Philosophical Belief Essay

What is the nature of humankind as it relates the field of psychology (ontology)? Since time immemorial, humans have questioned their own existence and their relationship to what is around them. The field of ontology is complex, having integrated science and technology into its sphere with the advent of artificial intelligence, medical science, and advanced exploration technologies. Yet in the beginning, Plato and Aristotle were considered the first true ontologists (Biography. ms, n. d. ). They were the first to call attention to the states of being and categories of being: physical objects, minds, classes, properties and relations. It is human nature to question our sense of being, such as what we are, why are here, who we are and why other people and things are around us. The nature of the mind is to probe into its world, perceived by the senses, and make some amount of sense of it all. Ontology is the fundamental basis for metaphysics, which includes all of science and religion. From the first questions relating to the existence of a supreme being or nature spirits or even the concept of having a spirit, ontology was born. When we first begin to associate ourselves as beings, we are practicing ontology. Naturally, part of developmental psychology falls into this category. Human nature dictates that we identify ourselves as an individual, as a part of a family unit, as a student of a school, a member of a community. Ontology is the most fundamental concept of psychological being, since our earliest concepts are â€Å"being-based. † Once humankind becomes more complex and intertwined, we begin to practice ontology with regard to cultures, countries and continents, as well as religions. In this way, each thing that can be named is considered an ontological thing, since it exists. We also have split ontology into very diverse cosmologies; this is where we can become very divided; Christianity as opposed to Islam, for example. Each religion exists, and is composed of rituals and systems that have ontological definitions. Yet the attachment to one’s own identity or one religion’s identity can become dangerous when taken to an extreme. It is our nature to categorize and retain what suits us and reject what is unpleasant. Yet behind these decisions, especially when speaking of ideas (or myths or legends) as if they actually exist in empirical reality is a departure from logic. From the days of the ancients to the present, ontology is largely now used in the science, in the form of empirical study of existing things and the relationships between them (Gregg H. Rosenberg, 1997). We continually explore the interrelationships of our world, leaving science as the main, if not only, modern form of formal ontology practiced today. What once began as a philosophy has transformed into pure science. As we continue to develop increasingly complex technologies in the forms of artificial intelligence, ontology will no doubt take on a different meaning and be applied to different circumstances than ever before. This is only on the surface, however. Ontology, even though not named until recently in human history, has been with us since we began, as creatures, to look beyond our simple survival as a species and consider our relationship to what is around and even beyond us. How do we know what we know in relation to the field of psychology (epistemology)? The many branches of psychology that exist today define the gaining of knowledge within the studies of developmental, cognitive, educational, social, etc. ; these fall under the philosophical domain of epistemology (synonymous with Theory of Knowledge). We question how we come to know certain things and study ways of learning, retaining and using knowledge. The concept of epistemology is very simple. How do we know what we know? But the application of this method is quite complex (Keith De Rose, 2003). Much of the knowledge we gain in any given day is via other people such as friends, family and co-workers. We also gain knowledge in school, from television and books and on the Internet. But how often do we question the source? Now we can see how complex epistemology becomes. Let’s say that Alice tells Jim that Steve is a thief. Jim has never known Alice to lie. In fact, Alice’s reputation is sterling in terms of credibility. Without any further inquiry, Jim believes Alice and has nothing further to do with Steve. How logical is that? Is it true knowledge? No, it isn’t. Jim simply knows what Alice has told him and it may or may not have anything to do with reality. This is where the games of the mind come into play. First we are told something and it becomes knowledge. From that knowledge we form a paradigm. Later we discover that what we know, or believe, is false. We must change our paradigm and everything attached to it. This is the stuff of war. If we look at knowledge, we can only truly know what we ourselves experience. We only learn through experimentation and our own inquiry. We are limited in how much we can know due to our limited senses. Epistemology is concerned with â€Å"propositional knowledge,† such as what is true. It is not so concerned with how to do things (Peter D. Klein, 1998 – 2006). This is where history, religion, politics, theory and other non-empirical learning comes into question. When it comes to the intangible topics in our lives, how do we know? Tradition holds that what we come to know in an empirical manner (the sun rises every day, the stomach growls when one is hungry, if a horse flattens its ears, it is angry) is real knowledge. These are repeatable events that we no longer notice because we know that they will occur with regularity. Plato’s argument was what we have come to know as Transcendental Realism. This means we come to know something through knowing its form and the changes it undergoes. Aristotle put forth the idea that a form does not transcend the material thing. Knowledge is the harmony between thought and fact. Going deeper into this form of philosophy and addressing how we know what we know in the field of psychology, we would have to say that we observe certain behavioral patterns as they relate to prevailing patterns in society, but the real question is, how real is psychology? We cannot empirically see a thought or the connections between thoughts; we can only observe behaviors and listen to the thoughts of others in determining their psychological status. Psychology is something that is not static, therefore it does not adhere to the definition of truth in the strictest sense. What is the role of morals and moral belief in the practice of psychology (axiology, moral psychology)? In order for psychology to be at all effective, the practitioner must acknowledge what is of value to the client; the observer must take note of what is of value to those being observed. What we value is what motivates us, and while we all value different things in different proportions, we do tend to hold common values as a species. One common value is survival. Survival is an interspecies value and can be utilized to study a wide range of behaviors at a basic level. As adults we should know the difference between right and wrong, and we have likely learned the values of our culture or group (Robert N. Barger, Ph. D. , 2000). According to Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, it is understood that people progress through a series of stages of moral development. Beginning with Level 1, most people (according to Kohlberg) pass through a series of six identifiable stages within