Spite Analytical Summarry

Taylor Wiemken Instructor Spaulding English 110. 02 January 17, 2010 Emotional Logic The family in the essay â€Å"Spite,† by Anne Trumbore, fights through the adversity of having a mother with multiple sclerosis. As the reader starts to delve into the meanings behind the words, it shows there is more of a mental quarrel going on between the family members. â€Å"Spite† expresses the battle between the logical and emotional aspects of the human that begin to coincide with each other as conflicts and complex situations arise.The repetition of logical ideas and conversations throughout â€Å"Spite† shows the importance Anne Trumbore places on having a logical perspective during adverse situations. Anne says, â€Å"The facts are indisputable. †(1). The word â€Å"facts† and â€Å"Three ribs, weakened by twelve years of steroids, snapped on impact. †(1) emphasizes the exact recounting of the moment her mom fell in the shower. It helps represent t hat even in a dire situation, Anne places the logic of the negativity she receives from her mother over the emotional response of rescuing her from the scalding water. She recounts how her mother would call her a fat ass.Instead of an emotional response of displeasure such as crying, she takes time to analyze her body characteristics and concludes that her ass is fat compared to the rest of her body. Anne sees that the facts simply state that helping her would be counterproductive to exceeding the expectations of the class by solving the equation. The constant changing between the equation and her mother screaming brings up the question of whether logic is stronger than the emotional appeal to help. The satisfaction of solving the equation involves a greater sense of accomplishment than helping her naked, screaming mother out of the shower.Contemplating Anne’s actions shows how the mind can categorize an emotional situation into a logical equation of finding the greatest bene fit. The logic placed throughout the essay, â€Å"Spite†, infers that Anne’s emphasis on facts, as developed throughout her childhood, is important to her understanding of real life situations. The use of emotional feelings and actions between the mother and daughter in â€Å"Spite† constructs the difference between their conflicting reactions. The instant reaction of screaming by the mother as she fell in the scalding water is what most people under duress would do.The expected response of Anne would be to help her mother in need, but her unordinary perception of not caring and brushing off the instance seems to paint her as a cold, selfish person. The shaving of Anne’s head also evokes emotions of Anne being so inadequate that her mother doesn’t seem to care about her appearance. Her mother’s emotional response of â€Å"She’s not a boy. It’s a pixie cut. †(3) seems to contradict her action of shaving Anne’s head . Anne’s mother’s words are defending her daughter’s female identity but her actions of shaving Anne’s head are considered masculine.Anne develops the story for the reader by explaining situations that would seem unordinary and then recounting past events that have changed her emotional capacity to not feel sorry for her mother. The essay, â€Å"Spite†, develops the mother’s emotions of fighting multiple sclerosis with the logical ideas of Anne’s decision-making during difficult circumstances. The use of Anne’s mother’s emotional responses with the logical decisions Anne contemplates in her head, helps the reader see the inner battle between the two, and how they relate to Anne’s decision-making as the essay progresses.

