider what to say while having a conversation. Such habits are not limited to daily nuances but actually extend into an athlete’s method of performing a particular action such as a player developing the ingrained habit of dodging to the left every time someone comes to tackle him due to repetitive instructions to always dodge towards the left during practice. Unfortunately, not all ingrained habitual behavior can be considered positive and, in the case of mental imagery, it was seen that the constant reference to visualization before performing an action actually resulted in a continued ingrained habit which affected athletic performance. What must be understood is that the main purpose of developing muscle memory is so that an athlete will react automatically to a plethora of given situations without actually thinking. Studies such as those by Salka Jr. (2010) reveal that higher level critical thinking associated with imagination, visualization and interpretation actually has a significant â€Å"lag period† between thinking of a particular action and the body actually performing it (Salka Jr.,2010). While it may be true that higher level cognitive processes are an effective means of devising strategies and interpreting the actions that are occurring at the present within a game, the fact remains that there is an inherent limit in the ability of the mind and body to develop the information, process it and then translat e it into an effective physical motion. As such, lower level automatic processes (i.e. the commands related to walking, eating, moving etc.) that govern muscle memory are far more effective when it comes to sporting events since the mind doesn’t necessarily need to â€Å"think† to accomplish a certain set of actions that have become so ingrained into the muscle memory that they do not even have to be thought at all in order to be completed. As such, it based on this particular example that it can be seen that mental imagery when compared to the muscle memory can be considered as nothing more than an ineffective form of interference that would cause performance issues during a match since their habit of visualization would interfere with the process of automatic motion based on muscle memory. Mental imagery does indeed have its place in terms of a method of helping players visualize an action however it should not be utilized as a secondary means of training due to the possibility of subsequent interference with the necessity of transforming the responses of athletes into those based on muscle memory due to the greater efficiency and speed by which such responses reflect onto actual game play. Mental Imagery – Worthless or Effective? Based on the data presented in this paper, it can be argued that mental imagery is in a way worthless since without sufficient studies to back up its supposed effectiveness it cannot really be stated that the practice is at all effective. There have been many successful athletes in the past who have claimed that success can be achieved through hard work and practice and have never really attributed any of their achievements through the use of mental imagery. While some of today’s successful athletes claim that mental imagery was one of the reasons behind their success, who says that they would not have achieved the same level of success without it? It is based on this that due to the lack of sufficient e vidence to state otherwise, mental imagery should be relegated as being nothing more than a practice that some individuals utilize due to their own personal beliefs regarding its effectiveness rather than ascribing to it any sort of official acknowledgement regarding its ability to produce tangible and effective results. Reference List Cox, R. (2010). Predicting Subjective Athletic Performance from Psychological Skills after Controlling for Sex and Sport. Journal Of Sport Behavior, 33(2), 129. Eddy, K. D. (2003). Mental Imagery in Athletes With Visual Impairments. Adapted  Physical Activity Quarterly, 20(4), 347. Gregg, M. (2007). Perceived Effectiveness of Heptathletes’ Mental Imagery. Journal Of  Sport Behavior, 30(4), 398. Knà ¤uper, B. H. (2009). Using Mental Imagery to Enhance the Effectiveness of Implementation Intentions. Current Psychology, 28(3), 181. Krendl, A. (2012). The Effects of Stereotypes and Observer Pressure on Athletic Performance. Journal Of Sport E xercise Psychology, 34(1), 3. LeBoutillier, N. F. (2003). Mental imagery and creativity: A meta-analytic review study.  British Journal Of Psychology, 94(1), 29. Menzies, V. (2004). The Idea of Imagination: An Analysis of â€Å"Imagery†. Advances In  Mind-Body Medicine, 20(2), 4. Ozel, S. (2004). Relation Between Sport and Spatial Imagery: Comparison of Three Group of Participants. Journal Of Psychology, 138(1), 49. Salka Jr., J. J. (2010). Muscle Memory. Firehouse, 35(10), 102. Sargent, G. (2002). The power of Mental Imagery. Sports Coach, 25(2), 18. Young, M. (n.d). Muscle Memory. (cover story). Massage Magazine, (127), 66. This research paper on Mental Imagery as a Form of Mental Rehearsal was written and submitted by user Damion Rivera to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Corporate Social Responsibilit Essay Example