three levels (Barger). Kohlberg believed that most adults never progressed beyond the second level of conventional morality; the third level, â€Å"post-conventional† morality, was unattainable by most adults and Kohlberg never met anyone who met the criteria of comprehending social mutuality and respect for a universal principle and the demands of an individual conscience. In the practice of psychology, one’s moral beliefs are the glue that holds an individual together through life. While the beliefs may change (and through psychological intervention they often do), the basic values of an individual are relatively unchanging once set in childhood and through social interaction. Practicing psychology is a continual process of setting priorities, which involves axiology. In a society that is ever more diverse and challenging, it is critical in the field of psychology to engage in axiological thinking in order to better assist clients with their own axiological processes. The very process of basic decision-making involves making priorities, and when priorities conflict over a long period of time, stresses occur that changes an individual’s behavior markedly. Since axiology is the study of how people determine the value of different things, it is of great importance that a psychologist can determine the values of a client in order for therapy to be effective. Assignments of value can either represent or distort reality (Clear Direction Inc. 2001). Since valuations are unique to each individual, they create individual thinking habits, which reveal what the true value is, even if it is simply a habit and not a true value. If the thinking habit distorts reality enough to render someone dysfunctional, the method of thinking needs to be evaluated and changed to a healthier pattern. Then new things take higher value than the old ones, and in theory the destructive thinking pattern is disrupted. Practicing psychology with an understanding of axiology and how it affects individuals, families, and cultures is critical, since western society is under continual pressure to change its priorities, causing enormous stresses on its members; for example, if a parent places a higher value on religious beliefs than their child’s education, the child potentially suffers withdrawal from mainstream society and the opportunity to grow and thrive in that very same society. Do you see a place for religious belief, spirituality, political, and socioeconomic philosophy within psychology (teleology, metaphysics, economics)? In a word, yes. From the dawn of time, rightly or wrongly, humans have incorporated the above disciplines into their daily lives and because they are an integral part of human consciousness they must be present, or at least understood, in the study/practice of psychology. It cannot be emphasized enough that our world is rapidly changing, our values and beliefs are changing, and in our Western society those changes can lead to dangerous consequences, such as extremism and violence. The role of psychology is the study of human behavior, and the more complete an understanding of the causations of those behaviors, the better it is for the discipline of psychology, which does have its roots in philosophy. No matter the progression of the physical sciences, it can be clearly argued that thought, belief and a value system has not been proven to be strictly mechanical. That being said, however, does not give the field of psychology carte blanche to incorporate intelligent design or any other religious preference in its practice. Much more study is needed before one can categorically say that psychology is an entirely separate discipline than the above mentioned, for the very factors in the previous pages of this essay are what build the individual personality. No matter the prevailing belief in one’s society, the mind is free to accept or reject it on whatever grounds of inquiry the individual has undertaken. It is the role of the psychologist to understand the importance of a spiritual belief to many people; belief systems are the underpinnings of every society, and the goal of psychology should be to better understand the purpose of such belief systems rather than disregard them due to their lack of empirical evidence. Reams of books can be written on this one question, no doubt for and against. The issue is so complex and convoluted due to the emotions involved and the agendas of each side for attempting to gain the upper hand. Yet this is, in itself, a study. What is it that is propelling Westerners to go to such lengths as to change laws regarding education of both sides? Before categorically stating that teleology, metaphysics, etc. has no place in psychology, we must consider that in assessing how theories or behaviors or thoughts develop, we do not understand the science behind them; hence, no empirical support is available in the strictest sense (Jean Bricmont, 1997). An individual in the social sciences can corroborate with those in the empirical sciences, yet the meaning attached to findings is a function of recognition of repeating patterns that cannot be measured by empirical means. This automatically throws metaphysics and other ambiguous categories into the mix. We must also remember that scientists are also humans with the very same patterns of cognitive development as everyone else; their jealously guarded positions within their areas of specialty are a study in themselves; one could even go as far as to say that they have formed a belief system all their own, to which they are as emotionally attached as any religious zealot. This is where psychology must be balanced in incorporating both empirical science and philosophy of mind. In order to understand what the driving force is behind teleology, we can only look at the results of its presence. We cannot empirically measure its growth and various ways of metamorphosis. While people can have ideas, people are not ideas in the empirical sense (Ian Heath, 2003). Wilhelm Wendt put the role of psychology quite succinctly in his three general principles of psychology: 1) Inner, or psychological, experience is not a special sphere of experience apart from others, but is immediate experience in its totality. 2) This immediate experience is not made up of unchanging contents, but of an interconnection of processes; not of objects, but of occurrences, of universal human experiences and their relations in accordance with certain laws. 3) Each, of these processes contains an objective content and a subjective process, thus including the general conditions both of all knowledge and of all practical human activity† (Wilhelm Wendt, 1897). In maintaining these principles and staying focused on the fundamental purpose of psychology, this discipline can easily incorporate belief systems into its practice by understanding them to be what they are: inner experiences that propel external behavior. Incorporating ideas and beliefs into psychology from the standpoint of better serving humanity in an attempt to understand itself and better educate itself is necessary for a dynamic global society that has the tendency to make what is simple complicated and what is important irrelevant in the face of fact. It is my belief that rather than create ever-new branches of psychology that focus on a small part of the function of individuals or groups, it would behoove the science of psychology to remember its roots and ethical standards in practice. Psychology should refrain from becoming political, yet acknowledge that is existence in politics is important.