The Unnatural Act of Leadership, Book Review Essay

Odilia Bergh, Peachtree City Police Department Human Resource Management and Development The Unnatural Act of Management February 26, 2013 I began this book like most books, with great anticipation that it was going to be amazing, why else would a qualified instructor assign it. I assumed that it would be a shining example of the finest managerial principals in existence all compacted into a simple to read text with plenty of graphs and helpful handouts. I was certain that I would be a more effective leader for having read it.I spent time strategizing how I would write my paper with great enthusiasm. Then, I read the book. In the first few pages I found myself so caught up with the character development that I quickly lost sight of the big picture. I mean how could I be expected to believe that any one person could accurately describe an entire management team with such accuracy. Richard Thompkins’ descriptions and predictions were almost humorous. His intuition into his co-wo rkers was uncanny. From their personal relationships to the weaknesses in one fail swoop. I wanted to meet Richard myself.As the story developed I later appreciated the lack of filler material as the characters were introduced and it also made for a quick refresher when I was trying to predict who was going to be effected next by Brent’s plans. I quickly became invested in the ninety day project. I could recognize this was a process being explained with the assistance of a story, or a true manager refusing to have an editor alter his vision. Regardless, I decided to step back and focus on the big picture, the actual process of examining an existing managerial team and operations to evaluating its effectiveness through strong managerial principals.Off we went. Learning about the people you are working with, their qualifications and personality traits is imperative. Understanding how they’re perceived by their peers is critical. Richard Thompkins’ descriptions wer e no more than his perception regardless how accurate they might have been. The second part of the equation is the one on one interaction with individuals to develop our own opinions and â€Å"assumptions†. As I began to understand the characters I couldn’t help but begin to assign them new names, names associated with people I work with even myself at times.For the sake of this paper I’ll make up names and rank. Moving into the early chapters I found that my Chief aligns himself strongly with many of the theories and practices that Brent spoke of from conducting effective meetings to managing work stress effectively. Unfortunately prior to his arrival our organization struggled to follow some basic principles that are imperative for success. Basics like â€Å"Read, Listen, Discuss, Observe, or Think. † As police officers, â€Å"read† stands out as an exceptional oddity. The term â€Å"assumptions† was also introduced early in the book and I felt it needed to be developed in more detail.In retrospect, I believe I struggled with the actual term used as â€Å"assumptions† as it has always had a negative connotation to me. Who hasn’t heard the phrase, â€Å"When you assume you make and ass out of you and me? † Regardless, I did recognize that assumptions as introduced are made through communication, making it imperative that effective communication occur to reach valid â€Å"assumptions†. As with any ideas or assumptions they can be altered rather quickly by a number of factors that arise. Understanding this and managing them closely will avoid mistakes to having any major or lasting impact.As employees grow and learn, regardless of rank or title, our assumptions of their abilities might lag or be clouded unless we are constantly communicating. I feel that managing by assumptions can be more effective if you understand who you are dealing with, regardless if you like them personally or not. I a lso recognize that assumptions can easily be influenced by emotions if it’s not monitored properly. I can recognize my growth as manager significantly in this area. I pride myself on making good assumptions based on factual information available to me.I value the decision making process more now that I align myself more clearly with upper management than the mind set of line officers. As a first line supervisor I fill in the blanks when the plans and processes have been identified. I recognize the overall need to establish goals and objectives that are clear and measurable but as a first line supervisor I usually find myself making suggestions and providing raw data which is manipulated and interpreted above my position. Chapter six, I read the title and got excited, What is Management and When Are You Managing?Yes, now we are getting somewhere! I found some truth early on, kind of†¦ Stanley had the position that you learn to be a good manager by managing not by going to school. Before I was promoted years ago I had already obtained my four year degree in Business Management and Organizational Leadership so I felt somewhat prepared. Denial is a nice zip code. Within months of being promoted to Sergeant I was escorted to private meeting room by the two senior officers on my newly appointed team. Truly I don’t remember what they said, but the feeling resonates to this day.YOU KNOW NOTHING, BE QUIET, LISTEN, LEARN AND THEN MAYBE WE WILL LET YOU LEAD. I felt humbled, they had been respectful but firm and the message was clear†¦this was going to be much harder than I thought. I agree that it is very unnatural to decide to produce results through others, especially if we’re better qualified to produce them. I had been a â€Å"go getter- kick ass and tell my backup to take names† kind of officer. As a supervisor the concept that others were going to produce results for me was foreign, I didn’t even know it existed. Educati on would have been beneficial at that point but I didn’t learn that in college.So for that continuing education would have been welcomed, however I may have not been ready to learn the lesson regardless if I had heard it. I loved the management term given in this book. â€Å"Management is a mental process of establishing, and then indirectly achieving the right objectives in the right priority sequence and with sufficient resources. † I have got to admit I felt like that was right on. Over the years I have worked on some level of this definition, but found that at times my priorities were off, or my resources were insufficient or simply the sequence was just not right.I have absolutely no problem in making a decision, with haste. Now I can’t guarantee that it will be a correct decision but as the years pass and the management process becomes more clear my assumptions become more accurate. Of course we should all be tweaking assumptions constantly. Recently our o rganization has been revamping tons of policies, to streamline and make things more efficient. One policy stands out when I think if this management term. As a patrol division we now have a written policy that says that no team can drop below the minimum staffing requirement of six officers.As a patrol supervisor my current team only has seven officers assigned with one deployed over seas. Immediately the problem should be apparent. Each officer is required to flex four hours each pay period, attend training, mange overtime, and ensure vacation time is not carried over. I constantly hear other sergeants complaining that they are below staffing and that they can not operate their teams effectively. They constantly deny leave and training requests which only discourages the officers and causes dissent.I strive not to bring any attention to my team’s situation because if you provide a problem to another manager they are going to solve it, but probably not to your liking. I simpl y flex my team out in the early hours of the morning when there’s minimal, to no call load, and they’re tired anyway. I communicate with the traffic unit supervisor to supplement traffic officers to allow my officers time to attend training. Rarely does a traffic officer have to pick up a call but it allows me not to violate the policy intentionally.I understand that resources are limited and I know my commanders are aware of the problem so reiterating it to them seems counter productive and unnecessary because I feel that we have sufficient resources. I was pleased to read the general rule that said, â€Å"the better the manager, the fewer resources required to be sufficient. † Amen. I believe my organization has shifted the mindset to that of one that measures a good manager/supervisor by the results that are being produced indirectly through our managerial resources.Being encouraged to show ownership while expected to shoulder the responsibility is a welcomed change. I agree that a good manager can manage anything. The next section spoke of determining the difference between stubbornness and persistence; I have to admit I began to sweat. Make no mistake I know that I can be stubborn and quite persistent and no one likes to look in the mirror in the morning. But as I read on I breathed a bit of a sigh. I quickly felt safe, knowing that when I make set an objective that I can’t obtain I will not let it ruin me, and I will bow out, gracefully if possible.I attribute this to an older brother that beat me at EVERYTHING my whole life. As for persistence, I think the word I use is â€Å"heart†. If a person has â€Å"heart† they can overcome almost any other deficiencies, from talent to skill and almost common sense (almost). I think of a wonderful officer I had the privilege of supervising right out of the academy. I seem to get the â€Å"tough ones† but being that I thrive when challenged, and lavish in chaos, I wa s pressed to perform. This officer arrived and with a thick accent and introduced himself.Apparently English was his third language, being from Thailand he struggled with the most basic cultural rituals we enjoy. Even Google was a foreign term. Each night we all worked to help him with everything from his radio traffic to his very poor sense of directions. He would fail, miss the mark, slip, forget, get lost, get made fun of, but he never gave up. He arrived early each night and left late every morning. He smiled, thanked those who helped him graciously, smiled at those who hurt him, smiled at those who he could help and had more heart than any other officer I had ever worked with.He constantly asked questions, never fell into despair and with his determination made everyone respect him. His fortitude was impressive. He says I was his mentor and I taught him so much but I can’t take credit for making him successful because to be honest he taught me every bit as much. He made my need to learn patience rewarding. Under other circumstances I would have resented someone that needed so much assistance to simply function as a first responder. He showed me it was worth the time and effort to give people all you can to help lift them up.He made that lesson for me digestible, even enjoyable. I am proud of the officer he is today, so proud I’m writing about him years later while working on a ten page college paper on management. So as the book progresses Brent is starting to show his managers that he can make good assumptions. He values and encourages communications. He strives to include and share his thought process with his staff. Now this is certainly a new concept at my organization. Initially when my Chief would begin to explain his thought process I would grimace thinking that when he finished he was going to yell, â€Å"There ya happy! But he never did instead, he looked at me and would ask what I thought. I remember having to condition myself to be prepared to actually participate in the process instead of simply walking away wondering what in God’s good name is rolling around in that little mans beady little mind. I thought that very thing quite frequently under my old Chief. I on the other hand had been chastised for explaining myself too much and giving too much information to my officers. Apparently just telling them to do something was suppose to be sufficient since they were being compensated so heavily financially.I felt that if your subordinates and supervisors for that matter, knew your frame of mind and your thought process they could better manage their â€Å"assumptions† (hope you’re proud of me for using the term properly). In turn they could predict your decisions more quickly and learn to make better ones themselves as a result. Span of control was a relevant topic that I found mid way through. Recently our organization was restructured, removing three captains from the top of our command structure. As a first line supervisor I was not effected drastically however my supervisor has shifted completely away from his prior position.With no lieutenants on the patrol shift I find myself with more span of control, unfortunately I feel my support is all but gone. I report to someone I rarely see and no longer have immediate feedback. I recognize the change was necessary and I am striving to find a balance. As for Brent by this point he’s gotten the managers in his corner, he‘s taking calculated risks, or should I say managing effectively by assumptions. His leadership has been almost too perfect in my opinion. No big blunders he never misspoke and was always right. After supervising for twelve years I’m going to call the flag.I recognize that my Chief is a good manager because he says that everyone makes mistakes and all you have to do is sit down and watch for a while and you’ll see one. Maximizing Your Leverage with Direct Producers seemed like a lofty way to say, get your people to work for you. The title was a little pretentious but the chapter was actually one of my favorites. As first line supervisors I’ve grown to simply accept that many direct producers (patrol officers) will never develop a good understanding of management so I work towards building the relationship between them and myself to bridge the gap.I have always excelled and developing loyal relationships based on mutual trust. Unfortunately when trust, the foundation for me is missing, the relationship is essentially doomed. It will be superficial and dysfunctional. For this reason I hold honesty, trust, and moral fortitude in the highest regards as I develop relationships with my co-workers. I feel these three ingredients are our water, oxygen and food we need to survive. Regardless if subordinates understand why your asking them to perform a task, they will perform it for no other reason than you have demonstrated your dedicated to their survival .I have learned over the years that I am not responsible for their happiness that is their responsibility. There was a very interesting couple of paragraphs that outlined the differences between supervisors and managers and he hit the nail on the head when he discussed the first line producers view of the two. It is like the twilight zone. I know that my officers see the sergeants as part of the command staff, however, command staff see sergeants more aligned with the officers. This does pose a difficult position for sergeants who are continuously left out of the communication loop.I always say if you want me to manage your rumors you have to feed me some valid information. Without that, I’m forced to manage rumors by more misinformation. At least I can mange my own rumors better than those of others. As a first line manager I have finally figured out that my primary duty is to make my officers feel important. I think that could have summed up that chapter. Considering I have a few pages left I’ll expound a bit since I feel this is where my forte lies. Again, twelve years ago I was clueless; I thought if I could show the guys how great I was they would want to follow me.Instead I learned that if I show them how great they are they will follow me. The biggest compliment I got was when an officer said, in shift change, that he would run into a brick wall if I asked him to. He added that he figured the wall would fall because why else would I order him to go. I was flattered that he would blindly follow my order, however he also indicated that he respected how I make assumptions (I used it again, gotta be worth 10 points). As an inexperienced supervisor I was concerned about each person liking me, the person they were interacting with. I would adjust for each individual subordinate accordingly.I reflect back and can say that that it was not in the way of a servant leader but more of a teenager who wanted to be liked and accepted. With the years I le arned that I was more effective when I was myself. I am a Christian, wife, mother of four, who happens to hold a position at an organization that requires me to guide, teach, and hold myself and others accountable for our actions. That simplified life drastically. I stay enthusiastic about my career, usually. I never ask anyone to do something I’m not prepared to do myself and I accept responsibility when I make mistakes.I respect those who handle my mistake effectively and use them for what they are, chances to learn. I find disciplining subordinates exciting and challenging. Nothing satisfies me more than to handle a discipline session so effectively that the subordinate still wants to engage me in a personal conversation. The Motivation of Inspiration, deep. I mentioned that our organization went though a drastic structure change recently. I also mentioned that I don’t have the luxury of a lieutenant working with me. On weekends I am alone and during the peak hours of 4:30pm to 7:30pm I have no assistance.The lieutenants developed their own hours and selected 7:00am-3:00pm and 7:00pm to 3:00am. However with the limited supervisors their schedules are constantly changing. Upon returning from a 6 weeks recovery from a foot operation I attempted to meet with my lieutenant on several occasions. I wanted to get an official update on how my team had done along with an update on what was going on with the organization. I had been away from work and had developed some doubts about my current career path. After a few days my lieutenant learned that I was meeting with someone above his rank.He came to me and I confirmed that he had not made me a priority. Frustrated and betrayed he told me that making me â€Å"happy was not his job†. I corrected him and assured him he was not responsible for my happiness but was responsible for my career development. I asked him what he felt his priorities were and he wiggled his finger towards the sky in a circl e and said, â€Å"this†. Not clear on his term I asked him to define it. He again said, this, the organization. I asked him to define who he felt made up the organization. He got even more frustrated and raised his voice.I asked him to lower his voice and improve his argument. He said he didn’t know what I wanted from him, adding that I was a sergeant he knew could handle anything. I explained it like this to him. My job is to check and fill my guys’ gas tanks as needed each shift. His job, was to fill mine, and I was running on fumes. I conceded that I was a hybrid and could go farther than others but eventually would need fuel. Now, that doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with my vehicle it just needs to be maintained. I think he understood and we both agreed to keep working on communicating with each other.I also believe that people will rise to our expectations of them, another key element in motivating others. I have seen officers that struggle with other supervisors arrive on my shift defeated, ready to continue their struggles. I like to immediately empower them with some responsibilities. Certainly something they can succeed at, and then shower them with praise. The cycle then continues, elevating their tasks and responsibilities exponentially until they believe in the person I have told them I see. I had an officer who struggled with making decisions and his self esteem was shattered with all the discipline he’d received.Being a very emotional person, he took discipline from his prior supervisor as a personal attack. I immediately gave him the responsibility to inspect vehicles when he arrived on my shift. At first he called with question after question. I encouraged him to complete all his inspections and upon completion we would address any questions he had. Inevitably in meeting with the other seven officers on his team many of his questions were resolved and he arrived with few questions and the completed inspec tions. I praised his resourcefulness and assigned him the task for the upcoming month.He was excited to have a leadership role and began to act accordingly. With time he grew to be confident his decision making abilities and learned to accept discipline sessions from me as learning opportunities. Now this leads me into the marginal employee. They are out there and what a pain! I have learned much when dealing with this mess. For years I had a marginal employee working under me. She was not only marginal but she was high maintenance. Now to correct that statement, she was capable of working hard if she was â€Å"happy†. So what did the under educated but highly experienced supervisor that I was do, that’s right I kept her â€Å"happy†.I managed her emotionally to motivate her professionally. Sounds easy enough huh? Unfortunately maintaining her happiness was utterly draining and was a daily time consuming venture. But I felt that proving that I could get impressi ve results out of a marginal employee would validate my ability to supervise. Boy was I dead wrong. I remember Brent giving the lesson in the book that brought it all back. Put those problems right back on them he explained, remove that unnecessary stress from yourself. I was moved away from that officer and she tanked with the next supervisor.Of course she blamed him but I knew better. In the last month the teams were again moved around and after two years she would be reassigned to me. Believing that I could save her from her impending termination, if she could not turn it around, she began our first conversation with how happy she was to be working with me again, blaming her last supervisors for all her problems. She then admitted that she was upset with me because I had not accepted her Facebook request. I took that very moment to make the path ahead very clear to her. I told her in no uncertain terms that I would not be managing her happiness.I would however be holding her acco untable for her actions. I also told her that my Facebook was not a topic for discussion. She chose to become insulted instead of enlightened. Within three weeks of being reassigned to my shift she resigned after sixteen years. I know I was not the reason, but I also feel she lost the comfort she was envisioning on my team. I must say that although personally I liked this person, as I supervisor I was ecstatic she chose to leave the organization. Conveniently a few chapters later I came across a section to deal with problem employees.I felt enamored with the comment that marginal employees are the greatest waste of time, money and opportunities within an organization. I have learned that first hand. Being that I have reached ten pages and don’t want to be too much of an overachiever I want to focus the criticizing of others and termination of employees. I was very surprised when I read that Barbara was scared to fire Chuck. Barbara’s character development didn’t foreshadow that insecurity. Regardless Brent knew exactly what to say and was able to convince Barbara to handle a situation immediately after their pep talk.Now I can go on and on about several other topics that arose in the latter pages (especially Stress Transfer) but I’m going to close with this, I enjoyed the lessons shared in this book. However I wouldn’t recommend anyone read this book unless they are borrowing it from me. My book has received full scrutiny and I have highlighted all the pertinent lessons, motivational quotes, managerial theories and terms so there is no need to read all the filler. By the way, I truly think that Brent wears Superman underwear everyday.

