Meaning of Life and Fast Lane Essay

leave well enough alone | let well enough alone Meaning: If you leave well enough alone, or let well enough alone, you don’t try to improve or change something that’s already good enough. For example: The kids seem happy enough now so let’s just leave well enough alone and forget about finding a new school for them.? skate on thin ice- Meaning: If you’re skating on thin ice, you’re doing something risky, or you’re in a situation that could quickly become dangerous. jockey for position- Meaning: If you jockey for position, you try to get yourself in a good position in relation to others who’re competing for the same opportunity or the same goal. let the cat out of the bag – Meaning: If you let the cat out of the bag, you let someone know a secret. You could have knocked me over with a feather. – Meaning: You can say â€Å"you could have knocked me over with a feather† to show how surprised you were when something happened, or when you heard about something. add fuel to the fire If you add fuel to the fire, you do something to make a bad situation even worse. Ahead of the game You are ahead of the game if you have an advantage over your competitors in any activity in which you try to do better than others, such as in business, academia, sports, etc. all the rage Informal If something is all the rage, it’s very popular or it’s in fashion at the moment. asking for trouble If someone is asking for trouble, they’re doing something risky that could lead to a problem. itchy feet Informal If you have itchy feet, you feel the need to go somewhere different or do something different. in the long run If you talk about something â€Å"in the long run†, you mean over a long period of time. At cross-purposes If you’re at cross-purposes with someone, you think you’re both talking about the same thing but you’re actually talking about different things. at loose ends If you’re at loose ends, you feel restless and unsettled because you don’t have anything to do. a blessing in disguise You can say something is a blessing in disguise if it appears to be bad at first, but it results in something very good in the end. back to square one If you have to go back to square one, you have to stop and start again, usually because something isn’t working as well as expected. bite your tongue | hold your tongue If you bite your tongue, or hold your tongue, you force yourself not to say something you really want to to say. the icing on the cake | the frosting on the cake If something is the icing on the cake, or the frosting on the cake, it makes a good situation or a good result even better. joie de vivre If you have joie de vivre, you feel the joy of living. make hay while the sun shines If you make hay while the sun shines, you make good use of the chance to do something while it lasts. Fast friends good, loyal friends. The two of them had been fast friends since college. See also: friend fast one a clever and devious trick. (Compare this with pull a fast one. ) That was a fast one. I didn’t know you were so devious. This was the last fast one like that you’ll ever catch me with. life in the fast lane a very active or possible risky way to live. (See also in the fast lane. ) Life in the fast lane is too much for me. See also: lane, life make short work of something to deal with or finish something quickly We made short work of the food that was put in front of us. fast and furious if an activity is fast and furious, it is done quickly and with a lot of energy The first half of the game was fast and furious with both teams scoring three goals each. Ngn av dessa till din story a queer fish Meaning: If someone’s a queer fish, they are a bit strange and can sometimes behave in an unusual way. For example:Your great grandfather was a queer fish, Johnny. He used to write funny poems and then he’d read them aloud to everyone on the train on his way to work let the cat out of the bag Meaning: If you let the cat out of the bag, you let someone know a secret. For example: We’d planned a surprise party for Donna, but some guy she works with let the cat out of the bag, so now she knows.? Don’t forget that this is a secret, so whatever you do, don’t let the cat out of the bag.? †There? s an elephant in the room† – Meaning: If you make a killing, you make a lot of money from a sale or a deal of some sort. For example: My aunt made a killing when she bought some shares in a company as soon as they were issued, and sold them a few weeks later for three times what she paid.? Lots of people made a killing when property values went so high back in the nineties. †Bark is worse than his bite†, †put your money where your mouth is† – prove it.. alot of not air? all hell broke loose Meaning: You can say â€Å"all hell broke loose† if a situation suddenly became violent or chaotic. Bad news travels fast ’ â€Å"Bad news† means news about â€Å"bad† things like accidents, death, illness etc. People tend to tell this type of news quickly. But â€Å"good news† (passing an exam, winning some money, getting a job etc) travels more slowly. Least said soonest mended Possible interpretation: When we do or say something bad to someone, a long apology and discussion does not help. In such a case, the less we say the better. It’s written all over your face. If you say â€Å"it’s written all over your face†, you’re saying that the expression on someone’s face is showing their true feelings or thoughts. Group 20 ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Words Relating to More Than Enough (did you get it? ) ample copious lavish myriad plethora profuse prolific superfluous surfeit Memory tips: use these mnemonics (memory devices) to boost your vocabulary. Make up your own memory clues for words in this lesson that are personally challenging. Add these tips-and your own-to your Vocabulary Notebook. Copious let yourself see the word copies within copious, and think â€Å"lots of copies. † Certainly â€Å"lots of copies† leads to the defining ideas of abundant and plentiful. Plethora Let the ple lead you to plenty. When you write plethora in your Vocabulary Notebook, underscore the ple with a colored pen or marker. Superfluous The prefix super means over and above. This knowledge is helpful because superfluous means â€Å"above what is needed; extra. â€Å" Surfeit Like super-, sur- is also a prefix meaning over and above. So a surfeit is an amount over and above what is needed. Using apperception, (http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/apperception) link a word you most likely already know, surplus, to the new word, surfeit. These two-syllable synonyms even have the same number of letters! Solidify the meaning of surfeit in your memory. Ample think of the word sample but get rid of the S. and since Ample means more than enough you can think of many samples! Lavish think of marangsvisch with lakris sas! And put the letters LA from the word Lakris instead of S. Profuse(overflodande) think about refuse and proactive, because proactive is â€Å"overflowing† with vitamins. Change the re to pro Prolific, the word productive has the same meaning, so take the PRO from productive and add it with lyric which at least makes me think of lific. So think productive lyric. Myraid (skiftande mangd) think My ride†¦ Group 19 (2nd cluster for Fall Term) Wonderful You Are! Words Relating to Praise and Respect (did you get it? ) Acclaim accolade adulate esteem eulogize exalt extol laud panegyrize revere venerate Laud If you know applaud, then simply connect the new word laud to the word you already know, applaud. The meanings of these two verbs are closely connected. Plaudits means praise. Revere You remember Paul Revere from American History, right? Now, I am sure you’ll agree that it’s only right to respect, or revere one of our nation’s Founding Fathers! Another tip: you can repeat this chant to yourself over and over â€Å"Revere the Reverend. Revere the Reverend. Revere the Reverend† Acclaim think of ass, but with cc, and slajm (slaim)! Accolade think of assa, but with cc and chocolade Adulate ad-ul-ate Esteem think of S team, but with double e Eulogize think ekoloogisk / EU logisk Exalt think Exaltera, without era, since exalterad means vara upprymd like exalt. Extol, ex stol Panegyrize think, pannkakor & risgrynsgrot Venerate Think â€Å"ata vanner†, but switch place, let vanner lead you 2 Vener, and ata-ate.