Women Education in India

Women`s education in India has been one of the major issues of concern of the Government of India as well as the society at large. It is because of the fact that today the educated women play a very significant role in overall development and progress of the country. Women hold a prominent position in the Indian society as well as all over the world. However, since the prehistoric times women were denied opportunities and had to suffer for the hegemonic masculine ideology.Thus, this unjustifiable oppression had resulted into a movement that fought to achieve the equal status of women all over the world. Women Education in India is the consequence of such progress and this led to the tremendous improvement of women`s condition through out the world. Nevertheless eradication of female illiteracy is considered as a major concern today. In the recent era, the Indian society has established a number of institutions for the educational development of women and girls.These educational insti tutions aim for immense help and are concerned with the development of women. Women`s Education in Ancient India In ancient India, women and girls received less education than men. This was due to the set social norms. Interestingly,in the Vedic period women had access to education, but gradually they had lost this right. Women education in ancient India prevailed during the early Vedic period. In addition to that Indian scriptures Rig Veda and Upanishads mention about several women sages and seers.Women enjoyed equivalent position and rights in the early Vedic era. However, after 500 B. C, the position of women started to decline. The Islamic invasion played a vital role in restricting freedom and rights of the women. A radical change attended and there was a terrific constraint for Women education in India. Women`s Education in Medieval India Women education in medieval India further deteriorated with the introduction of Purdah system. Different customs and conventions of diverse religions like Hindu, Islam, and Christian further deteriorated the state of women in the country.A range of socio religious movements contributed to the development of women literacy in the country. Many leaders took several initiatives to make education available to the women of India. The ordered form of women education in India was incorporated in the early centuries of the Christian era. Women`s Education in Colonial India The position of the women education in India revived with the invasion of the British in the country and with the advent of Bhakti movement. The colonial period also introduced the institutional form of imparting learning.Women education in Colonial India witnessed an essential expansion. Various movements were launched to make women of the country literate. Furthermore, this progress journeyed through the years and influenced the modern Indian education system. Women`s Education in Modern India Women Education in Modern India is traced back to the years afte r the independence of the country. In the present times, the government of India takes measures to provide education to all women of the country. Women literacy rate seemingly rose in the modern days.Women education in India became a compulsory concern and female literacy has gone higher that male literacy. At present, the constitution of India guarantees free primary school education for both boys and girls up to age 14. Education in India plays a vital role in the overall development of the country. This proves that educated women promote education in their family. Further, learned women can also help in the lessening of child death rate and expansion of population. In the modern era, women education is the replica of a Vedic model for instructive inspiration. Women Education in India Introduction: The men and the women are the two wheels of the society. If one of the two falls defective, the society cannot make progress. Hence we need education for the females as we need for the males. Advantages: The female education is highly necessary for the society. Because mothers are the first teachers of the children. They are the first teachers of the future citizens of the country. If the mothers be ignorant, they cannot take proper care of the children. They cannot infuse good qualities in them. Hence, the very foundation of our people will remain weak, if the females will be ignorant the society will lose the services of a powerful part of our society. So, female education is quite necessary for the girls. The women are in no way inferior to men. In western countries the women are writing books, driving cars and aero-planes, running banks and big business firms and doing research in the laboratory. There are women scientists, women officers and women writers. The typewriters, the news agents, the sales agents the commercial solicitors are mostly women. Hence, we cannot decry the women-folk in our country. Disadvantages: But the female education has some disadvantages too. It is found in Europe and America that the educated women do not want to bear children. They do not like their children. They leave them in the nursery, more out of their disgust than for any other reason. But the defect does not lie in education as a principle. The defect lies in the curriculums. If they learn what the males learn then naturally they will like to be like males. So, separate courses of study should be prepared for the females. Present position: Indians are conservative by nature. So, their blind faith and age old superstition stood against the female education. Now, people have felt the virtue of female education. The do not hesitate to send their daughters to schools. Now in India we find women professors, lady doctors, lady scientists, lady politicians and lady ministers. But a large number of women are still in dark. They should be educated in the interest of our national progress. conclusion: India is now optimistic in the field of female education. We had the female philosophers like Gargi, Maritreyi and Viswabara in the Vedic age. We had Mirabai, Ahalyabi, Durgabati and Laxmibai in the days of history. They were all learned. Hence, we had a great tradition during the days of our degeneration. Now, we have revived. So, we will certainly revive the female education in India.