Child Welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Child Welfare - Essay Example This is one major social problem the child encounter as a result of abuse or neglect from drug addicted parents. Due to the nature of this intervention, statistical collection of data and facts associated with child abuse and neglect becomes difficult. To determine how much it could cost to resolve it through the various stages of model that could be required. The well-being of the child is important. Although when parents usually the women take in alcohol and seems not to be abusive and not dependent or addicted to drinking. It is still possible the conditions under which she drink may still put the child welfare at risk. A child welfare worker should be concerned about the nature of parent exposure to alcohol and drug use. As noted by The American Psychological Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV/DSM-IV-TR) that a woman should not take in more than seven drinks within a week or three drinks at a time. Child safety is an important issue in our society and factors that may bring about polluting or exposing the child welfare at risk are not lightly taken. Children are meant to be around adult so as to caution and comfort them in their growing years. Children are good observers and adult should be more caution what they do in their presence. This is part of protecting the child welfare. ... Significantly, the child welfare worker should be more concerned with the case of child neglect and abuse by identifying the factors of drug abuse and alcohol exposure. Child welfare worker should be able to support parent influenced by these factors to obtain adequate treatment in understanding of the recovery concept in the view of child safety. With the child welfare worker understanding the connection between the impact of alcohol and the effect of drug services can be a very good advantage for the child welfare worker and the Adoption and Safe families Act in fulfilling the safety of the child as well as the child wellness. When a child who have been in a foster care in fifteen months out of twenty-two recent months enters foster care and actions to terminate parental rights over the child is initiated, it is then the Adoption and Safe Families Act will require a permanency plan of twelve months. Considering the fact that twelve to fifteen months can seem to be a long period of time to a child, it's not enough time to consider in the process of recovery with parents who have been exposed to alcohol and drug. In a critical case involving substance abuse demands that adequate alcohol and drug services should be established with immediate effect in processing the parent's treatment. Effectiveness in doing this can be achieved by child welfare worker in asking questions on a routine basis regarding the nature of substance use relative to its abuse, treatment required and recovery time expected. His understanding of dependence and abuse of alcohol and drugs is also an advantage. It is alarming to know that out of the many people treated for only alcohol issues amounts to the same level of population of people that were

Toyota Brand Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Toyota Brand Analysis - Essay Example Fortification - the brand should carry a consistent image over time to reinforce its place in the consumer's mind and develop a special relationship with the consumer. Brand extensions can further fortify the brand, but only with related products having a perceived fit in the mind of the consumer. A company may have many brand names, but each group should fit well together. When Toyota wanted to compete in the luxury car market, a new brand called Lexus was created. This avoided muddying the established Toyota brand name, which represents value and economy, and removed any possible negative preconceptions about the Lexus name being cheap. The divergent fortunes of two automobiles made by the same manufacturer offer an unintended study of the power of brand strategy to alter behavior. Since 1989, both the Toyota Corolla and the Geo Prizm have been made by New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI), a joint venture of General Motors and Toyota. While the two cars are virtual twins, the Corolla has had consistently stronger sales despite a higher price. How come "The strength of Toyota's brand allowed it to charge more," says The Economist. "Buyers thought a Toyota would be superior to a GM car in the same class, and so happily paid more." The effect of brand equity on profit and growth is striking. ... "Buyers thought a Toyota would be superior to a GM car in the same class, and so happily paid more." The effect of brand equity on profit and growth is striking. While both cars cost the same to make-about $10,300-Toyota sold 200,000 Corollas to dealers at $11,000 each, while GM managed to move only 80,000 Geo Prizms at $10,700 between 1990 and 1994, The Economist notes. The result: "Toyota made $128 million more than GM in operating profits from NUMMI, while its dealers made $107 million more than those of GM from the plant's products." Toyota Motor Corp. (TM ) is on pace to be the world's No. 1 auto maker by 2008. It produces nearly one of every six cars sold in the U.S., including nine models in the South and Midwest, where it employs 32,000 Americans. Even New York livery cab fleets, once largely made up of leathery Lincolns, now feature Toyota's Prius, the hit hybrid taking coastal cities by storm. Toyota largely remains "terra incognita" to American investors, while GM can still attract buyers even as it flirts with bankruptcy. "Toyota stock doesn't have the 'mind share' of GM or Ford," says John M. Novak, an auto analyst at Chicago's Morningstar Inc. "There's a perception that you can't invest in it [because] it's a Japanese company -- that you would require a special account." ( Business week) Toyota Strengths: In 2003 Toyota knocked its rivals Ford into third spot, to become the World's second largest carmaker with 6.78 million units. The company is still behind rivals General Motors with 8.59 million units in the same period. Its strong industry position is based upon a number of factors including a diversified product range, highly targeted marketing and a commitment to lean manufacturing and quality. The company makes a large range of

Erich From and Zen Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Erich From and Zen Buddhism - Essay Example The unconscious, in terms of Zen, the unidentified, is antescientific but however not beyond the reach of consciousness. To become conscious of the unconscious is certainly Zen's primary task. He completed his education at the Universities of Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Munich, and at the Berlin Institute of Psychoanalysis. Following his immigration to the United States in 1933, he established a private practice in psychiatry and taught at New York University and the National University of Mexico. His main writings explored those needs that he recognized as exclusively human- relatedness, transcendence, rootedness, individuality, and a frame of orientation. His works, several of which reached wide audiences, include Escape from Freedom (1941), Man For Himself (1947), The Heart of Man (1964), and The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1973). The manifestation of many contributions to the topic of Zen Buddhism, is in more than one way indicative of our state of affairs in the Western World. If the need of Oriental philosophy is however increasingly felt in our times, the explanation would rather point to a psychological frame of reference. Erich Fromm maintains that there is a paradoxical element in Zen Buddhism which is more congenial to Western rational thought than is Western religion itself. Thus according to him, it is not surprising that the teachings of Zen help Western man to find an answer to his most upsetting problems. (Fromm, 2000) C.G. Jung is inclined to equate the terms satori with the Self. (Suzuki, 1999) Jung terms the ego as the center of awareness. The Self embraces and includes the ego. (Jung, 1998 ) Satori is, therefore, a release of the ego through the Self, to which the Buddha-Nature, i.e. total consciousness is added. Sigmund Freud is less hopeful about the success of this approach. Even as the methods used in reaching conscious awareness are varied, there remains however a weak relationship between Zen and psychoanalysis. The Zen master, to be true, maintains that intellection of any kind is a key offense so far as the understanding of Zen is concerned, while Freud emphatically posits: "where id was, there ego shall be". The great experts of Zen are well aware of this quandary, and it is in this light that Suzuki states: "If I am asked ... what Zen teaches, I would reply, Zen teaches nothing. Whatever teachings there are in Zen, they come out of one's own mind. We teach ourselves; Zen only points t he way. Unless this pointing is teaching, there is certainly nothing in Zen intentionally set up as its fundamental doctrines or as its fundamental philosophy." (Suzuki, 2000) Hubert Benoit concurs with this idea when he points out that Zen comprises a variety of angles. "My reader", he states, "should understand that no artificial understanding is deemed to pass from my mind to his ... this synthesis should happen in his mind by a means appropriate to himself, as it occurs in my mind by a means appropriate to me". (Benoit,1995) Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis Many a fundamental difference between Zen and psycho-analysis is already perceptible at this point, but so are other similarities, despite the varied methods of approach. It is thus

