Using Artificial Intelligence in Educational Processes

Using Artificial Intelligence in Educational Processes Thoughts concerning education, entertainment and communication has been changing during many years. Approximately 30 years ago, students just listened music on their cassette players to have some rest from studying. These days, modern students prefer communicating via their messenger apps, making video calls, sharing moment photos, using their innovate smart devices. That means that we live in a world, where everything can change in a minute. There are many technologies, which contribute greatly to people`s life by facilitating it. The same is about education. There are some significant breakthroughs, which tend to improve the whole system, make it more comfortable and flexible. It is not actually a secret that all students who attend schools or collages are different, with own specific abilities, skills and preferences. No wonder that even the most expensive private educational establishments cannot provide students with personal lectures and in-depth explanation of this or that issue. The chatbots, instead, can provide all students with one-on-one lectures service, what means a personal approach to everybody. Taking this point into account, these chatbots are considered to be the most comfortable, suitable and affordable options in this situation. It is said, the most important aim of any chatbot is to follow a student through the whole curriculum. These bots are involved in communication with each student, determining their troubling subjects and topics. Then, this information is used to prepare a special learning program, which is 100% personalized and is focused on those things students fall behind. Also, chatbots should guide students and check their improvements from the very beginning till the end of the lessons. The most actual question that arises from the chatbots instruction is whether they will replace teachers at work or not? The answer is no, of course. Chatbots are not created to take somebody`s job. Just on the contrary, they will take great efforts on repetitive tasks, what will only make teachers` job more meaningful. We know that teacher`s responsibilities are all about providing them with required knowledge. In this case, chatbots will do that instead of teachers, while they will have more opportunities to keep in touch with students on some friendlier terms and develop their mentorship. It will be very beneficial for those with some learning disabilities. So, how artificial intelligence will influence education?The majority of scientists claim that the construction of chatbots will only make the learning process more efficient and productive. There also exist some other bots, simpler ones, which are used in many schools and colleges. Such programs have one or even several functionalities, which handle target problems. Here are some facts about Artificial Intelligence and chatbots and ways how they can improve the education: Essay scoring: in the future, chatbots will facilitate teachers` job greatly by scoring the overall band for the whole essay, taking into account all specifications and peculiarities.Spaced Interval Learning: this learning concept is about repeating the old material all the time for better memorizing.Feedbacks from students: these days, students` assessments are important for teachers. So, by using new technologies, students will just have to fill in the order form online with the help of chatbots. Undoubtedly, no child should be left behind. These new technologies are implemented for people`s benefit only. The smart chatbot is a useful tool, which will surely help some students to reveal and develop themselves.