Market mechanism and public service delivery Essay

Market mechanism and public service delivery - Essay Example In the last few decades,public administration has witnessed a deep process of reform in order to "make publicly-owned services and enterprises more business - like".For, public administration has increasingly translated into public governance and huge behemoths in the public sector are expected to be run more efficiently at reduced costs. In other words, it is expected that the public administration become competitive in delivering goods and services. Governments are expected to strategise a country's developmental priorities by providing an efficient, responsive and transparent public administration. Countries have now moved to a mix of market-based or competitive governance and civic-based or partnership governance. This has been brought about by the changing role of the state and the growing businesslike and managerial approach to the operations of Public Administration. A new fragmented and complex world of markets and networks has pushed governments to move from a direct deliver y of services to a more general coordination and control of government functions. While, there is substantial scope for increase in delivery of public services through the market mechanism, there are several limitations and impediments too.In a globalised era, public administration, or the delivery of public services considered as universal needs and much needed socio-economic infrastructure to civil society are proving to be a tough and complex task. Since Public Administration includes within its ambit political, economic and social governance, governments across the world are having to function in an environment marked by increased public scrutiny. This has arisen out of increasing democratization and the diffusion of ideas arising from the implosion of information and communication technologies. Text of the article Since the time of Plato, Aristotle and Kautilya, good public managers have been recognized as those with sound judgement, a sense of justice and courage to take action on behalf of the good of society. Traditionally, public administration entities ie government institutions responsible for providing vital services have been state-centric, huge, self sufficient monoliths, hierarchical in their relations and also inclined towards a controlling order. Since early Public service mechanism 2 times, the public administration in countries has been providing services essential to society, some of them considered as fundamental rights of the citizens, like the right to water. In addition, law and order, health, education and building infrastructure viz. roads, transportation including railways and aviation, telecommunication, sewage, energy and a host of other services have come within the ambit of public administration. Publicly owned services and industries are controlled by the central governments. These state-owned enterprises or services do not generate any profit and provide essential services for the entire population. The cost of providing these services is met from taxation money. Local bodies are entrusted with certain civic functions including waste management, maintenance of parks etc. The main advantage in public owned enterprises or services is that jobs for workers in these institutions are secure and unemployment does not

Crucibles for leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Crucibles for leadership - Essay Example In that angle of view, I may be allowed to explain the feelings I surpassed and the knowledge I read in connection with this empirical record as a relative study of the cases of other people as well. From the long road of life I have walked so far, I claimed many leanings that proved promising while not ignoring the impacts of some of the personal choices I made wrongly. The need for analyzing the events and circumstances I have come across in a scientific manner is necessary for framing a crucible experience note for the reference of my trials on personality development and essentially, for the improvement of leadership qualities. Before I enter the details of my experience, I would like to define the term as I understand from certain readings. According to a definition given by some researchers, â€Å"Crucible are more like trials or test that corner individuals and force them to answer questions about who they are and what is really important to them† (Thomas 5). Based on t his definition, I believe in the aspect that leadership is a rather vast subject of learning beyond the teachings from experts and the lectures from scholars. As such there can be more of learning from the lessons of life than those are rendered by academic trainings or spiritual teachings. It seems to be a creative field of observation where and individual has to involve in certain situations, explore their importance and then extract ideas meant for the corrective measures needed for the positive maintenance of his philosophical as well as social outlook. Leadership origins as a part of empirical studies based on the gravity of experiences faced by people during their struggles for excellence, and sometimes, enormous efforts they put in as trials to come out of the deadlocks at some stages of life. Everyone in this world, either deliberately or passively is subject to stand at the receiving end of such experiences that stops their successful run sometimes. The period of such trail varies as the individuals and the situations vary. Also, they all have something to do with the greatest negotiator, time. What all one could focus during the excruciating life experiences at different stages and circumstances would be lessons hiding inside them; and only a watchful observer can deal with the best exploration strategies to fish out the wisdom that lies in the process of unlocking such situations. It was during my second year in the college that I experienced a miserable tenure of suffocating disappointment. Considering the reputation of the college and the competition I had to face to obtain the admission, I must thank God for keeping me there for the course. I had a merit certification from the state level school sports championship in swimming and it helped me achieve grace marks to outsmart a few contestants to my rank. During the first three months, I participated in all the community programs and grabbed the attention of the principal who directed me to join t he college disciplinary group. We were six members from students to be part of the twenty-five member executive body headed by the college physical education head. The first semester was coming to an end and the college was getting ready with the talks related to hosting an inter-university sports meet. I was