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Background Sony Corporation is one of the best-known names in consumer electronics andranks second worldwide in electronics behind Matsushita Electric Corporation. Since itwas  established  shortly  after  World  War  II,  Sony  has  introduced  a  stream  of  revolutionary  products,  including  the  transistor  radio,  the  Trinitron  television,  theBetamax  VCR,  the  CD  player,  the  Walkman  portable  cassette  player,  and  thePlayStation game console. The company's electronics segment–which includes audioand video products, televisions, personal computers, monitors, computer peripherals,telecommunications devices, and electronic components (such as semiconductors).When Dr. Toshi T. Doi took charge of the project to develop a new computer in 1984, herecruited  11  top-flight  engineers  to  form  the  team. Doi  established  three  basicguidelines for the development: †¢ (1) the computer should be 32 bit; †¢ (2) it should be multipurpose; and †¢ (3) the project should be completed as soon as possible. The engineers, however, decided that they wanted to design a machine (an engineeringworkstation)  that  would  help  them  in  their  own  engineering  work  rather  than  amultipurpose machine. Doi approved their plan, but  he required that it be  finished in sixmonths.SAPADAPA ANALYSIS:I. Situational  Analysis Dr. Toshi T. Doi was the general manager of Sony's workstation division(WD) and was not keen on changing Sony's product development process,which was efficient and successful. The WD's workstation â€Å"NEWS† launchedin October 1986 at the Tokyo Data Show had generated over 1000 inquiries;they  recovered  investments  in  few  months  and  saw  a  double  in  salesannually. Its new product development (NPD) process for the 1550 series workstationhad three stages: basic architecture sp ecification †¢ product design †¢ first lot productionOne side effect of Sony’s preoccupation with the video business was that itscomputer business. Although Sony had  some success in the  computer gamemarket, its first entrants in the computer market were 8-bit machines. TheSMC-70 and SMC-777 are 8-bit machines were introduced in 1982 and 1984,respectively, which failed quickly in competition with 16-bit MS-DOS systems(e. g. , the IBM  PC). Sony considered developing a  16-bit microcomputer but itsoon abandoned the idea. II. Problem Analysis The development required too much effort from hardware design engineers.Engineers in small teams were required to handle all issues from logic design tomanufacturability, requiring a breadth of knowledge, which many did not have. These engineers had to put-in 60 to 70 hours a week and much more during acrisis, rendering them overworked. With  all these extra  efforts put in,  the designswere still not optimized to be manufactured Man/Engineers ? Too  much  was  required  from  thehardware design engineers. Small teams were more efficient but they requiredthat each engineer be able to handle the completerange of  design  tasks, from  high-level architecturedown to minor details.Thus the engineer's skills andknowledge had to be both broad and  deep. Method ? With the current procedure, the designswere not  optimized for  manufacturability. Because hardware design engineers were unfamiliarwith  all  of  the  manufacturing  concerns,  they  oftenmissed  simple  redesigns  that  could  makemanufacturing far more efficient. Inthe current process, it is very difficult to separatetechnology  into  neat  steps  and  for  this  reason  ittakes time  to  transfer technology. The workstationmarket is so competitive that there is no time to dothis transfer. SpecializationDesign engineering does ot have  enough expertiseto support manufact uring properly, especially as theproduct line and the number of development projectscontinue to growWorking  TimeHardware  engineers  typically  work  60-70  hours  aweek And even more during a  crises. SWOT ANALYSIS A. Strengths †¢ Recovered Investments and doubled the  annual sales since the  launch of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"NEWS† †¢ Project Manager often a Senior Engineer  B. Weaknesses †¢ Small project teams †¢ Very limited design engineers †¢ Lack of traditional management tasks †¢ Marketing power is insufficientC. Opportunities †¢ Reorganization of engineers †¢ Hiring of Highly expertise/skilled design engineersD.Threats †¢ Marketing power of competitors during this time IV. Potential Problem Analysis †¢ Additional cost in hiring highly expertise or skilled design engineers. †¢ Possible loss of market if  other competitors will  win the competition duringthat time when the marketing power is still insuff icient. †¢ Small project teams that may require them to add manpower and its costs. †¢ Engineers will continue to work too much time that could result to burn-out. †¢ Possible decrease in the annual sales of the Sony Company. †¢ Loss of precisions in the product lines if the needed expertise will not

Marketing plan continued 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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4 books on writing comedy screen plays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Principle of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

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Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

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Improving the Success Rate of Third grade students in solving Math Essay

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Poetry interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Political economy essay questions Research Paper

Political economy essay questions - Research Paper Example In America where which is a strong democracy in the world, citizens have the ability to enjoy leisure in contrast to developing countries where in addition to rampant poverty among the majority; their democracies are feeble and wanting. This leads to the assumption that democracy can be correlated with the kind of life citizens enjoying and that the conditions that allow democracy to flourish are similar to those that allow citizens to enjoy leisure. The two are desirable elements of an individual’s life and therefore they must be closely related. Nevertheless, democracy and leisure have some dangers to the society as is the case of leisure and therefore countries must strike balance to avert the consequences of those dangers. Despite the desire of all persons to achieve democracy and leisure, both can have devastating impacts to the society and therefore understanding those dangers can enhance co-existence in the society. This paper will therefore make a comparative study of the theory of Democracy in America by Tocqueville and the Theory of the Leisure class as postulated by Veblen. In 1835, Tocqueville published first volume of his works; Democracy in America and the second volume followed five years later in 1840. In the first volume, Tocqueville mostly concentrated on the structure and institutions of the government in America that enhance maintenance of freedom in America. The second part was mostly focused on individuals in the society and impacts of democratic thoughts and mores that are widely spread in the society (Leroy 195). When looked as a whole, Tocqueville works points to various problems of democracy to the society and proposes strategies for dealing with them. On the other part, Veblen came up with the theory of leisure class which was first published in 1889. In his works, Veblen asserted that leisure class can only flourish in barbarian cultures (Veblen 1). He writes ‘’ the institution of a leisure class is found in its

The Industrial Revolution Essay Example for Free

The Industrial Revolution Essay Railroads should be considered one of the most revolutionary economic developments of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Railroads needed to carry as much product as possible to make a profit. This lead to the construction of â€Å"feeder lines† that connected smaller cities to the main â€Å"trunk lines† that serviced the big cities. The growth of the railroads also increased steel production, coal mining, and technological breakthroughs like the air brake and Pullman sleeping car (Hawksworth, 2001). Unionization was one of the major social developments of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Unions were the workers response to big corporations. Early labor leaders pushed for an eight hour work day, an end to child labor, equal pay, and safer working conditions. Unfortunately these labor unions were not very successful. Our text tells us that â€Å"Ultimately, it was the power of big business that prevented the workers from achieving their goals.† (Bowles, 2011). The government played both positive and negative roles in the social and economic developments of the last quarter of the nineteenth century. On the positive side it provided security from Native Americans as settlers moved west, it gave land grants to the railroads, it gave land to the settlers with the Homestead Act, and it aided higher education by establishing land grant colleges. On the negative side it did not impose any rules on big business regarding child labor, minimum wage, maximum hours, or working conditions. References Bowles, M. (2011). American history 1865–present: End of isolation. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Hawksworth, R. (Producer). (2001). The American industrial revolution [Video]. United States: Media Rich LLC. Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx?Token=47596aid=18596Plt=FODloid=0w=640h=480ref=

Cadburys Business Strategy and Human Resources (HR)