Public speaking class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public speaking class - Essay Example The event was organized by a group of young people who had invited a group of professional speakers to come and talk to the young people on various career options. Martin is a senior manager at a law firm and was quite proud of informing us about his position at the start of his speech. He started his speech by joking that the secret to speaking to a multitude of eager minds like his employees is, not letting them know that he is afraid of them. From his introduction, you could tell that this was going to be an interesting speech as most people decided to pocket their phones and pay attention to this new and vibrant speaker. His introduction entailed him giving a brief overview of his success in his career. From his introduction, it was important to note that a key tactic in successful public speaking is to begin on a light note and capture the audience’s attention. He then sank into the content of his speech. He carefully outlined to us how he and decided to pursue his career in n law despite opposition from his parents. Martin informed us that they key to a successful career is having passion from an early stage of development. IT was quite interesting the way he spoke with confidence and expertise in about his career. He was quite eloquent and comprehensible so the audience did not have to struggle to hear him well. This I noted is another tip to quality public speaking, being eloquent and comprehensible. Martin had structured his speech and ordered its delivery using a specific sequence. He started off by introducing us to his career, giving some background information and showing us his progress over the years to his current position in his firm. The speech was ordered in a way that it was easy to follow through in case someone lost attention for a while. This he said was another skill in public speaking. Ensuring that the content you are delivering is well

How to make university more international Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How to make university more international - Essay Example Foreign students, while in lectures, are comfortable sharing with their comrades. Once classes are up, they tend to retreat into their respective ethnic and cultural cocoons (Wu, 2012). This is damaging to the principle of integration of the academic community that University education is grounded on. Universities in the East and Africa have also introduced original, western sports curricular in their programs. This has led to foreign students feeling welcome. Universities in India, for example, have introduced Soccer to integrate foreign students from Europe. This has seen over 80% of Indian sub-continent Universities introducing Soccer into their sports curriculum (SuaÃŒ rez, 2007). While lack of foreign sport is not a problem per se, it is a limitation that, if addressed in the right manner could have a dramatic impact on the University’s social community. The best way to introduce this into schools would be via provision of funding for the construction of new sport gymnasiums and playfields, while also increasing funding for research into these sports, since sports science is not a priority in Eastern countries (SuaÃŒ rez, 2007). Naturally, this would start with one sport that would act as the pilot project. A review of its success after a set period would act as a pointer at the potential foreign sport has in integrating foreign students fully into University programs & curriculum. Introduction of foreign sports on campus grounds would achieve much more than integration. Foreign teams that specialize in this sport would provide funding for sport science studies, with native students benefiting from this via increased funds to the University sport kitty. Native students would also be encouraged to try their hand at these games. Examples include Tae Kwon do from Korea, Ping pa from China, and American football. Since some are Olympic Games, foreign athletes would use the facilities for training, thus giving native students who try their hand at these

Blow. A Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Blow. A Film Analysis - Essay Example The character of Jung was portrayed by Johnny Depp. The film highlighted George Jung’s life as a drug dealer. It included the onset of his life as a dealer of marijuana in California until his climactic success in the setting up of the cocaine market in America. As a person, there were two major facets of his life, one was his family and another was his job. During the early part of his life, Jung’s father can be considered as a positive influence for him especially through the lessons that he had taught young Jung. He was a moral and hard working person who gave importance to integrity. This can be considered as one of the reasons that Jung grew up to be a person who works hard for his dream. Although this was the case, the young Jung had been a witness to the failure that occurred to his father in terms of his job which is followed by problems in his marriage. The movie explored the issue of drug abuse and the effects of illegal drug transactions. Although this was the main and apparent subject matter, one of the implied issues in the film is parenting. Being a parent had been one of the most important factors that affected the characters in the movie.Upon watching the movie Blow, there were different lessons that had been perceived. One was the importance of the guidance of the parents to the children. Another was the importance of choosing the goodness over other things such as money, influence and material comfort. As what George Jung said in the film, choosing money over loved ones was never worth it.

In reference to abnormal psychology, what causes substance-related Research Proposal

In reference to abnormal psychology, what causes substance-related disorders, particularly those dealing with alcohol abuse - Research Proposal Example Increased tolerance for alcohol is genetically mediated (Alcohol abuse, Mental health channel). Neurobiological influences: People use illegal drugs and alcohol for their pleasurable experiences. Human brain has a pleasure pathway that mediates our experience of reward. Researchers have proposed the domaminergic system and its opioid-releasing neurons as the pleasurable pathway. This begins in the midbrain ventral segmental area and then work its way forward through the nucleus accumbens and on the frontal vortex (Barlow & Durand, 2004). The substances activate this center and impart feelings of pleasure. Drugs like amphetamine and cocaine directly activate the dopaminergic system. Opiates inhibit GABA which inturn stops the GABA neurons from inhibiting dopamine, thus making dopamine more available in the reward center (Barlow & Durand, 2004). Other than imparting pleasures, these drugs also have anxiolytic effect and remove unpleasant experiences like pain and feelings of illness. Alcohol has a strong anxiolytic effect. The anxiolytic effects are because of the drugs are due to their involvement with septal/hippocampal system which have a large number of GABA-sensitive neurons (Barlow & Durand, 2004). Many of the drugs enhance the activity of GABA in this region and inhibit the brains normal reaction to anxiety-producing situations. Some studies have pointed to a relation between certain brain wave patterns and an increased risk for alcoholism (Barlow & Durand, 2004). Racial influences: Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans have deficiency or absence of alcohol dehydrogenase and hence tend to drink less and are at lower risk for alcoholism (Alcohol abuse, Mental health channel). This is because, the inability to metabolize alcohol in these people causes various symptoms like vomiting, flushing, and increased heart rate, thus making drinking difficult.

Schizophrenia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Schizophrenia - Research Paper Example People suffering from this disorder tend to hear voices, which cannot be heard by people around them. If fact, these people believe that any other person around them is controlling their thoughts, plotting harm against them and more importantly, they are reading their minds. Additionally, people with Schizophrenia rarely make sense when they are talking; sometimes they can sit for a particular period without talking or moving. Patients with this disorder are mostly recognized by talking to them since they appear ordinary people until they start talking (National institute of Mental Health). Schizophrenia is caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Individuals with a family history of this illness have a high rate of being diagnosed with this disorder. Researchers argue that there it is considerably challenging to separate environmental and genetic factors. Therefore, there is a significant variation in estimating hereditary causes and environmental causes. According to a recent research conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, the risk of developing Schizophrenia is considerably high in first-degree relatives. According to the research data, the risk an individual being diagnosed with Schizophrenia and they have been first-degree relative is approximately 6.5 percent higher than the 40 percent of the monozygotic twins who may have been affected. Additionally, if one of the parents is suffering from the illness, the risk of these offspring being affected can be as high as 13 percent. On the other hand if both parents are affected, the offspring have a 50 percent chance of being affected (National Institute of Mental Health). Also to genetic causes, environmental factors have a significant role in causing this disorder. Some of the common environmental factors include; usage of drugs, prenatal stressors, living environment among other environmental factors. A recent study showed that living

Software for Human Services Organization Essay Example for Free

Software for Human Services Organization Essay Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services is an organization that services the mental health population. This population has continued to grow, and because of the increased turnaround in clients served the company had to invest in multiple software products. Electronic Health Record or (EHR) is one of the software programs that are used by Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services. This software is designed to be shared with several different health care providers or settings. The Electronic Health Record software is an electronic collection of systematic health information about a certain population or client. Using Electronic Health Record software will be the digital backup version for a client’s paper chart. Electronic Health Record systems are client centered records that are recorded in real-time. Authorized users of this system are able to obtain this secure information instantly. Using the Electronic Health Record software client’s medical, mental, and treatment records are tracked faster. This program was designed to go further than the normal intake data that is gathered in a provider’s office and is inclusive of a larger view of a client’s care. Electronic Health Record software has tools that will allow providers to make accurate decisions pertaining to client’s mental health care. Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services use Electronic Health Record software to streamline and automate the workflow for different providers. One of the benefits of Electronic Health Record software is that Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services authorized employees has easier access to client’s medical history. This history consist of radiology images, diagnoses, treatment plans, allergies, results from a test that was taken, immunization records, medications, and laboratory results. Using this software to centralize client’s records electronically has helped the communication between other agencies flow smoothly. Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services use Electronic Health Records software to track information from  other organization, non-profit agencies, and other human services provider who may have provided services to a client. Some of these services are Medicaid approval or reimbursement, clinic management, subsidized housing, drug rehabilitation, and section eight housing. An advantage of this software is the improvement of client’s care, efficiency, safety, client-centeredness, and equity. This software allows each clinician involved in the client’s care the ability to share and obtain the client’s medical history and other pertinent information with other medical providers. Pharmacies, medical imaging facilities, schools, emergency facilities, and other clinics are a few providers that are authorized to receive client’s information from Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services in a digital format. As more and more health care providers continue to migrate to digital electronic management because of the advantages, there are some disadvantages to using Electronic Health Records software. One of the disadvantages can be the initial start-up cost may become pricey in the beginning. This consists of hardware installations, training of staff, and software upgrades. It does not matter if the facility that is converting to digital Electronic Health Records is large or small the start-up cost will be expensive. If administrative staff, nurses, and doctors are not too familiar with the way the new system is operated, these individuals will waste more time trying to figure it out. This can sometime force the administrative staff, nurses, and doctors that are uncomfortable with this software take longer to master a task, this is wasted time that could be used for other important missions or serving clients. Another downfall or disadvantage of using this software is the concerns of client ’s security. Most individuals think a disadvantage would be the security vulnerability for the client’s medical records. The ultimate concern is that hackers are still out there and may steal client’s personal information and possible compromise their identity. It does not matter how many password encryptions, security features added, and firewalls are put up, hackers can get in there. However, there are also companies that specialize in security measures for the maintenance of Electronic Health Records software. Client Track software is another software that is used at Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Service. Several of Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Service case managers, social workers, and other field professionals have  their mobile device set up so that they can have full access to enter the client’s chart and work on it without having to be at work. Client Track is optimized to be compatible with mobile Firefox, Apple iPad, iPhone, Chrome, Safari Web Brower, and iPod touch. Client Track has allowed Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services to take providing services t o a whole new level. Client Track has made it possible for employees to input important case notes in the client charts while they are continuing to work in the field. Different facilities can expedite the check in the process of a client by incorporating other mobile devices and iPads. This software will only allow designated staff to access areas pertaining to their job title. Client Track software has been an asset and benefit to Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health. The collaboration, compliance, efficiency, and outcomes have shown to be another benefit of using Client Track. Other communities, agencies and multiple programs can collaborate and transfer client’s information amongst each other securely and smoothly. Most agencies and programs have stakeholders, which they are required to report outcomes, activities, and services rendered, Client Track provide an automatic update with this information, which can be obtained by the stakeholders on an as needed basis. The efficiency of Client Track will eliminate having to use spreadsheets and give more time for staff to help the clients that are in need. Since Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services have been using Client Track software, the service to client’s outcome has increased. One of the advantages of using Client Track software is that this software is configured to meet various types of software. Homeless Management Information System or (HMIS) is a software application that is used daily by human service workers nationwide. Individual’s would think that an organization the size of Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Service will be the determining factor of the software chosen, this company has chosen the software that is a better fit, which allows them to communicate with several agencies. A possible challenge that may be encountered from the implementation process is the difficulty comparing the associated health IT products and EHRs products. Because of the newness of this software there were not a lot of competitors to compare to. References Gungor, F. (2014). OneSource DocumentManagement. Retrieved from http://www.onesourcedoc.com/blog/bid/71535/Disadvantages-of-Electronic-Medical-Records Health IT.GOV. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-are-advantages-electronic-health-records