Philosophy of Bacon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy of Bacon - Essay Example In ancient days few people used to be educated. Philosophers and religious heads used to rule the roost of the society. The society used to honor the religious heads. Philosophers became lack of education and lack of understanding the world. Of course it is true that there very same person frightened of religions and the philosophers were restarting as the progress of society. In the ancient times then and to be great philosophers like Epicures, Zeno, Cleanthes, Arcecitators, Cameades, Pyrrho, Tenion etc. Their philosophy was being questioned by the society, the European society. A new generation of though is surfacing, questioning the very existence of the ancient European Philosophers. New thinkers started throwing open their material, pragmatic formats of a new philosophy to the world. A renaissance is gaming and its theories of modern philosophy. It is an intellectual comes and with some modern philosophy, the authorship used to be denied the work has to be renamed an ancient phi losopher and then only it used to be accepted. Such was the ancient Philosophers sway on the society. As a matter of fact the work done by any intellectual is not his own. It is rediscovered and it had actually because written by an ancient philosophers and it is only rediscovered by this intellect.But everything changed in the beginning of the 17th century in the renaissance a reaction started selling is against the old philosophers. People started liking to criticize it reject it, and attempting something new. To establish a fact that modern philosophers was to reborn in early in modern Europe, after its united 300 years in carnation in ancient Greece. In the ancient world there were energy bottlenecks. They were not able to probe or enhance their sources of energy. They had to cut the plants and burn for energy. To a little one only or a limited use only. Usage if animals and their own lab our, and the energy of slaves was too little for them to allow then create devices that might allow them to create more energy. Therefore in ancient days people were not able to have a control over the materials they were having. Rather to say that they did not know the scientific approach to marks best of material that are available. Then came the new modern period wherein falls etc. started producing used energy and more control over the circumstances. The society was changing for better and started living in comfort. The invention powering the galleries avoiding the rowing of slaves, the invention of magnetic compares hardening enough weird energy to soul even though out fitted with cannons gun powder to fire the canon to use in mining purposed, the invention of a mechanical clock the printing press and so an and so forth. Francis Bacon was an early thinker Francis Bacon explained more vividly about and they can think plan and devise means and ways to interfere with the nature. He was very optimistic of a more enlightened and more powerful humane. Being and they can achieve miracles in interfering with the nature. They can make best use of the nature. Bacon believes in humane power and its aim is to generate and super induce a new nature on a given body. The work and aim of human knowledge is to sources of emanations. True knowledge is knowledge by causes, caused are four kinds (1) The material (2) The formal (3) The efficient (4) The final Of these four materials and efficient are of little consequences, if every thing is true and active science. If a man acquires knowledge only on certain subjects, his knowledge is also imperfect. If a efficient and material caused he may discover certain things reference to substances in some degree similar to another selected before hand, both may not become so efficient to touch the deeper bound rise of the things.

Australian supermarket Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Australian supermarket - Essay Example The objective of the paper is to market analysis of an Australian supermarket. The paper will delve on all the economic and business aspects of the supermarket industry. The paper contains a detailed review of the current market structure in this sector of business, encompassing a study about the pricing power policies and the demand, supply factors. The paper will include a report of the chosen business with data and statistics about the industry’s growth and competitors in the business. The purpose of the paper is to work on a detailed business review report touching on topics like price, income and cross elasticity, Input prices and cost of production, substitute services available in the market, products and services that complement this service, and a complete SWOT analysis.Industry Overview and Market structure.The paper under all subheadings will explain the microeconomic theory behind the heading in correlation to the supermarket industry. The Australian supermarket an d the grocery store industry accounted for $69.5b as industry revenue in the year 2008. With an annual industry growth of 4.7%, the industry has 4300 establishments providing employment to 259,200 people. The two major players in the Australian market are the Woolworths and the Wesfarmers formerly known as the Coles. The Woolworths and Coles feature in the 22nd and 29th place respectively in the list of top 50 retailers around the world. In a report by Blake Dawson named 'Rising Grocery Prices and Australia's Anti-trust laws', Woolworths leads the supermarket industry with 750 stores holding a market share of 44% and Coles with 500 stores holding a market share of 34%. The New entry Germany's Aldi has 300 stores holding a market share of 4%. The supermarket industry like all other industries is under heavy pressure due to the current global turmoil and Dr. Ira Kalish, Deloitte Research's Director of Consumer Business, advised, "We are seeing this already with consumers shifting to m ore price focused retailers. For all retailers, this environment will require added attention to keeping costs under control." The paper will report a detailed analysis on the Wesfarmers Super Market. Find below and in the forthcoming pages the History, market share , pricing , competitors, costs, market forces and a SWOT analysis of the Coles the now Wesfarmers Supermarket. Body: The Coles opened its first store in the year 1914 by George Coles. Over years the company has grown and spread its wings far and wide and today Coles has over 740 stores in both New Zealand and Australia. The Supermarket caters to a whole range of customers and stands out remarkably for its services and is the number two chain of supermarket in Australia next to Woolworths. Employing more than 92000 people the Coles has specialized departments for Health, baby food, Health and Beauty Department, Meat Department Fruits and Vegetables Department, Deli (Pizza Bar) and the international and specialty Department. The Coles was acquired by Wesfarmers Ltd in the end of the year 2007. Pricing Power and Policies: The pricing power or market power of a firm is the power exerted by the firm to determine or influence the price of the products sold or the services provided. In other words, the freedom of Coles to set prices for their own products. Pricing power of a firm largely depends on the demand for its goods and services. A firm enjoys the maximum pricing power depending upon the price elasticity if its product or service. Price Elasticity according to Mulhearn and Vane in the book 'Economics' is "measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a particular good or service to changes in its price ." Coles being the second largest supermarket chain in Australia to a certain extent does dictate prices and enjoys an edge over smaller retail stores. However in a Public submission report to the ACCA (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) Coles has stated "Coles is committed to delivering value to customers every day.