Cadburys Business Strategy and Human Resources (HR) 1.1 Access the fit of Cadburys approach to managing its human resources and its business strategies with reference to relevant models of SHRM. The approach in which Cadbury manage its human resources and its business strategies lies in the ability to identify the core competence of their people and use these resources with each individuals capability to create a competitive advantage for the Company to stay ahead among its competitors in the industry. Cadbury Schweppes employs more than 50,000 people and has manufacturing operations in more than 35 countries. It is the worlds third largest soft drinks company and holds either the top or second position in the market share of 24 of the worlds top 50 confectionery markets. This illustrates that this large Quaker company has its value in the market where it is important for HR to manage their employees performances, working culture and management in an efficient and positive way. Resource based model, the SHRM role becomes one of the creating systems and procedures that focus not on external relationships but on how staff and their abilities are used. The resource based model recognizes that many aspects of capability can be formally defined in skill terms and allows the integration of the intangible aspects of work alongside other more visible areas such as patents, trademarks and other intellectual. The core competencies include many things such as aspects change of the management, capability of staff, strategic development capability and speed of response. The RBV of the firm argues that a firms growth (Penrose, 1959) and competitive advantage (Wernerfelt, 1984) are function of the unique bundle of resources that it possess and deploys (Barney, 1991, 1997). Firms acquire critical human resources and then establish HR system to enhance the potential of these human resources that are most difficult to imitate (Paauwe and Boselie, 2002; Jackson et al., 2004) As the business has grown and acquired a wide range of non Cadbury originated businesses the strategy has been adapted to fit the worldwide competitive situation it finds itself in. Cadburys goal is to deliver its superior shareholder performance, just as simple as that Cadbury focused on its shareholders which ranked 26th in the FTSE and they achieved its goal in the year of 2004 by showing the turnover business from  £6,738 million to  £1,115 million for its underlying profit. The success of a best fit model depends on its ability to integrate into the strategic plans of the organization, provide horizontal or vertical integration or the key policy areas. How far organizational objectives will be met is also dependent on the level of fit between the business strategy and the environment at one level, HR strategy and business strategy at a second level and the internal coherence of the policy. Best fit allows organizations to determine whether a hard or a soft approach needs to be taken given the prevailing circumstance and the success of a best fit model depends on its ability to integrate into the strategic plans of the organisation and provide horizontal or vertical integration of the key policy areas. There is no one single perfect SHRM model to be applied in Cadburys and the Company needs to take into consideration the nature of business of the Company, the external environment of the industry and in this case the resource based view and best fit model is more suitable. 1.2 Using your knowledge from Unit 8 and the related information about managing effective change evaluate the organisations approach to change assessing its impact and the role played by SHRM techniques and processes? It is important for Cadbury to use its SHRM techniques and processes to manage effective change and evaluate the impact by helping the company in establishing or executing various strategies, provide alternative insights. HR requires people management skills but also in depth understanding of the current situation of the Company and provide value creating proposition accordingly. The HR departments strategies, policies and activities must support and align with the companys corporate and competitive strategies. The strategies of Cadbury for managing their peoples value is to aim to increase employee understanding on how company be profitable and make sure employees in the company is result oriented focused. Cadbury can carry out employees surveys and use the feedback obtained to make necessary future strategy planning. Any sort of feedback -negative or positive feedback makes huge impact in the company as HR can use this to address people management issues. Any discovery of dissatisfaction can be used to minimize existing conflict and personality or culture clash happened in the company. Furthermore, the top management formulates its strategy by supplying competitive intelligence that may be useful in the strategic planning process, supplying information regarding the companys internal human strengths and weakness by conducting employee survey, feedback regionally. By doing such, HR builds a persuasive case that show how the HR can implement several strategies that can be evaluated in a mea surable terms and contribute in creating value for the company. After the merger, there is another group of employees joining the Company with different age (gap) and technology skills which plays a huge part of their working responsibility daily no matter in operations or communications area thus, there will be an internal restructuring and consolidation of workforce to be carried out. With the given transition period after the merger, and the increasingly competitive market and the continuous evolution of technology together with the different generation who may have joined the Company (Gen Y and Gen Z or NetGen), therefore HR can be able to implement workplace training to address to skill gap between employees. These trainings must also be evaluated accordingly by doing a pre training evaluation of performance and post training evaluation. It is important to ensure that the focus of the evaluation is to analyse the performance of employees as well as providing information on how to manage the different categories of people and improve on their performance .A systematic training literature indicates which techniques might be the best for which behaviour in which situation. Changes in job as new technologies develop can have similar effects and more effective training programs can also affect other systems in the work organization. For example, when a employee in C adbury change his or her current position into new position as a result of a career change or promotion, they need to enter into training program. It is important for them to understand the effects of training experiences as part of the organisation. Merger and Acquisition in Cadbury Schweppes shows difference its difference before and after the merging with Schweppes (a.k.a Cadbury Schweppes) is that they managed to show the people how strong both the company and they are worth 4.2 billion after the merging with their new HR director, Andrew Gibson whom was promoted for Cadbury Schweppes for GB and Ireland to drive the company further as HR isnt usual. Managing for Value was invented in year 1977, which this is a programme that employees have to go through on a five-day training course that linked their work to those goals. Cadburys HR director Andrew Gibson practice the use of the 3As which include Accountable, Adaptable and Aggressive which in this context is about being results-focused and tenacious. Results-focused is certainly something every Cadbury Schweppes employee has to be according to Gibson. However, HR have to ask several question such as how has the programme able to show measurable result and overall impact for the Company and whether the programmes reflect on current issues or interest that applies to their work? The impact can be measured through designing a performance management system with quantifiable elements as the staffs key performance index (KPI). Different reward system (monetary and non monetary) can be designed to motivate the staffs further and retain the overachievers in the Company. Managing the people for their value added is extremely important for HR to consider in every level in the business such as their employees have the freedom to do what is right, bottom up their initiatives where staffs can recommend to management their ideas either locally or globally. With this merging, Cadbury had gained their competitive advantages and also in the same time improved and maximize the companys resources as the company went through a major reorganization, moving to a more decentralized way of operating business units within a new structure. In order to reinforce that message of value added for the people, Cadbury Schweppes has two share schemes, ShareSave that has been operating since 1974 and the companys share worth having for Cadburys employee. The impact can be accessed through analyzing the overall staff turnover of the Company and also conduct a staff satisfaction survey relating it to their performance results. Working Better Together is a framework designed by their HR director himself, Andrew Gibson is to encourage employees to undertake in order to work more collaboratively than they were used to a more decentralised business structure both company have different working culture after merged. Cadbury Schweppes have some tough managers who would usually only talk about hard nose financial results where they focus on behaviour and unlocking the potential of people at different levels of the business had really paid dividends. The impact can be measured by the overall team performance and the reduction in conflict or people issues. Passion for People was introduced for directors to look closely of their peoples managing performance and also their skills of enhancement. Adding to the impression that the people who work there with full satisfaction, Gibson reveals that the climate survey (staff attitude survey) where the employees said they understood the businesss purpose and values and its local priorities, were proud to work for the company and felt part of team. Cadbury is successful because their HR are able to unlock employees potential and they focused on their strength and implement the growth of people within the organisation. Both companies has different cultures and it is important for HR to develop a similar benefits in the company for the peoples consideration to get used to the culture of the business and the nature of the way may undertake change. The result of those implemented programme by HR of Cadbury, showed that training and communication among employees and management is important in order to get the ball rolling within the company and also the business regionally. 1.3 From your knowledge of the course how does the HR Function seem to be supporting the Business Strategy at Cadburys? In general how can HR best support an organisations going through change? HR function important in organisation to help them formally evaluate the effectiveness of the performances within the Company. HR seems to be supporting the Business Strategy in Cadbury by bringing in Bob Stack as the companys HR director whom has being so geared towards companys dividends such as bringing more shareholders and create a positive working environment among their employees. After the merging, Cadburys business indeed been through a huge amount of change as the acquisitions of confectioners Trebor Bassett and Adams which at $4.2 billion, the purchase of Adams in 2003 was the biggest acquisition Cadbury Schweppes has made. HR function is often linked between HR department and business such as developing people, bringing out talent, supporting the organisational strategy and being guideline to the people in the Company. System value like communication, training and development should be carry out in HR function too. The changing business environment could bring employees some uncertainty towards the organisations such work is becoming unsecure, the notion of organisational boundaries is sometimes less clear, employees long term relationships with organisations could stopped due to redeveloping access in between. The change process in organisational need to make sense for the management and employees which involve communication between people of more understanding the objective and how change can be achieved. The main areas under HR function are Recruitment and Selection, Training and Development, Industrial Relation / Employee Relation, Compensation and Benefit, Health and Safety. Under Recruitment and Selection stage, it show how effective will HR be in planning decision such as what are the recruitment planning, career planning, succession and workforce planning of staff where they will be given chance to expand their skills or ability within the Company freely. Staff selection should be integrated as the main key task for the organisation as a whole while HR department do the selection. Training and Development is also required whether it is foundation or introduction planning for new entry level staffs, professional development for executives, leadership and management training for managers and HOD in order for the people to improve and grow together with the Company. Industrial Relation / Employee Relation reflect on areas for employees assessment such as teamwork, mentoring, communication between people within an organisation. Compensation and Benefit stage is where the staffs need to know what are the equitable of themselves such as promotion, rewards, insurance, employees deduction of funds and etc. Lastly but not least, Health and Safety is being considered because the employees need to have sort of security during working hours in case if any accident might happen and the Company will have the responsibility to take care of it. In general, HR department is like a consultant of the Company where they assist people to solve their problems or difficulty working among colleagues, provide guidance, explaining or create ruling (SOP) in line with the labour laws and human rights to support organisation which is also called as HR Chain Management. Section B Question 2 What is the value to organisations in creating a learning organisational culture? How can organisations work towards creating this culture through its HRM/HRD Strategies? The value and the importance of an organization in creating a learning organisational culture is to encourage the interaction and friendship between the families in the company. Skills training programme and also advanced system that can simplify work yet promoting a happy workplace is the criteria that HRM/HRD (Human Resource Management / Human Resource Development) should consider in order to help staffs maintain a healthy balance between work and their personal life as we know we spent most of our time in workplace from 9am-6pm (average 8 hours per day). A company should be enriched by the staffs creativity, brilliant ideas and initiative in order to grow or move forward thus, taking care of their needs and potential has to discover and what matters is the quality of staffs work, results together with their passion that is always noted and rewarded by the company. Organisational culture can be reflected in person related objectives and bring in the cultural change or culture reinf orcement. For example, the HR department in an organisations will need to work closely with Corporate Culture department on how to bring their staffs together as one family such as setting up activities that are designed to build their characteristic and leadership skills by understanding their job more in various area. Culture is a set of shared meanings that influence or determine behaviour on how decision are taken care of, how rules are made, what and what information is being shared. All these elements can also prescribed by organisations in term of say their mission statements or in the informal ways, individuals and groups develop ways of thinking about working behaviour and these is an attitude that grows over time in response to organisational events. By creating a healthy culture, an HR must consider few things such as the structural control within the Company, co-ordination and job design can be influenced thoroughly thus standardisation of jobs or flexibility of job (free thinking), formalisation of communication channels and flows, division of labour between departments or teams, term and conditions and the degree of rules and also the ability to work beyond contract. The dimension of HRM in managing cultural behaviour according to strategic aspects will be discuss as follows:- What are the key to organisational relations (customer service)?, create initiatives for integrated strategic change, fast speed of making decisions, transformational leadership working to bring positive change, facilitation or prized management skills involving employee support and encouragement to employees. Teamwork and communication is always important in working culture especially it need to be handled through managing culture and being harmonised with overall business strategy objectives. Question 4 To what extent can performance management systems stand alone from an organisations overall approach to developing and managing people? How can organisations integrate the performance and developmental aspects of managing people? Use case examples to illustrate your answer. Performance Management Systems (PMS)., Bevan Thompson (1992) is a set of techniques and procedure on how to improve an organisation performance such as how to communicate the vision of an organisations objectives to the employees, providing departmental or business unit and individual performance targets that are drawn from the wider organisational objectives or a formal review process of how the objectives have been met. A fully integrated PMS (objective setting, review process and linked development and review system) provides the basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the whole performances process in providing enhanced organisational performance. As case examples, AirAsia Bhd is a low cost carrier or budget airline in Southeast Asia and they still a growing airline for 8 years now but yet theyve started to implement the 360 degrees of performance appraisal among its employee so that the company can know well as well as provide its employees with unparalleled opportunities for career development and to achieve a multi-skilled workforce which a lot more other established company has not practise this 360 degrees appraisal program. The role of HR under PMS is to consult and formulate its schemes in consultation with line of managers and staff, monitor and evaluate PMS based on stakeholder use on what are the outcomes and process effectiveness, review organisational capability as a result of PMS and design policy action in HRD and recruitment. PMS distinguishing in an organisation is seen as a series of steps linked to an overall business strategy such setting objectives, on going review on the objectives, development of personal improvement plans, formal appraisal with feedback, a competence based organisational capability review and pay review for result oriented. In this world of business today, managing people could be tough and challenging especially in a huge organisations where there are employees from different countries, different culture and also the language barriers. The features that can make up PMS as a series of steps linked to an overall business strategy as follows: Figure 1: Features of a Performance Management System As illustrated in Figure 1:Features of a Performance Management System, a performance management system has six (6) distinguished features, namely: i) Objective setting this would be the area where long term objectives would be set for the employee and are normally stated in a formal Key Performance Indicator/Index (KPI) and is normally set by the immediate manager or by the management team. ii) Ongoing review of objectives this would be the area where KPIs are reviewed periodically either every 3 months or quarterly to ensure that the employee would be able to meet the said long term objectives. iii) The development of personal improvement plans linked to training and development this area is to ascertain the targeted development that the employees wish to go through and to allow personal development to takes place to help improve productivity of the employee. iv) Formal appraisal with feedback this area is to review the progress of the employee against personal skills development and personal experimentation in trying out new tutoring systems or skills. Also to ascertain the level of self improvement the employee had managed to gain throughout the period of the objective setting. v) Pay review this area would allow the management to see how best fit the employee would be rewarded for the effort that they had shown over the period of the appraisal. vi) A competence-based organisational capability review this area would be more to organisational strategies where the organisation would be able to place resources where they are more suitable to able productivity to be increased. Learning and Development objectives should also be measured in order to contributes to better productivity, improved job performance and eventually a high performance culture. LD objectives is bring employees in an organisation to link directly with the skills and core competence requirements of the business and help to achieve organisational development goals. All these include how the employees behaviour in term of the job is being carryout, positive teamwork attitude or communication among colleagues or customers. Thus, HR department is responsible to emphasize on quality behavioural factors of the people, differentiation of individual performance (resource based view), increase bottom line (profit/cost) prioritisation to be fed down to each employee and get to understand the importance of communicating with employees themselves that can align their behaviour and attitudes. The concern to improve individuals potential in their workplace is necessary for HR because the future of th e organisations will become more dependent on the people and their ability will effectively help the company grow stronger. Despite of providing external training, staffs within the organisation can often have swapping lesson where opportunities is opened for self directed learning experiences from different colleague, different field. As for conclusion, the organisational culture will be influenced by the decisions taken by PMS on matter such as the relationship the relationship of dependence or interdependence formed by managers and employees and how this influences change through the design and delivery of the scheme. References Irwing L.Goldstein K.Kevin Ford., Training in Organisations (Fourth Edition), 2002. Derek Torrington, Laura Hall Stephen Taylor., Human Resource Management. Strategic Management of Human Resources,. University of Sunderland BA (Honours) Business Management, Version 3.0, Unit 1 Definition and Purpose of SHRM., pp.13-22. Strategic Management of Human Resources,. University of Sunderland BA (Honours) Business Management, Version 3.0, Unit 8 Managing Change: Culture and Performance., pp. Managing Human Resource Capabilities for Sustainable Competitive Advantage www.emeraldinsight.com/reseachregister The Strategic Managing of Human Resources., John Leopold, Lynette Harris Tony Watson, 2004.