Terrorism And Mass Media

Terrorism And Mass Media The United States of America law defines terrorism as predominated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents (U.S. Code Title 22, Ch.38, Para 2656f (d). Hoffman has defined a terrorist act as an act of violence vested upon a given people so as to attract the attention of the opponents and the general public which is followed by communication of a message from the terrorists (Hoffman 2003, p. 118). A terrorist Group on the other hand is a group of people which indulges in international terrorism. On the other hand mass media can be defined as any form of communication that is reaching a large and heterogeneous audiences, it may include the use of Television, Radio, the internet, or written literature such as books, flayers, newspapers, periodicals and magazines.  [1]  The terrorist groups have employed the use of mass media as one of their most effective approaches to scaring the citizens to comply with th e terrorist demands; U.S citizens have also not been spared. Among the most renowned terrorist groups of the world is the Al Qaeda  [2]  . The U.S States department considers the Al Qaeda a leading terrorist group that has been very active in the last five years. The group which was started by Osama bin Laden  [3]  has been operational from late 1980s. The group aims a establishing a pan-caliphate in the entire world through working with allies Islamic extremist groups in the endeavor to overthrow the non Islamic regimes in the west as well as eliminating non-Muslims in Islamic states (Hellman 2010, para. 3). The new archetype of terrorism is partly an outcome of a sudden development in information technology, particularly evident in the fact that terrorist groups have recognized the value mass media has on the execution of their aims. It has been noted that between mass media and terrorism there is a very interactive or symbiotic relationship; this is because media industrys patterns and trends for media contents making head towards preference of impression seeking contents, while terrorist organizations can, owing to their actions, make sure that they get the maximum attention of the media. In so doing, terrorist organizations such as the Al Qaeda are constantly trying to maneuver and exploit free media for their own use. Yes we may conclude that its the mass media that provide global reach to terrorist groups since it influences the manner in which the public perceives terrorism and hazards that arise from it, it influences political verdicts used to act in response to terrorism, but a lso the dealings formed through countrywide and international politics. Nevertheless, media does not have to turn out to be an instrument of terrorism as Al Qaeda has been using the media. Through a considerate approach the media can be used as a kind of weapon which can then be used as an imperative device in overpowering terrorists, and the constructive benefits certainly exceed adverse consequences that results from irresponsible actions by a part of media companies and journalists (PereÃ…Â ¡in 2007 p. 1-3). Despite the massive resources that the U.S government has employed in attempt to combat terrorism after the September 11th attack  [4]  , the primary terrorist target; Al Qaeda has mutated becoming more dangerous. Al Qaeda today has ceased to be perceived as an organization or a net work of networks, but by leveraging new technological and information and communication approaches Al Qaeda has been transformed by its stakeholders to a social movement which makes its virulent ideologies accessible to the entire world through the internet (Brachman, 2006 p. 149-151). The Al Qaeda has been very effective in the use of the internet to threaten the citizens of the United States, the employ very high technologies to track the citizens personal information. The group uses this information to siphon money from the subject. Combating of the internal working of the groups becomes even more complex for the victims are threatened not to betray the subject to the authorities otherwise they will be in for trouble (Brachman 2006, 149-151). The Al Qaeda uses the internet in dissemination of propaganda, training materials and educating its members. They also identify information of the opposition groups such as the government and exploit it for their own benefit. Today every terrorism activity is given the first priority over the media coverage. If the Al Qaeda sends a message either by video tape, internet, TV or radios people will not have peace until they get to know what are the demands this time around and where is the terrorists target? (Soriano 2008, p. 1-20). The use of the media by terrorist group has been successful in manipulating the activities of the citizens. No one is willing to place his/her life at stake hoping that the information was just but a threat, the citizens are not willing to jeopardize their lives in the hope that the government will take care of the situation. After the various threats to the U.S government and the fateful hit of 11th September 2001 not many citizens will bet their lives on the governments protection. The news coverage by the media on many events takes just some key events hence people are never fully informed of what takes place but when it comes to a terrorism attack, most Medias will alter the program for the day so that a thorough coverage of the occurrence may be done. The Al Qaeda group uses this understanding to ensure that the citizenly absorbs the power of the groups. The personification role of the media makes such terror groups to be very successful in their endeavor to make their subject to fear them. Personification makes the news watchers and listeners to become more personally involved even in situations where they are buying into a clichà ©. The terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda perceives the media as an important tool of furthering their message hence a friend but also as an enemy if the media fails to do so or distorts the message (Soriano 2008, p. 1-20). The Americans conception of the terror war generally perceives the battle of ideas as a confrontation between the Al Qaeda and the United States. In fact the United States is relatively marginal and seen to be self defeating player in the actual ideological struggle among the Muslims and the Arabs. The struggle by the Americans to overcome those activities of Al Qaeda is seen to enforce the Islamic agenda of portraying the Islamic religion as under siege (Lynch 2006, p. 1). The governments response to the media effort of Al Qaeda has been evolving with the evolution of home grown terrorism. The government has employed coordinated and comprehensive tactical communication and outreach efforts. The government has been alert on all the information delivered through the Aljazeera  [5]  and other Arabic media channels to ensure that the information is contained. Though to some extent those medias have been successful in disseminating their information creating fear, the government has most of the time been successful in convincing the people that the threats are not valid assuring them that the mechanisms of overcoming terrorist attacks are sound. The government has been keen to control the information from Al Qaeda disseminated to the general public to keep people from unnecessary worries (Leslie 2008, p. 1). The government has managed to intercept many internet threats to individuals, groups and the general public through its vast developed technology. The government has not been very effective in its protection role. Robert Gates observed that the Al Qaeda surpasses the US government in the use of communication since the Al Qaeda manages to air all they have to their subject and victims while US government fails in this duty (Leslie 2008, p. 1). Conclusion The information revolution reached its crest in the last centuries 2nd half. It exerted influence in all the spheres of life in the global society hence bringing a vast transformation. This opened the societies access to information form all aver the world. Terrorism found an opportunity to expand its impacts with the information and technology expansion. The mass media has allowed the terrorist activities to gain momentum. Terrorists activities revolve around the use of violent activities to attract attention; after the attention is obtained the mass media provides a very opportune platform for the terrorists to air their views to the target group. The Al Qaeda has used this tool to reach out to the citizenly and hurt the government. The United States of Americas government has been on toes especially from September 11th attack to provide optimum security to the citizens. Threat Information that is aired from Arabic Medias is taken care of before it causes anxiety to the general public. The government has also been keen to uncover all the illegal Medias that are used as tools for the terror groups (PereÃ…Â ¡in 2007, p. 1-7).