Jack Gruber review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Jack Gruber review - Assignment Example The website is extremely easy to navigate due to its simple design. The website takes least time to load its content thus considered satisfactory. The website design has considerable influence on the displayed works since it enables users to explore the website for all content that the photojournalist seeks to present to the viewers. The photographs that Jack Gruber has presented the viewers are displayed in flash thus enhancing the outlook of the website, in addition to presenting, the most eye-catching photographs to the viewers. The videos have been displayed with proper organization that makes certain that the video has an explanation of the events that were caught on camera. Every video has its own story thus reducing cases of confusion for the viewers. Other multimedia have also been aligned similarly to the videos thus maintaining uniformity. The website has a blog that offers the viewers a link to viewer the presented stories in detail. The website has contact and biographic information concerning the photojournalist that allows viewers to communicate with Jack Gruber through either e-mail or phone (Jack). Viewers have been requested to connected and search archives under a category for archives. Additionally, the website contains a category for published works. Therefore, the website can be deemed to maintain personal

American Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Media - Essay Example It is a sincere and honest self-examination of the foreign and domestic policies of America. Amidst the widespread patriotic hysteria and solidarity reawakening post the September 11th, the author braves to tackle the Sovietization of American politics and media, which seek to slander dissent or disagreement of any kind. He brings the present administration under scrutiny as well as exposing the hypocrisy of the so-called "liberal" American press. In his book, the foreigners have complained about the American's domination of a world which is poorly understood by them and who "sanctimoniously boast of democratic virtues while ignoring our complicity in the crimes of authoritarian regimes, and destroy other countries' deep-rooted cultural traditions by exporting our crass culture of self-indulgence and haste."(Bryce Christenson, American Library Association) While feelings of American patriotism and nationalism is at an all time high,Hertgaard brings the reader to the task of self-examining the truth behind those very sentiments. But his weakness lies in the manner he address es his readers in a tone which is a bit too superior even while elaborating the perceptions of the rest of the world. "Americans ne America's foreign policy has been put up for questioning in his book where he writes: "Americans need to have an honest discussion about our conduct overseas: Where it is wise Where it is not How often does it correspond to the values of democracy and freedom that we regularly invoke, and how important it is whether we practice what we preach If Americans want a healthy relationship with the six billion people we share the planet with, we need to understand who those people are, how they live, what they think and why. This is not charity, it is self-interest. America may be protected by two oceans and the mightiest military in history, but we know we are not untouchable." This statement has been taken further by Parag Khanna in his favor of open democracy where he states that America's independence can no longer depend on its security even if it's flanked by two oceans and neither can it count on its prosperity despite the country's production. The answers they were seeking were found in Washington in early October 2003, where a major program of public dialogue was launched by sixteen organizations, representing ideologies across the political spectrums. "The People Speak: America Debates Its Role in the World" is the name of this initiative which hosted numerous discussions on American foreign policies amongst communities across the nations. The four resolutions up for discussion which were: whether the US should use Pre-emptive military force to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction; what conditions should exist before the US takes part in military intervention overseas; whether America should focus more on non- military issues like the environment, poverty and health; whether America should demonstrate a stronger commitment to internationalinstitutions and international law It was also found that in the Islamic world, the image of America had drastically fallen over the past couple of years with only 15% of respondents giving favorable opinions on the United States, right from Turkey to Indonesia, which had

Synergetic Solutions Report Essay Example for Free

Synergetic Solutions Report Essay Just like individuals, organizations experience change as they move through life. Change can happen for a variety of reasons, but in the end organizations change how they do things and often how they are structured to better meet their goals- and very commonly, to grow (Feigenbaum, 2014). Synergetic Solutions, Inc is a $6 million company in the business of system integration-assembling and reselling leading computer brands. Two years ago, driven by the stagnating system integration market, Harold Redd, the Chief Executive Officer of Synergetic Solutions, made forays into the network solutions business of designing and implementing complex computing networks. Synergetic recently landed an order worth $1.2 million for designing a network, while orders worth $5 million are in the pipeline. Consequently, the network solution business accounts for 20% of the total revenues of the company, which stand at $6 million at present. Encouraged by this promising start, Harold Redd has made an important strategic decision. He has decided to focus on the networking solutions business and raise its revenues to 80% of total sales (Human Relations and Organizational Behavior, 2014). Internal/External Forces of Change External forces that an organization has determine the internal forces that drive the change. In order for an organization to be successful, they must be able to adapt and recognize the internal and external forces of change. The external forces of change within Synergetic Solutions are competition, technology, and customer demands. If a business wants to stay competitive, it must change the way it does business and operates. In addition, it must change what services or products it offers to its customers. Harold Redd, knew that in order for his company to stay competitive he needed to redesign his business and move from just assembling and reselling leading computer brands to the network solutions business of designing and