Thomas Edison Essay -- Biography History Thomas Edison Essays

Thomas Edison was a man who influenced America more than anyone else. Some of the inventions he pioneered are still used to this day. He was a man who spent almost his entire life working as a scientist, and receiving more than 1,200 patents in his lifetime. (Anderson pg.7) Thomas Edison’s life was probably twice as productive as a modern day chemist, he was a firm believer of an eight hour work day, eight hours in the morning, and eight in the afternoon. Aside from his amazing history as an adult Edison lived an equally exciting childhood. Thomas Edison was born in Milan Ohio on February 11, 1847. At the time, his father was owner of a successful shingle and lumber company. However with new railroads being built through Milan his father lost customers to the bigger companies which began to open. The Edison’s were forced to move to Port Huron, where he first began his education. When he was only seven years old his teacher, the Reverend G.B. Engle considered Thomas to b e a dull student, and was terrible in math. After three months of school his teacher called him "addled," which means confused or mixed up. Thomas stormed home.(minot, pg1) The next day, Nancy Edison brought Thomas back to school to talk to Reverend Engle. He told her that Thomas couldn’t learn. His mother became so angry at the strict Reverend that she decided to home-school him.(minot 1) After a while his mother, a former teacher herself, recognized his un usual abilities to reason. She quickly got him interested in History and Classic books. Thomas however was strangely attracted to the subject of science. By the age of ten Thomas Edison had already been experimenting and by now owned a sizable quantity of chemicals. Unfortunately his experiments were often quite expensive and he found it his duty to pay for them. Because he didn’t go to school he had plenty of time to earn money by himself. When he was only twelve, he began selling newspapers on the Grand Trunk Railway, he even printed the newspapers himself (Szhlmen, 1). He spent everything he earned on books and chemicals after about one year his mother became so sick of the noises of exploding beakers and the smell of burning flooded the house with smoke that he was no longer allowed to work in the house (Minot). Luckily h e was given permission to move to his lab into the train baggage car. He would be able to experiment during t... ...f a projector but failed. Edison had trouble making a new and improved projector so he settled for helping other inventors further develop theirs. Edison strongly backed the invention of the vitascope. The vitascope was a more efficient version of Edison’s kinetoscope. This new projector was very popular in New York, however, cinematography quickly took its place in the eyes of the public. On the topic of cinematography, the feelings of the public can best be summed up by this quotation, "Moving pictures somehow seemed more important and exciting than seeing actors and actresses strutting around on a mere stage" (Allen 175). Bibliography Thomas Alva Edison was a man who influenced America more than anyone else. Some of the inventions he pioneered are still used to this day. He was a man who spent almost his entire life working as a scientist, and receiving more than 1,200 patents in his lifetime. (Anderson pg.7) Thomas Edison’s life was probably twice as productive as a modern day chemist, he was a firm believer of an eight hour work day, eight hours in the morning, and eight in the afternoon. Aside from his amazing history as an adult Edison lived an equally exciting childhood.