MIS implementation at AC Ltd | Analysis

MIS implementation at AC Ltd | Analysis A PROJECT REPORT On Management Information System of AC Ltd. TABLE OF CONTENTS S. NO. PARTICULARS PAGE NO. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 1 INTRODUCTION – DEFINITION OF MIS 5 2 COMPANY PROFILE 6 3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY 7 4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 7 5 TYPES OF MIS AND USES 8 7 ROLES OF MIS 8 8 DESCRIPTION NATURE OF INFORMATION SYSTEM 12 9 Description and Analysis use of Information Systems MIS STUDY AT AC LIMITED 9.1 General Information 9.2 Need For Integrated MIS 9.3 MIS Functions Provided by Current MIS 9.4 Architecture of MIS at AC Limited 9.5 Inventory Management Module Of Current MIS 12-24 11 ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT USE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS, identification of problems 24 12 RECOMMENDATION for future developments in use of IS 25 13 GANTT CHART 28 14 REFERENCES 29 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Making decisions is an integral part in the functioning of any organization. To facilitate Decision making in this ever-competitive world it is imperative that managers have the right information at the right time to bridge the gap between need and expectation. For better flow of information an adequate Management Information Systems (MIS) is the need of this age. Thus it is important to have an understanding of the MIS followed in an organization by all levels of management in order to take effective and appropriate decisions. A management information system collects and processes data (information) and provides it to managers at all levels who use it for decision making, planning, program implementation, and control. The MIS has many roles to perform like the decision support role, the performance monitoring role and the functional support role. To get a realistic view of the MIS, I’ve gone through the MIS of AC Limited. For the purpose of getting in depth understanding of particular functions of the company, I focused the needs, uses and benefits of MIS with respect to the Material Department of the company. For the preparation of this report, Inventory Management has primarily been focused. AC Limited is one of the first Pakistani companies to realize the potential and importance of information technology and to adopt automation and IT infrastructure. The preliminary computerization took place in 1986. The organization has traveled a long way from the days in 1986 when it was using simple keypunching machines. Significant improvements were made in the application systems and infrastructure. From Batch processing to on-line systems, from IBM1401 to the latest UNIX and Windows XP and 2003 based machines organization has made timely transitions determined by the available technologies. Throughout this evolution the MIS remained synchronized to the information flow in the organization and the management felt that it has played a role in the overall growth and increased performance of the organization. INTRODUCTION DEFINITION OF MIS Management Information Systems (MIS) is a system consisting of people, machines, procedures, data bases and data models, as its components. The system gathers data from Internal and External sources of an organization; processes it and supplies Management Information to assist managers in the process in decision making. Thus it is safe to conclude that an information system is a system consisting of the network of all communication channels used within an organization. There are many potential benefits of MIS investments Investing in information systems can pay off for a company in many ways. It can support a core competency. Enhance distribution channel management. Builds brand equity. IT investment can boost production processes Information systems allow company flexibility in its output level. An information system comprises of all the components that collect, manipulate, and deliver data or information. It usually includes hardware, software, people, communications systems such as telephone lines, and the data itself. The activities involved include inputting data, processing of data into information, storage of data and information, and the production of outputs such as management reports. COMPANY PROFILE – THE ACC LIMITED AC (AC Limited) is Pakistans foremost manufacturer of cement and concrete. ACs operations are spread throughout the country with 14 modern cement factories, 13 Ready mix concrete plants, 19 sales offices, and several zonal offices. It has a workforce of about 9000 persons and a countrywide distribution network of over 9,000 dealers. ACs research and development facility has a unique track record of innovative research, product development and specialized consultancy services. Since its inception in 1936, the company has been a trendsetter and important benchmark for the cement industry in respect of its production, marketing and personnel management processes. Its commitment to environment-friendliness, its high ethical standards in business dealings and its on-going efforts in community welfare programs have won it acclaim as a responsible corporate citizen. AC has made significant contributions to the nation building process by way of quality products, services and sharing its expe rtise. In the 70 years of its existence, AC has been a pioneer in the manufacture of cement and concrete and a trendsetter in many areas of cement and concrete technology including improvements in raw material utilization, process improvement, energy conservation and development of high performance concretes. AC’s brand name is synonymous with cement and enjoys a high level of equity in the Indian market. It is the only cement company that figures in the list of Consumer Super Brands of India. The companys various businesses are supported by a powerful, in-house research and technology backup facility the only one of its kind in the Indian cement industry. This ensures not just consistency in product quality but also continuous improvements in products, processes, and application areas. AC has rich experience in mining, being the largest user of limestone, and it is also one of the principal users of coal. As the largest cement producer in India, it is one of the biggest customers of the Indian Railways, and the foremost user of the road transport network services for inward and outward movement of materials and products. ACC has also extended its services overseas to the Middle East, Africa, and South America, where it has provided technical and managerial consultancy to a variety of consumers, and also helps in the operation and maintenance of cement plants abroad. ACC demonstrates the practices of being a good corporate citizen undertaking a wide range of activities to improve the living conditions of the under-privileged classes living near its factories. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objective of this report is to study the MIS implementation at AC Ltd. and with the help of this domain, to get an insight into the needs of MIS in business setups on a big scale, various functions performed by the MIS, benefits derived out of such a system and the risks involved. I intend to aim my study at analyzing the business needs of the organization, key challenges or desired functional requirements of the MIS, the IT solution that is currently implemented and the outcome of such a system. AC Ltd. requires MIS to map internal processes and interaction with the external environment to the technology and ensure the solution delivers real benefits to the business. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The scope of this study is to understand the reasons behind the need of MIS in AC Ltd. This study leads to the MIS support to the Company as a whole with special emphasis on Inventory Management practiced in the Material Stores Department of the company. Through the interaction with the executives of AC Limited, we get an insight about the effectiveness of the MIS in place at the organization. TYPES OF MIS AND USES MIS CLASSIFICATION MIS is a concept, which is a matter of degree rather than an absolute one. In management there are perhaps few other areas other than MIS which gas created so much controversy. We would make an attempt to try to look into different types of MIS as they have evolved during the course of time. Transaction Processing System Management Information System Decision Support System Executive Support System Office Automation System Business Expert System FUNCTIONAL USES AND ROLES OF MIS THE PERFORMANCE MONITORING ROLE MIS are not just statistics and data analysis. They have to be used as an MBO (Management by Objectives) tool. They help: to establish relevant and measurable objectives to monitor results and performances (reach ratios) to send alerts, in some cases daily, to managers at each level of the organization, on all deviations between results and pre-established objectives and budgets. THE FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT ROLE Business processes and operations support function is the most basic. It involves collecting, recording, storing, and basic processing of data. Information systems support business processes and operations by: recording, storing and processing sales data, purchase data, investment data, payroll data and other accounting records recording, storing and processing inventory data, work in process data, equipment repair and maintenance data, supply chain data, and other production/operations records recording, storing and processing personnel data, salary data, employment histories, and other human resources records recording, storing and processing market data, customer profiles, customer purchase histories, marketing research data, advertising data, and other marketing records recording, storing an processing business intelligence data, competitor analysis data, industry data, corporate objectives, and other strategic management records use of all the above to implement, control, and monitor plans, strategies, tactics, new products, new business models or new business ventures. THE DECISION SUPPORT ROLE The business decision making support function goes one step further. It is an integral part of making decisions. It allows users to ask What if†¦? questions: What if we increase the price by 5%? What if we increase price by 10%? What if we decrease price by 5%? What if we increase price by 10% now, then decrease it by 5% in three months? It also allows users to deal with contingencies: If inflation increases by 5% (instead of 2% as we are assuming), then what do we do? What do we do if we are faced with a strike or a new competitive threat? ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE ACC LTD. Description and Nature of Information System INVENTORY MANAGEMENT A product that is in excessive demand is usually extremely difficult to manage. Supplying the right amount of products implies that an accurate demand forecast is essential. This holds the impact on the entire supply chain to facilitate efficient consumer response based on consumer demands it becomes imperative that such companies consider inventory management seriously. Making accurate demand and supply predictions is an ideal situation that anyone in the supply chain management arena could dream off. By providing timely accurate information pertaining to inventory location, movement and valuation, receipt of goods, sale and return of goods and profits you can make sure that your inventory is visible throughout a network. With inventory management you can set your product catalog to hide products that are not in stock, or change prices based on the amount of products available in the warehouse. The quantity available can be displayed to the shopper and this can prevent unnecessary confusion when the shopper adds items not available to a shopping cart. The store buyer can be automatically notified about low inventory levels. IT (Information Technology) is a key enabler in the transformation of purchasing into a strategic business function. The challenge is to find a way to put these technologies to use and create value and competitive advantage. The Main Objectives in Inventory Management are: Improved customer service Reduced inventory investment Increased productivity Benefits of inventory management applications Complete control of inventory. Complete information about the value of the inventory Complete visibility on Quantities on hand, Quantities committed and Quantities sold Response time to demand changes reduced Increased sales Knowledge of the exact size of merchandizing inventory Taxes and insurance premiums paid on excess merchandize inventory avoided. DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS AC is one of the first Indian companies to realize the potential and importance of information technology and adopt automation and IT. The organization started computerizing its systems as early as 1986. The organization has traveled a long way from the days in 1986 when it was using simple keypunching machines. Significant improvements have been made in the application systems and infrastructure. From Batch processing to on-line systems, from IBM1401 to the latest UNIX and Windows 2003 based machines it has made timely transitions determined by available technologies and business requirements. AC has made a quantum jump from in-house developed systems using Oracle 9i and Developer 6i to an ERP based solution. This decision was solely based on its strategic objectives and the business benefits that are expected to follow. With this move people, business processes and technologies across the country are aligned. The implementation of ERP solution for process control is shown in the figure below. Fig.1 The ERP implementation for process control at AC Ltd. IT department is still continuously working on improving the functionality and removing the errors of the system. As a result system is becoming better day-by-day, thus improving the productivity of the company. NEED FOR AN INTEGRATED MIS The benefits associated with an integrated MIS are Better processing of the large volume of data in an organization. Reducing the Redundancy of Data that occurs in case of separate packages. Availability of all the required information about any department through a common system. Making the system capable of supporting the managers in making decisions. Facilitate the communication between the various regional offices of the company and the corporate office along with the main plant. Use of online data to speed up the information flow of the organization and facilitate decision-making FUNCTIONS PROVIDED BY CURRENT MIS Plant (Manufacturing Maintenance) Production Break down and Plant performance Module MIS Reports and stoppage Module, Stock position Raw Materials Management System Integration with Weigh Bridge and Security Gate Daily stock, issue position and bill passing Transport Freight Payment Systems Weigh Bridge Integrated with Security Gate Stopped one mechanical weigh bridge 500 trucks can weigh for gross and tare in single day 5002 = 1000 Time Management Reports, Truck Movement reports Weighment is integrated with invoice cum challan freight Payment Truck position inside and outside the plant. Computerized Preventive Maintenance Software Both plant are using this module Preventive Maintenance and Break down Module Shutdown module and integrated with inventory Forecasting of spares and skills usage module Inward Outward Materials Security Control on returnable goods Work Order and analysis Work Order will be prepared by authorized person Provided to all departments. Integrated with Rate Master And budget. Labour Deployment and accounting System Daily supply of Contractor Labour deployment Against regular, adhoc and shutdown requirements Daily/monthly/yearly analysis reports Contractor labour Bill passing system Commercial Applications Marketing Accounting and analysis System Excise module and Sales Tax Module Transport Bill passing module Order Confirmations and Dispatch Instruction Free Market Requirements, Railway Receipt Commercial Invoice, Debit Note, Credit Notes. Stores Inventory Non Inventory On Line indent, Issue and Receipt Materials Delivery Schedule Controlling the inventory Controlling the increased inventory Stores Ledger, consumption Summary MIS reports, Budget V/s Actual Consumption. Integrated with financial Package Repair maintenance inventory, Department Wise Expenses. Purchase Management System Purchase Order integration with indent On line enquiry, Party wise information Pending list of purchase order MIS reports, Purchase / Indent Register Payment Advice System (Advance, regular) Financial Accounting System All types of voucher feeding Purchase and freight bill passing Other Expenses bill passing and TDS Module General Ledger, Sub Ledger and Trial balance of two Financial years Auto payment advice, Bank forwarding letters, payment System, Overhead Analysis reports. Integrated with inventory and Payroll module MIS Reports Cash Budget, Vehicle Movement Controlling on Taxi, Car etc On line General information System Information provided to Users about On line Leave status I.e. opening, availed and closing status Electricity Deduction Employee wise, Quarter wise Over time Status department wise Welfare rules and Regulations, Telephone list, accidental etc Actual Consumption against budget, Welfare information Human Resource Development Topic Courses, General Awareness Programme, TNA of Workmen, TNA of LCW, Individual record of ext/int Training, Pending Training etc. Payroll PIS Module Payslips of Staff, Worker, School, Badli Casual Worker PF, VPF, Bonus, Gratuity Module LIC, CTD, Thrift Society, Co-operative advances Module. Recovery Deduction, PIS and Income Tax Employee wise Integrated with Financial Package Over Time, C-off Module Payroll of Marketing Department (Transferred from HO) Sales Accounting Systems Sales Accounting Systems, Rent Payment System Data loading, Expenses Payment System, Freight Payment, MIS, Transferring in FAS Gate Pass System (Returnable Non-returnable goods) All goods send through Computerized Gate Pass Integrated with Gate System. Pending repair items information Architecture of MIS at AC Limited Current MIS of the company is basically a In-house developed system, also comprising of few specialized readymade software packages bought from outside developers. It comprises of 11 main modules covering all the main functions of the company. Inventory Management Module is one of the most important parts of the system. It is highly integrated with the other modules and capable of functionalities like Auto Alarming when inventory is low. It is capable of generating more than 200 different types of reports to help managers in different required ways. Its main parts include Inventory issue, purchase, bill passing, other OER passing, freight passing, stock updation etc. DFDs and Data processing diagrams: Inventory Package Context Level Diagram (CFD): Inventory Package Issue DFD: Inventory Purchase DFD: Data Processing (Full Inventory Module) Application used for Work order Preparation at The ACC Ltd. 1. ITEM CODE CREATION There are 9 types of item group in Non Catalogue Item Medicines 806 Stationary 807 Repair Order 808 Transportation Order 809 Raw materials 810 Capital Orders 811 Job Orders 812 Laboratory Items 813 Direct book orders 814 2. Indent Posting 3. Indent Sanctioning 4. Indent Type Updation[image] 5. Order Preparation 6. Order Printing[image] ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT USE OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEMS After analyzing the system properly, we came to a basic conclusion that system is working fine at an overall level and consisting of very minimal problems. These problems can’t be stated as such problems and instead can be stated as future path. Still we tried to jot down the few of them, which are as follows: Still lack of system integration after a level. Though inventory management module is integrated well with all the other modules like financial system, thus reducing the redundancy. But still there is need of paper work and manual intervention when reordering is required. System cannot be configured to reorder automatically, even for the fast moving raw material. Lack of Web Integration. AC hasn’t still employed the concept of taking orders or ordering through web and have no integration of its system to its website. Legacy Network Support. Backbone network used by AC is still the same, which they used in 1993. They haven’t upgraded the network support from then, which has started creating problems for them already. As MIS of the company is improving day-by-day including more and more functionalities, the network has already become very slow. Lack of training to managers to effectively use the decision support functionalities of system. This is another problem that we felt at the company. IT department is basically making the improvements in the system continuously with new added functionalities, but there is lack of training to managers to effectively use these functions in way that can support them to make better decisions. For example, on an average, a manager uses only 10-15 types of reports out of more than 200 types of reports available. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT Considering the given problems, their analysis and research on comparative MIS systems used in the similar kind of industries, our group is presenting following recommendations for the company. IT department of the company should now work towards integrating the system on a higher level and making the company Paper-Less Office. This should be done by integrating the system in a way that the manual intervention be minimized in the day-to-day process. The company should also start Web-Based ordering and selling, so that to be able to catch up with the growing industry. As more improvements in MIS would be done, and Web-support to be also incorporated, it is more than sure that current Network available is going to crash. To cop this, company needs to upgrade its network. For this purpose, we suggest the tie-up of company with some outside contractors like IBM or CISCO to continuously upgrade and maintain their network. With each up gradation, we suggest training to the managers of the company about effectively using the added functionalities and use of them in a better way. This can be also done by providing a handbook along with each up gradation. REFERENCES Officials Contacted from: Mr. Sam Joseph (Deputy Manager, IT Department), AC Limited. Secondary Sources Management Information Systems – A Managerial Perspective, D.P. Goyal www.tcs.com www.sap.com