implementing complex computing networks. Technology is continually changing jobs and organizations (Robbins Judge, 2011, Chapter 18, p.590). Technology is a positive external force of change as it improves efficiencies and processes within the company. Investing in upgrading technology also allows the organization to stay competitive as an employee will be able to be more productive. Customer demands are also another external force within  Synergetic Solutions. Synergetic recently landed an order worth $1.2 million for designing a network, while orders worth $5 million are in the pipeline (Human Relations and Organizational Behavior, 2014). In order to not lose customers to the competition, organizations need to be able to have the capabilities to fulfill their customers needs. This involves making sure that technology and tools are up-to-date as well as the employees are trained on the new processes. The internal forces of change within Synergetic Solutions are the culture, the organizational structure and increasing revenue. Organizational culture includes an organizations expectations, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations (Organizational Culture, 2014). Because of external forces of change like technology, competition, and cu stomer demands, it causes internal forces of change within Synergetic Solutions like culture, for example. Policies, procedures and expectations within a culture sometimes have to be revised or developed because of new processes and new ways of doing business. The employees also have to be trained on these new processes or new employees with the relevant skill-sets to perform the job, will be hired. Most employees within Synergetic Solutions have a limited skill-set, in which they only have the basic computer assembling and troubleshooting skills (Human Relations and Organizational Behavior, 2014). Another internal force of change is organizational structure. Because of the conflicts occurring between the team leaders and the functional heads with regards to the projects, it was necessary to restructure the organizational structure within Synergetic Solutions. The work environment and the organizational structure was redesigned in which we moved from the present departmental structure to a new team-based structure. We realigned the employees into project teams. We allowed the employees to express their concerns with regards to projects and changes and their concerns were addressed. Because of the restructuring, there is better coordination between the team members. Another internal force of change is the goal of the CEO, Harold Redd, to increase revenues of the networking solutions business from 20% of sales to 80% of sales by the end of the next nine months. In order to successfully meet the goal of increasing revenue, change has to occur internally within the organization  ranging from improving processes to upgrading employee skill-sets. Implementing Change The factors that a leader need to consider to implement a change strategy successfully in this organization is that they need to make sure that there are clear and concise guidelines, policies, and procedures for the changes so that the employees do not revert back to their old behaviors. Another factor to consider is to make sure that the employees understand the reason for the change and have the necessary skill-sets to adapt to the change, so that they will be less likely to resist the changes. There are several change models that a leader might utilize to implement change within an organization. One change model that the leader might use to implement change within Synergetic Solutions is: Lewins Three-Step Model. Kurt Lewin argued that successful change in organizations should follow three steps: unfreezing the status quo, movement to a desired end state, and refreezing the new change to make it permanent state (Robbins Judge, 2011, Chapter 18, p.596). Within the unfreezing stag e, the company is evaluating and determining what needs to change and why it needs to change within the organization. The existing system needs to be broken down before a new way of operating can be installed (Change Management Consultant, 2014). You have to compel people to understand that the old ways cannot continue in order for the company to grow (Change Management Consultant, 2014). Because Harold Redd decided to make a strategic decision to focus on the networking solutions business, this caused changes within the organization to occur. During the transition stage, the organization starts to transition into the changes that were determined during the unfreezing stage. Within this stage, the leader is trying to show the employees how the changes will benefit them, as well as the company. Its important to communicate and keep your employees involved in the changes. Hold meetings to communicate the changes and address the employee concerns. Once the employees trust and understand the reasons for the change, they will be more willing to accept the change and adapt to it. During the refreezing stage, the changes that were made are becoming stabilized. At this stage, the employees are understanding the changes made and becom ing comfortable with the changes. You have to make sure that the changes stick, so that the employees do not  revert back to the old ways. Throughout the Lewin Three-Step Model, effective communication is important. You have to ensure that you keep the lines of communication open so that employees can voice their concerns about the changes implemented. You also need to ensure that you hold meetings to make sure that the employees are utilizing the new way of operating within the organization. Another change model that the leader might utilize is: Organizational Development. According to Robbins Judge (2011), organizational development is a collection of change methods that try to improve organizational effectiveness and employee well-being (Chapter 18, p.598). The methods value human and organizational growth, collaborative and participative processes, and a spirit of inquiry (Robbins Judge, 2011, Chapter 18, p.599). Offering incentives to the employees for competency growth and variable pay packages motivated the employees to improve their skills in order to adapt to the changes. Realigning the employees into project teams and involving the employees by allowing them to voice their concerns would improve organizational effectiveness as well. Open and effective communication is key within this model because if the employees feel engaged, involved within the process, and if they feel support from their superiors, they will be more willing to adapt to the change. Resistance to Change Resistance to change occurs because most individuals do not like change. There are several sources for resistance to change. The kind of resistance within