Essay on Whartons Ethan Frome: Nature -- Ethan Frome Essays

Nature in Ethan Frome Every winter frigid white bullets, squalling gusts, and icicle shards swaddle the town of Starkfield in a frosty white glaze. It is easy to understand why the people emerge from this six month siege like starved troops capitulating without shelter. Most people evacuate the premises immediately after suffering through a devastating winter, but not Ethan Frome. Circumstances hindered the flight of this man. As one retired stage driver remarked, "Guess he's been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away." The statement by Harmon Gow, a resident of Starkfield, relates to Ethan Frome, the protagonist of the novel, Ethan Frome. This book pieces together the enigmatic life of a man bound by the shackles of silence and isolation. By deftly heightening suspense and foreshadowing plot, Edith Wharton explores nature's degeneration of human spirit and vitality. Mr. Gow's quote delves into two integral aspects of the book: how the unrelenting blows of nature corrode, yet intertwine with man's spirit, and how the seas... Essay on Wharton's Ethan Frome: Nature -- Ethan Frome Essays Nature in Ethan Frome Every winter frigid white bullets, squalling gusts, and icicle shards swaddle the town of Starkfield in a frosty white glaze. It is easy to understand why the people emerge from this six month siege like starved troops capitulating without shelter. Most people evacuate the premises immediately after suffering through a devastating winter, but not Ethan Frome. Circumstances hindered the flight of this man. As one retired stage driver remarked, "Guess he's been in Starkfield too many winters. Most of the smart ones get away." The statement by Harmon Gow, a resident of Starkfield, relates to Ethan Frome, the protagonist of the novel, Ethan Frome. This book pieces together the enigmatic life of a man bound by the shackles of silence and isolation. By deftly heightening suspense and foreshadowing plot, Edith Wharton explores nature's degeneration of human spirit and vitality. Mr. Gow's quote delves into two integral aspects of the book: how the unrelenting blows of nature corrode, yet intertwine with man's spirit, and how the seas...

Claude Monet :: Biography

Claude Monet Claude Monet was one of the founding fathers of French Impressionism. Monet's concern was to reflect the influence of light on a subject. He never abandoned his Impressionist painting style until his death in 1926 when Fauvism and Cubism were en vogue and when abstract painting came into existence. First Painting Lessons Claude Monet was born in Paris, but grew up in Le Havre. His first artistic output was caricatures when he was a little boy. Close to his home was a little shop owned by a marine painter, Mr. Eugene Boudin. He recognized the talent of the boy and gave him his first painting lessons. Claude's family was not very happy about his vocation for painting. In 1860 he was drafted and had to go to Northern Africa for two years. After his return from Africa he went to Paris and took painting lessons at Gleyre's studio in Paris. At the studio he got to know Auguste Renoir, Sisley, Bazille and others. The nucleus of the future Impressionist movement was born. Painting en plein air Soon Monet turned away from the traditional style of painting inside a studio. With his new friends he went outside in the Fontainebleau forest to paint in the open air. But the public and art critics ridiculed these new paintings that looked so different from any conventional art style. In a caricature published in a newspaper, they were mocked with the proposal of chasing away the Prussian enemy by showing them Impressionist paintings - not very nice! When the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71 broke out, Monet chose to go to London with his friend Pissarro. There he saw the paintings of William Turner in the museums of London. The House in Giverny After 1880 the public slowly begun to recognize the value of impressionism. Monet Claude and his friends could finally get some solid income from the sales of their paintings. In 1883 Monet rented a house in Giverny about 50 kilometers outside of Paris. Later, in 1890, he bought the house where he should stay until his death in 1926. Claude Monet and Serial Paintings In 1890 Monet began to paint systematically the same subjects under different light conditions. The first subject was the haystacks behind his house. As the light changed during the day faster than he could paint, he worked simultaneously on several canvases. At the end he had painted 25 different versions of the hay stacks. More of the series paintings followed - the Rouen Cathedral, views of Venice or the Thames in London with the Houses of Parliament and other landmarks in London - often in the fog.