Causes of the Easter Uprising :: Essays Papers

Causes of the Easter Uprising The British occupation of Ireland began in the 1640’s and lasted until 1922. No other occurrence throughout Irish history has had a greater impact on the lives of the citizens of the country. Along with the act of occupation came the emergence of Protestantism, which conflicted with the traditional religion of Ireland, Catholicism. The English occupation of Ireland affected many aspects of Irish history from the potato famine to the War for Independence. However, Irish nationalism came to a boiling point April of 1916, in what is now known as the Easter Uprising. The uprising lasted 6 days and resulted in massive casualties, but furthered the liberation cause for the Irish. During the mid 1840’s, blight in the potato crops in Ireland caused widespread starvation and migration of Irish citizens to the United States. Yet, the massive loss of life and massive exodus could have been avoided if British taxation upon the working class of Ireland was nullified. Though the struggle for liberation was already taking place, the potato famine furthered the cause and helped spread awareness. Furthermore, the potato famine made the average Irish family more reliant upon the government for subsidies and supports to get by. Thus began the emergence of Socialist and Communist activism within Ireland. For example, the Socialist Republican Party of Ireland formed in 1889 (Connolly 13). However, this growing need for socialism in Ireland was in stark contrast to the capitalist economy employed by England at the time (Colum 54). As a result of the Industrial Revolution in the 1850’s, capitalism spread quickly throughout much of Europe. At the center of the capitalist boom was England. Many cities in England at the time were very industrialized and still are to this day. Manchester and Liverpool were the centers of English industry. In fact, Leon Trotsky, a very powerful leader in the Russian Revolution, wrote a book entitled, Where is Britain Going? The book documented the troubles with British capitalism (Crawford). Moreover, the English prevented the Irish from keeping a fair amount of what they did produce (Connolly 153). Ireland is not nearly as rich with resources as the British, so t hat furthered the need for government support.

World Flight Essay -- Theology

Throughout life, culture implicitly and explicitly communicates ideas to people. Explicit statements are found in songs and art that clearly exhibit a perspective about life. Implicit messages from culture are discovered when compared to the key tenets of worldviews. An example of this implicit communication is found in the song â€Å"Clocks† by the band Coldplay. Based on analysis of the lyrics, the song â€Å"Clocks† expresses the World Flight worldview. To begin with, the lyrics of â€Å"Clocks† illustrate the World Flight perspective of God. A primary example of this idea is found in the chorus of the song. Specifically, the ancient worldview argues that God can be defined as Forms of ultimate perfection from which the earth was made. Additionally, the perspective’s main philosopher, Plato, argued that all of life must be focused on the world of the Forms. These beliefs are found in the song â€Å"Clocks† when singer Chris Martin announces, â€Å"You are and nothing else compares† (2002). Initially, this lyric seems to be a simple statement of perfection; however, the lyric reflects the worldview’s beliefs about God when compared to the World Flight perspective. The lyric becomes a cry to the world of the Forms and to the seeking of that world. The singer’s words are transformed from a mere emotional rant to a spiritual affirmation that nothing in this world compares to the Forms of the next world, expressing the World Flight perspective. Another expression of the World Flight perspective of God is found in the ending measures of the song. As the instruments cease playing, the singer states, â€Å"You are home, home, where I wanted to go† (2002). Based the ancient perspective of God, this lyric reflects the lifelong search for the world of ... ...ion of the World Flight solution to the song reveals the expression of the worldview through a musical format. Overall, the presentation of humanity’s problem and solution in â€Å"Clocks† allows one to conclude that the work embodies the World Flight perspective. In conclusion, the World Flight worldview is expounded in the Coldplay song â€Å"Clocks.† An analysis of the song illustrates the definition of God and humanity that is characteristic of the World Flight perspective. In addition, the worldview’s problem and solution for humanity are presented through the lyrics of the song. While songs often have simplistic meanings of love or loss, a deep examination of music reveals profound philosophical perspectives that have the power to shape thought and action. Works Cited Coldplay (2002). Clocks. On A Rush of Blood to the Head [CD]. Nashville: Capitol Records.