Corporate Social Responsibilit Essay Example Corporate Social Responsibilit Essay Corporate Social Responsibilit Essay Yes, companies do have cultures of their own. This is because companies have a set of beliefs and behaviors as they involve groups of people with relationships, perceptions, and behaviors.   However, a company’s culture is more critically considered compared to the freer culture that an individual chooses for himself. Being a business, they are often expected to justify their actions and beliefs that support these actions.   Because of this, companies need to carefully choose and structure their norms such that it would be reasonable to its employees, gain approval from their market, and beneficial to their business. Although it has been argued that businesses are not expected to behave as society does, I still believe that a business is a member of society.   A company has most of the rights and obligations as each individual and is therefore bound to the legal and moral codes specific to the society.   This status of being a member of the community is what motivates a company to be socially responsible.   A company participates in both social issues and legal matters of the state, as in cases where a company leads in setting standards of living that could, through their lobbyists, influence new laws.   Moreover, a company plays an important role in advocating social issues when the government alone is unable to provide for the community.   A company, therefore, is concerned for the society because of the underlying notion that, even if it exists for profit, it is part of- if not one with- the community. CSR is very important to society as it plays a major part in its economic and social growth. A company that is socially responsible could help cultivate a society with the presence of its business, but it could also affect them negatively. We note that a company is, internally, also a society. It defines its principles upon following what may be a legal code, but also with profit returns as their goal.   The actions that a company does basing on these principles would determine their level of responsibility.   As an outcome, the society’s people and economy could either be well-developed or stagnant. How a company handles its social responsibility creates a profound effect on the community, and so it is imperative that a society is actively concerned in its programs. There are both advantages and disadvantages to each of these behaviors, and it is important that whichever a company adopts, extremity should be avoided as it may not be beneficial to both the company and society.   However, being a strict constructionist could prove better for a company, as CSR and philanthropy, albeit controlled and used as strategy, are still embedded in their goals. Being a strict constructionist, a company is specific in following not only legal standards but also moral codes. Since profit is the primary concern, it is important for a company to earn its market’s trust by delivering good standards, and loyalty by investing profit back into society.   These non-profit programs that a constructionist company initiates following a moral code are often the reasons why it is viewed as an ethical purist.   Overall, being a strict constructionist still allows a company to help the society but in a more practical strategy, needed for expansion- which create s more business opportunities and plenty of room to help. Yes, it is possible for a company to address both profit concerns and social responsibility at the same time, or â€Å"do well by doing good†.   By repackaging their products and services to fit a specific community, a company is able to expand their market to majority of the world’s population. Since they are provided with affordable commodities, technology, healthcare and education as well as employment, consumers patronize a company’s products and services and provide profit returns. Microfinance that turn profits and pooling of financial resources for a loan are some of the trends used to help people improve their standard of living- especially the poor and working poor- in financial terms. By providing affordable rates and lending money even to the low-income class, people become motivated to pay for their loans, and profit is ensured.   Another example of â€Å"doing good† but with a different kind of approach to ensure a more long-term â€Å"do ing well† is the collaboration of toy company Lego and scientific equipment company National Instruments (NI) where they sponsor a Science and Technology competition attended by 9- to 16-year-old students. By exposing the young to their products, they not only promote Science and Technology but also guarantee brand recognition and future market, when the kids grow to become buyers themselves. A company must adhere to the rules and standards specific to their marketed society in order to be able to, in the first place, stay in business. For this reason, the type- even presence- of CSR depends largely on the culture of a society as well as its social concerns.   A society that is particular to the rights of its individuals warrants the company to pay attention to the treatment of its employees and to have strategically impacting CSR activities. On the other hand, a society that is, say, well-supported by its government may not set a very high expectation in the company’s CSR involvement. With the society’s norms and present social concerns in mind, a company must adjust to these factors and design a CSR strategy that would create a positive effect to the society, or at least not hurt its image.   As a result, the quality and density of a company’s CSR activities vary from state to state. The presence of a company do not always benefit a society, and this conflict come in different situations. Multinational companies often involve a long chain of production, which could be rigged in the process and cause harm to consumers at the end of that chain. These result to news of food and chemical scares that have been known around the world or counterfeiting problems. Also, for-profit lending firms who view microfinance as money-well place higher costs for their loans and mortgages, even up to twice the amount of the loan, and end up hurting consumers’ credit instead of helping them to alleviate their standard of living. However, businesses sometimes hurt the society in the process of trying to help its members.   