Nervous System and Brain Stem

Biopsychology: A specialty that studies the interaction of biology, behavior, and mental processes. Evolution: The gradual process of biological change that occurs in a species as it adapts to its environment new generations change as they adapt to changing environments Evolution has fundamentally shaped psychological processes because it favors genetic variations that produce adaptive behavior Charles Darwin:Wondered if animals were related and if all creations, even humans, could share a common ancestry made the controversial case for the evolution of lifeNatural selection:The driving force behind evolution, the fittest organisms are selected by the environment, the best adapted will flourish and the least adapted will die out. Darwin never said humans came from monkeys, but that they both had a common ancestor Genetics and inheritance: Genotype: Genetic MakeupPhenotype: Physical and behavioral characteristics (observable characteristics) not all biological, also can be changed by nutrition, disease, stress, and poor medical care causing birth defects Genome: Set of genetic information contained within a cell DNA:A complex molecule that stores biological information Genes: The words that make up the instruction manual (genome) Chromosomes:Tightly coiled structures in which genes are organized, consist of DNA Nucleotides: letters that form genes, there are 4Sex chromosomes: The X and Y chromosomes that determine physical sex characteristics XX-female XY-male , fathers determine sex Genes influence our psychological characteristicsNever attribute psychological characteristics to genetics alone, even identical twins Race and human variations: Certain features of skin color and other physical characteristics are common among people who trace their ancestry to the same part of the world tropical ancestry have darker skin to protect them from the sun, and lighter skin for less sunny places There are no genetic differences for races, race is more of a socially defin ed term Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Testing fetus at a very oung age to ensure a genetically healthy fetus Some of these clinics also offer gender selection and ‘savior siblings' How does the body communicate internally?The nervous system reacts first:accelerate your heart rate and tense your muscles for action Endocrine system sends follow-up messages:send hormones which also accelerate heart and tense muscles they work together in stressful and happier situations and even during low arousal states the brain is the chief that manages the cooperation of the nervous and endocrine systemsThe brain coordinates the bodys 2 communication systems, the nervous and endocrine, which use similar chemical processes to communicate with targets throughout the body Neuron (nerve cell) : cell that receives and transmits information to other cells of the body, bundles are called nerves Sensory neuron (afferent neurons): A cell that carries messages towards the brain from sense receptor s Motor neuron (efferent neurons): A cell that carries messages away from the brain to the muscles and glandsInterneurons: A cell that relays messages between nerve cells, especially in the brain and spinal cord Dendrites: Branched fibers that extend outward from the cell body and carries information into the neuron Soma: part of the cell containing the nucleus or cell body, houses chromosomes Axon: An extending fiber that conducts information from the soma to the terminal buttons Resting potential: The electrical charge of the axon in its inactive state, when neuron is ready to ‘fire'Action potential: When the neuron ‘fires' due to a change in electrical charge across the cell membrane of axon All or none principle: action potential in the axon occurs either completely or not at all when many neurons fire too easily the result can be epileptic seizure Synapse:gap that serves as a communications link between neurons or between neurons and muscles or glands they serve Ter minal buttons:Tiny bulb like structures at the end of the axon that carry the message into the synapse Synaptic transmission: The relaying of information across the synapse Neurotransmitter: Chemical messenger that relays neural messages across the synapse, many are also hormones Reuptake:The process by which unused neurotransmitters are drawn back into the vesicles of their originating neuron 7 important neurotransmitters:Dopamine:Produces feeling of pleasure or reward, imbalances cause schizophrenia and Parkinson, cocaine, amphatamine, and alcohol affect the action of this transmitter Serotonin:Regulates, sleep, dreams, mood, pain, appetite, sex drive, imbalances cause depression, anxiety, OCD, Prozac and LSD affect the action of this transmitter Norepinnephrine:controls heart rate, sleep, stress, sexual responsiveness, appetite, imbalances cause high blood pressure, depression, Tricyclic, anti depressants, and beta blockers affect the action of this transmitter Acetycholine:invol ved in learning and memory, imbalances cause muscular disorders, alzheimers, nicotine, black widow spider venom, botulism toxin, barbiturates affect the action of this transmitterGABA:Inhibitory transmitter, inbalances cause anxiety and epilepsy, minor tranquilizers and alcohol affect the action of this transmitter Glutamate:Excitatory transmitter, excess release of glutamate causes brain damage after stroke, PCP affects the action of this transmitter Endorphins:Pleasurable sensations and control of pain, imbalances come from opiate addiction, opiates like morphine, heroin, and methadone effect the action of this transmitter Plasticity: the nervous systems ability to change or adapt as a result of an experience or physical damage plasticity can not compensate for extensive injurys just as paralyzed individuals may implant computer chips in the brain to restore some forms of controlGlial cells: A cell that provides structural support for neurons, also provide the myelin sheath of the axon for some neurons nervous system: Network of neurons in the body, including the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and their subdivisions Central nervous system:brain and spinal cord Reflex:simple unlearned response triggered by stimuli done by spinal cord Contralateral:Each side of the brain communicates with the opposite side of the body Peripheral Nervous system:Connects the central nervous system with the rest of the body (somatic and autonomic) Somatic nervous system: Carries sensory information to the brain and voluntary messages to the musclesAutonomic nervous system: Sends communications between the brain and the internal organs and glands Sympathetic division: ends messages to internal organs and glands that help us respond to stressful or emergency situations Parasympathetic: monitors the routine operations of the internal organs and returns body to calmer functioning after arousal by the sympathetic divisionThe endocrine system: The hormone system, ch emical messenger system including pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries, and testes in a crisis this system releases epinephrine or adrenalin sustaining the bodies fight or flight reaction Hormones: chemical messengers used by the endocrine system and the nervous systemHormonal functions of major endocrine glands: Anterior Pituitary: ovaries and testes, breast milk production, metabolism, reactions to stress Posterior Pituitary: conservation of water in the body, breast milk secretion, uterus contractions Thyroid: metabolism, physical growth and development Parathyroid: calcium levels in the body Pancreas: glucose (sugar) metabolismAdrenal glands: fight or flight response, metabolism, sexual desire (especially in women) Ovaries: development of female sexual characteristics, production of eggs or ova Testes: development of male sexual characteristics, sperm production, sexual desire in men Pituitary gland: the ‘master gland' that oversees all these endocrine responses Agonists: drugs or other chemicals that enhance or mimic the effects of neurotransmitters antagonists: drugs or other chemicals that inhibit the effects of neurotransmittersNeural pathways: bundles of nerve cells that follow generally the same route and employ the same neurotransmitter How does the brain produce behavior and mental processes? Thoughts and feelings originate from the brain (love doesn't come from the heart) brain is a collection of distinct modules that work together like the components of a computer the brain is composed of many specialized modules that work together to create mind and behavior EEG(Electroencephalograph):A device for recording brain waves, typically by electrodes places on the scalp. The recording is an EEG Can reveal abnormal waves which cause epilepsy not very preciseWilder Pen field mapped the brain with electric probes which showed him that the brain's surface had distinct areas with distinct functions Brain Scans: help neurosurgeons to locate abnormalities such as tumors or stroke related damage without opening the skull CT(computerized tomography):uses x-rays taken of the brain at different angles and then combined into an image PET(positron emission tomography):Imaging technique that relies on the detection of radioactive sugar consumed by active brain cellsMRI(magnetic resonance imaging): Imaging technique that relies on cell's responses in a high-intensity magnetic field fMRI(functional magnetic resonance imaging):form of MRI that records brain structure and activity PET and fMRI show which parts of the brain are active during a particular task MRI ecvelsat distinguishing the fine details of brain structures non of these can detect processes that occur only briefly (shift in attention, startle response) no scanning technique gives biopsychologists a perfectly clear view of all of the brains activity Three layers of the brain Brain stem: the most primitive of the brains three major layers, includes medulla, pons, and reticular formation medulla:Controls breathing and heart ratePons:Regulates brain activity during sleep or dreaming Reticular formation:keeps the brain alert and attentive to new stimulation Limbic system:middle layer, involved in emotion and memory, includes thee hippocampus,amygdalaa, hypothalamus, and some pleasure centers Hippocampus:Establishes long term memories amydala:memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression Hypothalamus:Brains blood testing lab, constantly monitors blood to determine condition of the bodThalamus: brain's central ‘relay station', all messages that enter or exit the brain go through the thalamus controls sleep and awake states of consciousness cerebrum cerebellum:the ‘little brain' attached to the brain stem, responsible for oordinated movements cerebral hemispheres:large symmetrical halves of the brain located atop the brain stem cerebral cortex:Thin gray matter covering the cerebral hemispheres, carries on major portion of higher men tal processes like thinking and perceiving corpus callosum: the band of nerve cells connecting and enabling communication between the two cerebral hemispheresThe frontal lobes:cortical regions at the front of the brain especially involved in movement and in thinking motor cortex: A narrow vertical strip of cortex in the frontal lobes, controls voluntary motor movement Mirror neuron:A class of neuron that fires in response to ‘mirroring' observation of another person's actions or emotions The left frontal lobes: production of speechThe parietal lobes:Involved in touch sensation and perceiving spatial relationships Somatosensory cortex: A strip of the parietal lobe involved in sensations of touch The temporal lobes:Cortical lobes that process hearing, including speech, involved in storing long term memories Occipital lobes: The cortical regions that house the visual cortex Visual cortex: The visual processing area of cortex in the occipital and temporal lobes Association Cortex: Critical regions throughout the brain that combine information from various other parts of the brainCerebral Dominance:The tendency of each brain hemisphere to exert control over different functions, such as language or perception of spatial relationships The left side is more active in language and speech the right side is for visual and spatial and interprets others emotional responses and their nonverbal communication signals the right frontal lobes control the negative emotions such as fear and anger the left frontal lobes control the positive emotions such as joy cerebral dominance patterns are not always the same from one person to another men on average have slightly larger brains, thought to be part of body size and not much other importance CH 3Sensation: The process by which stimulation of a sensory receptor produces neural impulses that the brain interprets as a sound, sight, taste, touch, or smell Perception: A mental process that elaborates and assigns meaning to the i ncoming sensory patterns The brain senses the world indirectly because the sense organs convert stimulation into the language of the nervous system (neural messages) 3 attributes common to all senses: transduction-process that converts information carried by the stimulus , such as light or sound waves, into the form of neural messages sensory adaption-loss of responsiveness in receptor cells after stimulation has remained unchanged for a while thresholds bsolute threshold-minimum amount of physical energy needed to produce a sensory experience (how soft can music be and still be heard) if it is above your thresholds, you sense it varies from person to person and varies in an individual depending on mental alertness and physical condition difference threshold (JND)-minimum amount by which a stimulus can be changed and the difference be detected half the time large when the stimulus intensity is high and small when low Webers law: The size of the JND is proportional to the intensity o f the stimulus We are built to detect changes in stimulation and relationships among stimuli Signal detection theory: Theory that states that sensation depends on the characteristics of the stimulus, the background stimulation, and the detector.Sensory Adaptation: Loss of responsiveness in receptor cells after stimulation has remained unchanged for a while (adjusting to the temperature of a cold pool) The sense all operate in much the same way, but each extracts different information and sends it to its own specialized processing region in the brain Vision: Retina:The thin light-sensitive layer at the back of the eyeball. The retina contains millions of photoreceptor and other nerve cells the retina is where the transduction of light into neural signals occurs Photoreceptors: Light sensitive cells (neurons) in the retina that concert light energy to neural impulses, these receptors are as far as light gets into the visual system. Rods: Photoreceptors in the retina sensitive to dark lighting