The Giant Clam :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The giant clam is known as a reef dwelling mollusk. The domestication factor has become of large importance to the Indo-Pacific peoples. Mainly in the area of their diet. These huge clams are huge targets for fishermen and can be found easily. With the crystal water complection of the reef waters they live in makes them even easier to be spotted by the fishermen an by poachers. The people of this region eat every part of the flesh of the animal. They either dry, cook, or eat them raw.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Taiwan there has been a large illeagal industry of selling these huge clams. With a demand of somewhere around 100 tons of the meat a year that is worth around $7.50- $21.25 a kilogram at the dockside of Taiwan. It is being severely poached by foreigners and the population of the giant clam is decreasing. The reefs that they live on are also being severely damaged and destroyed in large amounts. The giant clam has been eliminated from the areas of Indonesia and the Phillippines. The species Tridacnid gigas and the Tridacnid derasa are the most heavily hunted species.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tridacnid gigas are the largest of the giant clams. They grow to around a meter in length and weigh around 300 kilograms. These particular clams are hermaphrodites which reach sexual maturity at around five years of age. They spray out large numbers of their eggs and sperm into the seawater which then meet to form a free floating larvae. A large Tridacnid gigas has the ability to release hundreds of millions of microscopic eggs in a single day, which makes it one of the most fertile marine invertebrates. However most of the free floating larvae do not survive during their one week planktonic period. The ones that survive settle on a patch of hard reef by means of a sticky byssal threads and orient their fleshy mantles towards the sun. They continue to grow their at a rate of around five to ten centimeters a year. But they are not safe from other reef predators until they are around 2.5 years old, which makes this large species hard to find.

The Significance of Sibling and Peer interaction on Children

Within the field of child psychology much emphasis has been placed on the relationship and interactions of mother and child (Harris, 1998; Pinker, 2002). This essay intends to highlight the significance of another kind of interaction, that of the child and his/her siblings and peers, with the view to show how this type of interaction can have an impact on subsequent development. In the process, the essay will evaluate the research carried out and the evidence gained within this area by way of critical analysis.As an added aid the essay will take examples from the died material: Media Kit Part 1, Video Band 2: Zero to Hero as supplied by Open university (2006). The type of interaction mainly focused upon here is play; as this is the catalysis by which young children, from toddler-hood onwards, engage with other children. Littleton and Mill (2005) recognize this type of interaction as ‘important sites for development' where new skills can be acquired and tested out in ways that c ould not with adults.To help better define this type of relationship between sibling and peers it is perhaps best to distinguish them from the other main type of relationship that children find homeless in. Schaffer, (1996) uses the term vertical relationship to describe a type of relationship that is characterized by an inequality of social power and knowledge level between adult and child. It is marked also by a complementarily of roles whereby the child may ask for help and a parent or caregiver may offer it.This is in contrast to the horizontal relationship that is marked more so for its reciprocity and equality of social power and knowledge. A good example being between two children of similar age. This peer relationship is similar in nature to hat of sibling relationships however as Schaffer (1996) notes, in this case the sibling relationship has the unique quality of being able to share both characteristics of, on the one hand reciprocity, whereby siblings can co-operate succ essfully in play situations and on the other, a marked age difference can see the older sibling as part time teacher and guide.This idea would have had its beginnings in the early social constructivism perspective. Bigotry (1986) purported the belief that interaction and collaboration with peers equal and more capable, promotes learning and creates what he called a Zone of Proximal Development, where children of different abilities learn from each other. One of the methods they do this is by what Schaffer (2003) describes as ‘scaffolding whereby support is offered for learning however the task is not simplified.The ability to play with others has also been described as a ‘skilled international accomplishment' because of the complex skills involved, such as sensitivity to the needs of others, negotiation and conflict management skills (Littleton and Mill, 2005). But to play with people on must have the ability to Join in with others. In the video Zero to Hero supplied by Open University (2006), Professor Robert Winston lists certain factors that affect a child's ability to Join in with others including premature birth, shyness and laughter.Smith et al. , (1999) sees laughter as an important social signal for children within play fighting both for the child to use and for the child to interpret others meaning of it. Smith et al. , (1999) also cite the ability to regulate emotion, turn-taking skills and the ability to understand another person's point of view as important social skills, not Just added for successful social interaction but are actively developed and practiced in play situations.Open University (2006) illustrates these points by showing the use of classic experiments such as a version of the ‘marshmallow experiment (Muscle, 1974) where a child is sat in front of a marshmallow and told that he/she can have twice the amount if they can wait a specified time. Its been suggested from results that children able to wait or ‘delay gratification' are better able to control emotions and is a better indication of academic and social success in their teens than IQ scores.Also being able to hold back like this does increase a child's popularity In another example children of about three years are shown how to play Which hand is the coin in game' where a person places a coin in one hand in full view of the child sitting opposite. The hand is then placed behind the back and both hands are re- presented closed for the child to guess which hand the coin is now in. Open University (2006) suggests that most children at this age cannot play this game from the alternative position as they believe that the other person already knows which hand the coin is in.This idea could be seen to come from the Paginating concept of ‘egocentrics' whereby the child's dominance of their own perceptions leaves them unable to see things from another's perspective. Pigged elucidated this aspect through his Three Mountains Task (Pigged and Inhaler, 1972) Counter to this however, Open University (2006) go on to show the child named ‘Rubin' as not only able to play the game, but also able to predict What other children will do'. They imply the reason for this as a result of his home life dynamic.Here, Rubin lives with his two brothers and all have different fathers suggesting a lot of interaction with different types of people but mainly that play with his siblings is significant. This emphasis on sibling interaction as a cause for Robin's advancement, when held up against Piglet's stage theory of intellectual development (in Dates, Cheesy and Wood, 2005), suggests that early and sustained interaction with siblings can contribute to a change in normal developmental cognitive structures.This assumption is arrived at through the underlying nature of any stage theory where, by definition imply distinct boundaries between stages where independent processes take place (Amounts, 2009). Piglet's theory places Robin' s changes as occurring by the end of his second, Pre-operational stage or at the beginning of his Concrete operational stage where the child is moving away from egocentric thinking. The age put on this stage of development is around six years, notably different from Robin's three.In another study by Dunn (1988), children from a very young age were shown to have the ability co-operate with each other and engage in complex types of play such as fantasy play whereby other identities were taken on requiring different forms of language (Corsair, 1986). Dunn (1988) even showed that children as young as eight months were able to share and recognize the mood of a sibling and by fourteen months had the ability to co-operate in another's goals. However, the idea that examples can be found that find children performing better then Pigged would have originally predicted is not something new.Donaldson Hiding the Policeman experiment is a case in point (Donaldson and Hughes, 1978), as are other e xamples (Miscarriage and Donaldson, 1974; Light et al. , 1979). The intent of this essay at this point however, is not to argue the individual merits of Paginating theory, for even Donaldson criticisms can be regarded as an enhancement of the theory rather than a dismissing out of hand. It can be suggested that her argument is based on children's reasoning being regarded as more sophisticated then first proposed, with the emphasis now to be placed within the social context for which a situation occurred, I. . That things make ‘human sense' to the child (Dates et al. , 2005). Instead the point here is to show that by using this influential developmental approach that the significance of peer and sibling interaction can be more clearly en. For it should also be noted that Pigged himself valued this cognitive development aspect of peer relationships, referring to it as socio-cognitive conflict where he argued that these interactions exposed the child to conflicting views from peo ple who were of equal status to themselves thus motivating a rethink of their own understandings.The power imbalance of adult's interactions lends to this (Dates et In light of what has been said so far it could be argued that peer and sibling relationships contribute to advancement in cognitive and social skills. However, as Cantor et al. (1999) warns that social competence should not be conceived as a static set of abilities and that other factors in the child's environment should also be considered to contribute too child's development.And so taking again our real life example ‘Rubin', one would expect that his advanced developmental and social skills would lead too socially more successful life. To the contrary Rubin was reported by almost half his class (and later by assessment) as displaying somewhat anti-social behaviors. One reason Open University (2006) gives for this is a lack of concentration, which, it is hoped, will be remedied with fish oil supplements. The secon d reason, it is suggested is partly due to instability within the home environment.Robin's mother is pregnant and this is causing tensions with her partner. The point to be drawn from this however, is that although play and interaction with siblings and peers is important for a child's development it should not be taken as a prescription for normal or ‘healthy patterns' of development (Schaffer, 1996) at least by western industrialized standards. Instead a more holistic approach should be adopted with regard to the multi-dimensional dynamic of a person's developmental thaw from birth to maturity.Perhaps a good model to consider would be Sombreros (1987) Transactional model of development. There are limitations however of psychologists accounts in this area. One such being the lack of research and evidence into the ever growing use of new technologies by young people when engaging in social activity. Maybe (2003) notes that the prevalence of mobile phone use has created an envi ronment that allows for young people to have twenty-four hour contact with each other without parental interference thus, providing a greater level of privacy and independence.However, it would also be noted that Dunn (2004) has valued this privacy aspect of friendship in early interactions as it aids young people in ciphering out the ‘intricate balance of power and status between people' as well as giving them experience in relationships different from that which they share with their parents. This could also be construed as the beginnings of independence. Another limitation is that the majority of the research noted here has been carried out in westernizes societies.