In order to effectively deliver or affordable products and services and offer employment to a community, another group of people is displaced.   These adverse effects could either be intentionally or unavoidable brought by the company but sadly, there is no universal standard that would prevent companies from falling into harmful ventures. IT systems are used in order to manage and report on a company’s CSR. Through information technology, a company is able to quantify their toxic emissions and determine whether they need to manage or reduce amounts of input.   With the results, the company is presented with the opportunity to help reduce the amount of pollution towards the environment.   However, IT systems themselves- especially the hardware- contain a great amount of toxic. Aside from that, these data-gathering technologies consume a lot of electricity and air conditioning, which would produce harmful greenhouse gases.   In the end, the employment of IT as part of CSR could enable a company to help the planet but also raise environmental problems in the process. For me, tool regulation and strategic usage determines the balance between the two opposite effects. Some societies do not have a strong stance on transparency between company and consumer, but it should be a requirement for a more trusted business.   Patronizing a business involves trust on the part of the customers. It is then their right to be well-informed about the products that they use and services that they employ.   As customers place their trust on a company by availing their products, it is the company’s responsibility to make sure that the customers understand the process to which they engage in.   Failure in this part results to issues that could be harmful for the customer.   Aside from that, nondisclosure of certain characteristics and aspects of a product or service would make the customer distrust a company and the company loses business. Corporate Social Responsibility, 8 Nonprofit programs, like any investment, should be cultivated with a strategy.   I agree that these programs should be run like business in order to make CSR work out for the company as well as the society. Handling nonprofits as one handles any business requires a well-defined procedure and guarantees a positive outcome. Furthermore, the program is evaluated to determine whether it has been successful, or needs further detailing.   Giving without a goal may contribute to the company’s visibility but it still tends to be irrelevant to the society and therefore ineffective. This is why â€Å"smart philanthropy† is a significant principle in most companies as it enables them to be active in philanthropic activities and also promote their company’s reputation: do well by doing good. III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion We hope for a better community once businesses, especially large-scale ones, enter the society but at some point adverse effects and behaviors happen, and the community is affected. Once a business goes wrong, the society’s economy, people, and even environment would suffer.   Businesses, on the other hand, are affected by the beliefs and behaviors of the society.   A company that has no regard for the norms are criticized and since the society is its market and reason for existence, its policies need to be adjusted accordingly. Therefore, the relationship between company and society is inter-dependent: the company relies on the society for revenue, and the society looks up to the company for economic leadership. Because of this relationship, a company makes it a point to be socially responsible and invests profit back into the community so to gather loyalty and be able to expand at the same time. These programs that show responsibility, in turn, would encourage customers to patronize products and services.   In totality, corporate social responsibility is what keeps this relationship balanced and intact.

A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies Essay Example for Free

A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies Essay ? A Thousand Splendid Suns the reader would think it’s a happy novel, however there’s nothing particularly â€Å"splendid† one would assume about the novel. From the very beginning of the novel the author, Khaled Hosseini inserts hints and foreshadowing to aware the reader that it will be an unhappy story. This is evident in the following illustration when Mariam breaks the sugar bowl , â€Å"It was the last peice that slipped from Mariam’s fingers, that fell to the wooden floorboards of thekolba and shattered† (Hosseini 2). Hosseini is generating depressing emotions in the novel by introducing words † fell† or â€Å"shattered† resembling failure or sin. The reader also gets introduced to the word â€Å"Harami† and other words, such as â€Å"kolba† and â€Å"Jinn† which are terms not identified by the author, so the reader must rely on the context to better understand what the word means. For example, when Mariam expresses the fear that the â€Å"jinn† has returned to her mother, the reader will assume that jinn is something bad. The use of these terms establishes the setting , but also signifies that some things cannot be translated remaining a mystery for the reader. In the novel , Hosseini makes the reader live, see and feel by portraying the experiences the characters are going through in the novel, and by writing from a third person point of view , he broadens the readers ability because the perspective of the characters is limited, sometimes Mariam, sometimes Laila, which works to great effect to attach the reader to both characters equally. A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies. (2018, Oct 28).