but not to colorCones: photoreceptor in the retina sensitive to colors but not dim light Fovea-tiny area of sharpest vision in the retina ipolar cells-collect impulses from photoreceptors and send them to the ganglion cells optic nerve-the bundle of neurons that caries visual information from the retina to the brain blind spot- the point where the optic nerve exits the eye and there are no photoreceptors, anything in this area cannot be seen visual cortex creates visual images from the information received from the eyes in this cortex, brain turns neural impulses into visual sensations of color, form, boundary, and movement brightness- A sensation caused by intensity(amplitude) of light waves color-(hue) not a property of things in the external world , a psychological sensation created in the brain from information from the eyes from the wavelength of visual lightElectromagnetic spectrum-the entire range of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves, x rays, microwaves, and visible light visible spectrum-the tiny part of electromagnetic spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive, may be different from our own trichromatic theory-the idea that colors are sensed by three different types of cones sensitive to light in the red blue and green wavelengths, this theory explains color processing in the cones of the retina opponent-process theory-the idea that cells in the visual system process colors in complementary pairs, such as red or green , yellow or blue, this theory explains color sensation from the bipolar cells onward in the visual system afterimages-sensations that linger after the stimulus is removed, most are negative after images, which appear in reversed colors color blindness-genetic disorder that prevents an individual from discriminating certain colors, most common form is red green color blindnessHearing: Frequency-highness or lowness of sound, pitch amplitude-the physical strength of a wave. Height of the wave , when turning down vol, you r turning down amplitude, loudness timbre-complex quality of a sound wave, helps you distinguish different voices how we hear: sound waves are relayed to the inner ear, vibrating waves make their way through the ear canal to the ear drum or tympanic membrane, vibrates middle ear, sends to cochlea cochlea-main organ of hearing focuses he vibrations on the basilar membrane basilar membrane converts vibrations into neural messages neural messages travel to the auditory cortex in the brain Hearing loss-from damage of the hair cells in the cochlea Vision-stimulus is light waves, receptor is rods and conesHearing-stimulus is sound waves, receptor is hair cells in basilar membrane Skin senses-stimulus is external contact, receptor is nerve endings in skin Smell-stimulus is volatile substances, receptor is hair cells in olfactory epithelium Taste-stimulus is soluble substances, receptor is taste buds on tongue Pain- stimulus is extreme stimuli, receptors are pain receptors Kinesthatic and v estibular senses-stimulus is body position, movement and balance, receptors are hair cells in semicircular canals and neurons connected to muscles joints and tendons Vestibular senses-the sense of body orientation with respect to gravity, associated with inner ear and in fact is carried to the brain on a Branch of the auditory nerve Kinesthetic sense-the sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each otherSmell: olfaction-sense of smell pheromones-chemical signals released by organisms to communicate with other members of their species. Often used by animals as sexual attractants, unclear if humans use them Taste: Gustation-the sense of tasteSkin senses: sensory system for processing touch, warmth, cold, texture, and pain synesthesia-the mixing of sensations across sensory modalities, as in tasting shapes or seeing colors associated with numbers Phantom limbs-sensations experienced by people who have lost a limb coming from the missing body part Gate control theo ry-an explanation for pain control that proposes we have a neural ‘gate' that can, under some circumstances, block incoming pain signals if you experience pain you can take drugs like aspirin or you can get morphine which suppresses the pain messages in the spinal cord placebo-appears to be a drug, but is not (sugar pill) placebo effect-a response to a placebo caused by the belief that it is a real drug Perception gives meaning to sensation, so perception produces an interpretation of the world, not a perfect representation of itPercept: The meaning product of perception, often an image that has been associated with concepts, memories of events, emotions, and motives What pathway-A neural pathway, projecting from the primary visual cortex to the temporal lobe, which involves identifying objects where pathway-A neural pathway the projects visual information to the parietal lobe, responsible for locating objects in space blindsight-being conscious of information in the what path way but not necessarily in the where pathway feature detectors-cells in the cortex that specialize in extracting certain features of a stimulus binding problem:how the brain combines the results from many senses into a single percept top-down process: memories and past experiences in our brain tell perception bottom up process: the sensed characteristics in the stimuli exert strong influence on our perceptions perceptual constancy-the ability to recognize the same object as remaining ‘constant' under different conditions, such as distance or location inattentional blindness-a failure to notice changes occurring in ones visual field, caused by narrowing the focus of ones attention change blindness-failure to notice that a visual scene has changed from the way it had appeared previously, requires comparing a scene to one from the past illusion-incorrect perception of a stimulus pattern especially one that fools others ambiguous figures-images that can be interpreted in more than one way.No right way to see an ambiguous figure Gestalt psychology: believed that much of perception is shaped by innate factors built into the brain figure- a part of a pattern that stands out against the ground ground-part of a pattern that does not command attention-background closure-gestalt principle that identifies the tendency to fill in gaps in figures and to see incomplete figures as complete Laws of perceptual grouping-the gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuity, and common fate.Suggest how our brains prefer to group stimulus elements together to form a percept Law of similarity-gestalt principle, we tend to group similar objects together in out perceptions Law of proximity-gestalt principle, we tend to group objects together when they are near each other Law of continuity-gestalt principle, we prefer perceptions of connected and continuous figures to disconnected and disjointed ones Law of common fate-gestalt principle, we tend to group similar objects to gether that share a common motion of destination Law ofPragnanz- Gestalt principle, the simplest organization, requiring the least cognitive effect, will emerge as a figure, full figures such as a closed circle Learning based inference- the view that perception is primarily shaped by learning rather by innate factors perceptual set-readiness to detect a particular stimulus in a given context someone afraid interprets an unfamiliar sound as a threat, set of words, word missing binocular cues-information taken in by both eyes that aids in depth perception, including binocular convergence and retinal disparity Monocular cues-information about depth that relies on the input of just one eye and includes relative size, light and shadow, relative motion and atmospheric pressure CH 8Cognitive Neuroscience-An interdisciplinary field involving cognitive psychology, neurology, biology, computer science, linguistics, and other specialists who are interested in the connection between mental proc esses and the brain Nonconscious process-Any brain process that does not involve conscious processing, including both preconscious memories and unconscious processes can perform many jobs at the same time (walk, chew gum, breath) Consciousness-The process by which the brain creates mental model of our experience, most common consciousness occurs during wakefulness, although there can be altered states Attention- a process by which consciousness focuses on a single item of ‘chunk' in working memory Tools for studying consciousness- fMRI, EEG, PET Freud's levels of consciousness:Preconscious- A special unconscious storehouse for information no currently in conscious but readily available to the conscious (like your phone number) The unconscious-A part of the mind that processes below the level or awareness, emotional memories, desires, and feelings that would be threatening if brought back to consciousness James stream of consciousness-walking consciousness is like a flowing str eam carrying ever changing sensations, perceptions, thoughts, memories, feelings, and desires, this stream includes awareness of ourselves and of stimulation from our environment, can also include physical sensations from within like hunger or pain James said consciousness has 2 levels :an area of focus for what we are focusing our attention on, and a peripheral conscious to encompass the feelings that give meaning to our focus The computer metaphor-likens consciousness to the information and images that appear on a computer screen nonconscious is the electronic activity behind the scene, which most of the time operates in parallel with consciousness Three important functions of the consciousness:Consciousness restricts our attention-(restriction) because it processes information serially, it limits what you notice and think about,keeps your brain from being overwhelmed by stimulation cannot read while listening to music consciousness provides a mental ‘meeting place'-(combina tion) meeting place where sensation can combine with memory, emotions, motives, and a host of other psychological processes (perception) consciousness allows us to create a mental model of the world-(manipulation) a model we can manipulate in our minds, we don’t just operate in the moment, we make a model that draws on memory and brings the past and the future into awareness.Coma-An unconscious state, during which a person lacks the normal cycles of sleep and wakefulness, usually only lasts a few days (between vegetative and minimally conscious states) Consciousness fluctuates in cycles that correspond to our biological rhythms and to patterns of stimulation in our environmental Daydreaming-A common (and quite normal) variation of consciousness in which attention shifts to memories, expectations, desires, or fantasies and away from the immediate situation daydreaming is automatic when we are in a restful state or not focused on something Circadian Rhythms-A pattern that repea ts every 24 hours such as sleep and wakefulness cycle, jet lag Main Events of sleep: REM sleep-stage that occurs approximately every 90 minutes, marked by bursts of rapid eye movement occurring under closed eye lids each REM period gets longer and longer Non-REM-the recurring periods, mainly associated with the deeper state of sleep, when a sleeper is not showing rapid eye movements Sleep paralysis- A condition in which a sleeper is unable to move any of the voluntary muscles except the eyes (normally occurs during REM) Stages of sleep: Stage 1:Slower theta waves, faster beta wavesStage 2:Short burst of fast electrical activity that reliably signal the end of stage 1 Stage 3 &4:heart rate and breathing slow down , beta brain waves slow, delta waves appear DEEPEST sleep in stage 4 as stage 4 ends sleeper climbs back up the stages backwards REM sleep: fast beta waves, rapid eye movement, after REM sleeper slips back into stage 2 REM rebound- A condition of increased REM sleep caused b y REM sleep deprivation Sleep debt-A sleep deficiency caused by not getting the amount of sleep required for optimal functioning Isrealites interpreted dreams as messages from the gods Egyptians tried to influence dreams by sleeping in temples dedicated to the god of dreaming Chinese are scared to dream because they think the soul wanders outside the body Freud’s theory of dreams: manifest content-the story line of a dream, taken at face value without interpretation latent content- the symbolic meaning or objects and events in a dream Activation synthesis theory- the theory that dreams begin with random electrical activation coming from the brain stem.The storyline of dreams are the brains attempt to make sense of this random activity Insomnia- involving insufficient sleep, the inability to fall asleep quickly, frequent arousals, or early awakenings Sleep Apnea- A respiratory disorder in which the person intermittently stops breathing many times while asleep Night terrors-dee p sleep episodes that seem to produce terror, what made the person scared is usually forgotten on awakening, usually found in children narcolepsy-a disorder of REM sleep, involving sleep-onset periods in sudden daytime REM-sleep attacks An altered state of consciousness occurs when some aspect of normal consciousness is modified by mental, behavioral, or chemical means Hypnosis-A state of awareness characterized by deep relaxation, heightened suggestibility, and focused attention Hypnotizability- susceptibility measured by a persons responsiveness to standardized suggestions hypnosis an be used for dental and medical uses, psychological treatmentMeditation-A state of consciousness often induces by focusing on a repetitive behavior, assuming certain body positions, and minimizing external stimulation Psychoactive drug-chemical that affects mental processes and behavior by its effect on the brain Hallucinogen-a drug that creates hallucinations or alters perception of the external envi ronment and inner awareness Opiates-Highly addictive drug, derived from opium, that can produce a profound sense of sell being and has strong pain relieving properties Depressant-drug that slows down mental and physical activity by inhibiting transmission of nerve impulses in the brain (alcohol, barbiturates) Stimulants-speed up brain and mental and physical responses (cocain, amphetamine, nicotine, caffeine)General Anesthetic-substance that suppresses consciousness and awareness of pain, some produce sedation and immobility Tolerance-the reduces effectiveness a drug has after repeated use psychical dependence-the body adjusts to and comes to need and drug for every day functioning addiction- a person continues to use a drug despite its adverse effects and many attempts to stop withdrawal-A pattern of uncomfortable or painful physical symptoms and cravings experienced by the user when the level of drug is decreased or the drug is eliminated psychological dependency-a desire to obtai n or use a drug, even though there is no physical dependence