Synergetic Solutions is: habit, security, economic factors, fear of the unknown, and threat to expertise. Most people are stuck in their way of doing things and do not like to change. When they are confronted with change, they have the tendency to respond in their accustomed ways. People with a high need of security are likely to resist change because it threatens their feelings of safety. Changes in job tasks or established work routines can arouse economic fears if people are concerned that they wont be able to perform the new tasks or routines. Change substitutes uncertainty for the unknown. Changes in organizational patterns, may threaten the expertise of specialized groups (Robbins Judge, 2011, Chapter 18, p. 593). When employees understand the reasoning and logic behind a change, they will be more committed to adapt to the c hange. One way that Synergetic  Solutions can manage resistance to change is by educating and communicating to the employees the logic behind the change. Another way is by building support and commitment. You can develop a skill-set training program for the employees that will help them with the transition of the change, so that they will not have anxiety. Allowing the employees to participate, be involved and have a voice within the change process is another way in which the leader can manage resistance. Another way is to develop positive relationships. When an employee trusts the leader implementing the changes, they will be more willing to adapt to and accept the changes. Based off this analysis and the implementation of the numerous changes, Synergetic Solutions is definitely heading toward the direction of becoming a networking design hothouse. As long as Synergetic Solutions maintains the changes implemented, they will be successful and stay competitive. To survive in market environments where change is the only constant, organizations need to be agile, flexible, and capable of adapting to change quickly (Human Relations and Org anizational Behavior, 2014). References Change Management Consultant. (2014). Kurt Lewin Three Phases Change Theory. Retrieved from http://www.change-management-consultant.com/kurt-lewin.html Feigenbaum, E., (2014). Define Organization Change. Demand Media. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/define-organization-change-2786.html Human Relations and Organizational Behavior. (2014). UOP; Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/vendors/tata/sims/hrob/organization/hrob_organization_frame.html Organizational Culture. (2014). Business Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organizational-culture.html Robbins, S.P., Judge, T.A. (2011). Organizational Behavior (14th ed). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Economic Data Collection and Analysis Essay Example for Free

Economic Data Collection and Analysis Essay From analysing the Data on the Scatter Plot the relationship between the GDP and the Population of Great Britain from 1999-2009 appears to be a moderate positive correlation relationship. Both variables are increasing at a similar rate and following a similar pattern which would indicate this relationship. This relationship would tend to be a positive one as more people are available to the work. Question 3 The correlation relationship between the GDP and the Population represents a strong positive correlation at 0.897922049. This indicates that the two indicators have a close relationship and any change in either of the indicators will be represented by a similar change in the other. This figure is close to 1 which would indicate a perfectly positive correlation relationship. This would indicate that Population was a perfect indicator for Great Britain’s GDP. Question 4 The correlation of determination indicates a variation of 80.6%. This means that 80.6% of variation in Great Britain’s GDP can be accounted to the nation’s Population variation. This is a large percentage and represents the strong relationship between Great Britain’s population and GDP. This figure indicates a proportion of the total variation in the dependent variable, population that is explained by the variation in the independent variable GDP. This figure is easier interpreted compared to the correlation relationship due to its percentage format. Question 5 The Slope of these two indicators is 77.038. This figure means that for every addition to Great Britain’s population, GDP will increase by  £77.03. This Figure represents further the close relationship between Great Britain’s population and GDP. The intercept coefficient of these indicators is -3375.39. This figure indicates that if Great Britain’s population dropped to zero that the nation’s GDP would also fall to this figure. Question 6 Using the Ordinary Least Squares technique I plotted the regression line for this scatter diagram. Using this method the regression line is best fit to this scatter diagram. This regression is in accordance with the data represented in Question 3 and Question 4 shown above. This regression line expresses the relationship between the two variables and estimates the value of the dependent variable, GDP based on a selected value of the independent variable population. Based on the population of Great Britain the standard error of the GDP in the Nation is 41.55%. This indicates how precise the estimation of GDP is depending on the population of Great Britain. Part 2: Question 2: The Data from the scatter plot would indicate the relationship between the Unemployment and Gross National Saving in the United States from 1999-2009 was a negative correlation relationship. This relationship would be negative due to the loss of income expeirenced as workers become unemployed. Question 4: The correlation coefficient represents a strong relationship between unemployment and GNS in the United States from 1999-2009 at -0.857874442. This correlation indicates that both of these indicators are closely linked and influential towards each other. This relationship is a strong negative correlation as forecasted above. Question 5: The correlation of determination stands at 73.5%. This indicates a close relationship between the unemployment and GNS in the United States from 1999-2009. This figure means that 73.5% of the variation in Gross National Saving can be accounted for by the variation in unemployment in the United States during the same period. The percentage format of this figure makes it easier to comprehend. Question 6: The slope of this correlation stands at -1.32 which would imply that the law of diminishing marginal returns is applying. This means that for every additional person in unemployment the GNS will fall. The intercept coefficient of these indicators is 22.143. This figure indicates that if unemployment were to fall to zero that Gross National Savings would change to this figure.