The Gun- Control Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Gun- Control Debate - Essay Example A person feels a lot safe when he is in custody of a small weapon for his personal protection. These people accused the other side of politicizing this shooting issue. Therefore, there is an ongoing heated debate around the country. The proponents of gun control point out to the consequences of lax measures, whereas the opponents of gun control point to the constitutional right of possessing arms and ammunition. The Dishonest Gun- Control Debate Kevin Williamson in â€Å"The Dishonest Gun- Control Debate† has appealed to both the judgment and the emotions of the American people. The goal of this author is to convince the audience that the gun control debate is unfair and corrupt. Williamson states several rational arguments to put forward his point of view that the debate is deceitful. He argues that there is no connection between guns and crime rate and puts down several facts and figures as well as comparisons between countries. Statistics show that there is no correlation b etween guns and crime committed. There are places in the world where there are huge stockpiles of guns but no crimes, others where there are fewer guns and still less crime. Likewise, he mentions a research study by Zack Beauchamp to point out the tactics used by the politicians to manipulate the gun violence statistics. Through this, he has tried to appeal to the better sense of the American people. The writer has made an excellent use of some of the rhetoric devices to persuade the audience to his point of view. When the writer states, â€Å"We hear a lot about â€Å"gun deaths† in the United States, but we hear less often the fact that the great majority of those deaths are suicides,† he made effective use of antanagoge- criticizing and complimenting together to lessen the impact of the point. The writer has made an impressive use of epithet- a describing adjective- to appeal to the audiences’ emotions. Similarly, Williamson has mentioned an anecdote from his personal life to provide his perspective on the debate. He states that he lived years in one of the most voiced crime riddled area of New York; however, he never became a victim despite travelling late at nights. The author has made use a vibrant tone in his article. He has used some of the authoritative words and phrases to illustrate the grim of the debate. At the same time, the author has maintained an eloquent structure of writing where opinions, facts and illustrations are presented in a coherent manner. Nonetheless, Williamson has lacked in the effective usage of pathos and clearly failed to appeal to the emotions of the people. However, Williamson has, overall, made an effective use of the rhetoric devices to appeal to the sense of the people. The Gun Debate is a Cultural Debate Trevor Burrus in â€Å"The Gun Control Debate is a Cultural Debate† argues that the gun issue has always been a cultural issue. One culture argues that gun possession leads to violence while t he other follows that gun possession promotes safety. Therefore, the author in this article has tried to convince the people about the presence of cultural divide on this issue through logical reasoning as well as appealing to the community beliefs and attitudes. The writer has tried to make effective use of anecdote, epithet, appositive, apostrophe and logos to persuade the audience to his point of view. However, the logical reasoning

Las Adelitas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Las Adelitas - Essay Example They lives were controlled largely by either their fathers or husbands and other caretaker. The Mexican Revolution which began in the year 1911 and lasted up to 1920 was primarily against the presidency led by the governor of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz, as his rule was marked by violence and corruption while the common man and peasants lost their lands and were left with no means to support themselves. It was during this revolution the women folk also emerged from the confines of their homes and participated in the revolution to fight for their own causes (Jandura; Fernandez). Women shed their traditional image and dependency on men by becoming soldiers during the revolution. The various groups who opposed the rule of Diaz enrolled women in to their army. While some of the women soldiers fought for various reforms such as agrarian in order to provide better relief for the peasants, some others enrolled in the army to support their men or in other cases women entered the revolution in order to avenge the death of their dear ones and to improve their economic status. Women who worked as soldiers supported the men in their daily routine tasks in addition to supporting them in the battlefield. The men were in fact able to perform better with the support from the women as they were able to pursue their military responsibilities without any hindrance. In return for their participation women were rewarded with equality and freedom from attachment to their homes. They also gained economic freedom and were no longer bound by any societal or cultural norms that exi sted prior to the revolution. They also enjoyed their sexual freedom and engaged in sexual relations with men irrespective of their marital status. However, despite their abilities to work on par with men in the battlefield this transformation was not tolerated by men who wanted to remain the stronger force among the two genders. Thus these women soldiers were largely portrayed