Becoming a U.S. Soldier

The United State Army was founded to defend our country, the United States of America, two hundred and thirty-three years ago. The U. S. soldiers had been in different battles; from the Revolutionary War to the global effort to combat terrorism, they have remained Army Strong, drawing their commitment to their values and beliefs.The U. S. Army has achieved and is continuing to achieve excellence both here and abroad. They have shown willingness to make sacrifices in order to build a better future for our country (â€Å"The 233rd United States Army Birthday†). The U.S. Army’s mission is to provide prompt and sustained land dominance over a full range of military operations in order to fight and win our country’s wars. They operate across a spectrum of conflict, supporting combatant commanders. Title 10 and Title 32 of the United States Code direct the U. S. Army to equip, organize and train forces in order to conduct sustained and prompt combat operations on land. The U. S. Army is tasked to accomplish missions that are assigned by the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and combatant commanders.(â€Å"Mission†) A key component of the U. S. Armed Forces, the army is made up of the most dedicated, most respected, and best-trained soldiers in the world. They protect America’s freedom both home and abroad, secure our homeland, and defend democracy worldwide (â€Å"About the Army: Overview†). The army is one of the three components of the U. S. military. The other two are the navy and the air force. These three report to the Department of Defense. The U. S. Army has two major components of equal importance. They are the Active Duty and the Army Reserve (â€Å"Organization†).Those who work in the two distinct components of the army, the active and the reserve components, are enlisted soldiers, warrant officers, commissioned officers, and non-commissioned officers (â€Å"About the Army: Personnelà ¢â‚¬ ). In either component, the army conducts both institutional and operational missions. The operational army is consisted of numbered armies, divisions, corps, brigades and battalions, which conduct extensive operations around the world. On the other hand, the institutional army provides support for the operational army.They provide the necessary infrastructure to train, raise, deploy, equip, and ensure the readiness of the army forces. Military skills, as well as professional education, are provided by the training base to every soldier, together with members of allied forces. The institutional component of the army also allows the army to expand in a rapid manner during time of war. The army is provided with world-class logistics and equipment by the industrial base. Power-projection platforms are provided by the army installations.These are required to position land forces readily to provide support to combatant commanders. Once the forces are positioned, they are provided w ith needed logistics by the institutional army (â€Å"Organization†). The army is composed of a large number of soldiers. There is a necessity to organize the army into units because of its large number. Each unit has its own leader and reporting structure. Each unit was created in order to respond to any mission, regardless of complexity or size (â€Å"About the Army: Personnel†).According to the Soldiers Almanac, soldiers are grouped into units, each with specified numbers. A squad is composed of 9 to 10 soldiers; a platoon consists of 16 to 44 soldiers; a company has 62 to 190 soldiers, a battalion is composed of 300 to 1,000 soldiers; a brigade has 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers, a division consists of 10,000 to 15,000 soldier; and the corps is consisted of 20,000 to 45,000 soldiers (â€Å"About the Army: Personnel†). Becoming a soldier is both a challenging and a rewarding life. There are three primary steps on how to become a soldier. The first one is to work wit h a recruiter.The next step is to attend the Basic Combat Training after you have signed up and sworn in. After that the Basic Combat Training, a soldier will learn valuable skills by attending the Advanced Individual Training (â€Å"Soldier Life: Becoming a Soldier†). Basic Combat Training (BCT) is a training course that transforms civilians into Soldiers. Over the course of nine weeks these recruits learn about the Seven Core Army Values, how to work together as a team and what it takes to succeed as a Soldier in the U. S. Army. A civilian is transformed into a soldier by attending the Basic Combat Training.This is a nine-week training course where recruits are taught of the Seven Core Army Values, working together in a team, and succeeding in the U. S. Army (â€Å"Soldier Life: Basic Combat Training†). After soldiers complete the Basic Combat Training, they will attend the Advanced Individual Training to learn the necessary skills to perform their army job. They rec eive hands-on training, as well as field instructions, to make them experts in a specific career field. In this training, they gain discipline and work ethic (â€Å"Soldier Life: Advanced Individual Training).When the Congress passes the Defense Authorization Act each year, they indicate how many soldiers can be on active duty during that year. Congress also places a limit on what percentage of the whole active duty force can serve as warrant officers, how much percentage of the total active duty force can be posted as enlisted officers for the positions of sergeant and above. However, there are no statutory limits on positions of private, private first class, and corporals (Powers, n. d. ) For the positions of sergeant and above, there must be a vacancy in the next level in order for them to get promoted.However, soldier ranking private first class, and corporal are promoted through decentralized promotions. Decentralized promotion means that the unit is in-charge of promotions; h ence they are the promotion authority. The commander decides who should get promoted based on the promotion criteria set by the U. S. Army to preserve the promotion flow (Powers, n. d. ) There are 146,000 American troops in Iraq, including service and support personnel. The soldiers stationed in Iraq play various roles. Some of them are stationed as combat troops.Combat soldiers, according to the military, â€Å"those whose primary mission is to engage the enemy with lethal force. † However, these combat troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by June 30, 2009. This is in accordance with the agreement between Iraq and the United States, as stated in status-of-forces agreement (Bumiller, 2008). In spite of the agreement that combat troops will leave Iraqi cities, many military men are will be left behind as advisers and trainers. This new set of troops will be tasked to train and offer support to the Iraqi people so as not to risk the â€Å"fragile and relative Iraqi stabilityâ₠¬  (Bumiller, 2008).Truly, the United States Army have played and continuously playing a vital role in our society. They have assured us of our liberties and made an effort to assure the liberties as well of those who are offshore. The soldiers in the U. S. Army have dedicated themselves in the service of the American nation and there is no reason available for us not to be proud of them. References: â€Å"About the Army: Overview. † Army Strong. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. goarmy. com/about/index. jsp. â€Å"About the Army: Personnel. † Army Strong. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. goarmy. com/about/personnel. jsp.Bumiller, E. (2008). â€Å"Trying to redefine role of U. S. military in Iraq. † International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. iht. com/articles/2008/12/22/america/22combat. php. â€Å"Mission. † The Official Homepage of the United States Army. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www . army. mil/info/organization/. â€Å"Organization. † The Official Homepage of the United States Army. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. army. mil/info/organization/. Powers, R. â€Å"Army Enlisted Promotion System. † Enlisted promotions made simple. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from file:///D:/httpusmilitary. about.com-cs-armypromotions-a-armypromotions. htm. â€Å"Soldier Life: Advanced Individual Training. † Army Strong. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. goarmy. com/life/advanced_individual_training. jsp. â€Å"Soldier Life: Basic Combat Training. † Army Strong. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. goarmy. com/life/basic/index. jsp. â€Å"Soldier Life: Becoming a Soldier. † Army Strong. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. goarmy. com/life/becoming_a_soldier. jsp. â€Å"The 233rd United States Army Birthday. † The Official Homepage of the United States Army. Retrieved 21 February 2009, from http://www. army. mil/birthday/233/.