Does Content Marketing Help Retain Current Customers

Does Content Marketing Help Retain Current Customers Content marketing is celebrated as an excellent strategy to widen the sales funnel. Producing a variety of content geared toward a prospective customer keeps your brand top of mind, persuading them to move further in the sales process. Rand Fishkin explained it best  when he said that content marketing is at times a long and laborious process of constantly reminding your customers. So its easy to think once that sale is completed, so is the content. This is a huge mistake by marketers- its essentially ignoring and devaluing an individual once they become a customer. Instead there should be a content strategy in place that builds value, strengthens customer trust and increases potential for brand evangelism, upselling and cross-selling opportunities. #ContentMarketing still continues after the sale. It  constantly reminds your customers of you.The After the Close Dilemma After the sale, there is the vital step of keeping your commitments. At its core, it means keeping your customer happy. Did you guarantee your product or service could solve a specific need? Then it had better deliver. In addition to carrying out the agreement, there are natural emotions and hiccups along the way, including: Buyers remorse New influencers and decision makers Resentment or aggression Distrust Failure to build value Ian Lurie of Portent, Inc. describes the post-sale risks perfectly in the following graph: While his example was specific to marketing agencies, every customer goes through a post-sale evaluation of their purchase. Failure on your part to keep commitments and continue to drive home value opens the door for your competition to get the next sale. So what should you be doing to keep the customer? For many businesses, this may mean tailoring content for multiple departments in charge of project delivery, customer service and long-term customer relationship building. Here are recommendations for each of these three key areas, and some examples of companies doing it best. #1 Project Delivery For most business, going back to keeping your commitments falls on the project delivery team. Think of the software, medical or finance industries with a robust sales staff and defined sales process. Often a closed deal is passed to an account manager. And then, unfortunately, a client is often  underwhelmed because the focus is more on the initial sale rather than project delivery. Since most customers have an established and trusted relationship with the sales representative and not the project delivery team, content marketing can help with this sensitive transition between sales and project delivery, helping you  meet a customers expectations and keep them for the long-term. How do you do this? Building Trust With Customers The last thing you want is for your customers to not trust you after youve made the sale. Distrust stems from a variety of circumstances, such as confusion with your service delivery or perhaps a poor experience with your type of business in the past. Content helps lessen any growing  doubt by establishing credibility and initial trust with the prospect. For example, our agency provides our clients with a tip sheet to making web design projects run smoothly. While many of the tips may seem obvious, it positions us as a serious firm that is dedicated to delivering work on time and on budget. It helps customers trust us. Addressing Customer Inquiries How many times have you scrolled through a lengthy FAQ page and never found  an answer? An ideal customer is one that is proactive in educating themselves, so your content marketing should at least  help a customer do that. Free graphic design tool Canva is great at proactively addressing customer questions, taking their help beyond the basic FAQ page. Their DESIGN 101 newsletter guides beginner users on how to create new designs, ultimately drawing them back to the Canva site. While this is a free tool, educating users after their initial sign up keeps the hype alive and more signups coming in. Off the shelf answers like this not only immediately address customer inquiries but save time for the project delivery team. Do more than provide customers with an FAQ. Use email and blog content to help them learn.Does Your Customer Understand The Features? Some of your customers may be purchasing your service or product for the very first time. While the sales process sells the customer on features and expected outcomes, that doesn’t mean that  theyll immediately know how to handle what they just purchased. You will probably have to help them out quite a bit after the sale. For example, You Need A Budget. (YNAB) simplifies their budgeting platform through a library of tutorial videos on how to effectively use their service. Instead of crafting an FAQ and calling it a day, YNAB repurposes many of their customers’ top concerns and questions into video to continue use of the product. If the client does not use the product, they wont see much value in it. Ongoing content ensures continuous usage. Customers purchase based on features and what should happen. They will need help to MAKE it happen.Pointing Out New Needs Upselling is hard, but crucial for service-focused companies  that want to  maintain a viable business. Essentially, you have to be on the lookout to upsell.  A great way to do this is to re-convert existing customers by continuously responding to market demands and creating new product features. For example, when Twitter was rolling out their own advertising platform, Twitter for Business, they partnered with other social media gurus on webinars to educate current Twitter users on social media best practices. By covering new trends in social media, Twitter not only promoted their brand, they upsold Twitter ads. A current customer is still a potential customer. Are you ready to re-convert them to new features?#2 Customer Service In an ideal world, you gathered enough information  in the initial sales process that you’re prepared to react to any client objections, problems or questions. In reality, this isn’t usually  the case. While your established processes, tools, and people have a large impact on the success of customer service, content marketing can also play a role in reducing customer frustration and abandonment. In other words, your content can be that bridge that cross that gap. Addressing Customer Emergencies Customer emergencies are where customer service can either excel or crash and burn. The horror stories of unprofessional and unhelpful customer service departments are shared all over the web. To create a responsive customer service environment, it is important to make sure they have  useful content they can refer to and share with customers. This content might be in the form of informational one-sheets, downloadable help guides, videos or social media that can take some weight off their shoulders when an extraordinary issue arises. A common case study in poor customer service is the airline industry- and the gold standard is Virgin America. Before content marketing was a bonafide strategy, Virgin America’s safety video took a typical safety message  and revamped it for their customers. Delta is doing something similar with their safety videos, too.  I see flight attendants as an interesting mix between safety guards and customer service- this video marries the two in an entertaining way. Solving Common Product Issues Even if you believe your product or service delivery is 100% foolproof, any time  a customer has to handle any part of the execution, chances are theyll run into some issues. Based on how many customers you have, this can become overwhelming for customer service to manage. Similar to creating content internally, many companies are opting to put the content creation in their customers hands. Enabling customers with tools like community forums and knowledge bases is a great way to use content to build customer service (not to mention the SEO benefits). Moz is a perfect example of communities that use  the expertise of their clients to help  new ones. Continuing To Build Trust Remember the importance of building trust during project management? Customer service keeps that foundation secure. Customer mistrust can stem from many occurrences- product recalls, poor media coverage, buggy features, and unsatisfactory delivery–just to name a few. Social media is a perfect tool for a customer service team as long as proper training and processes are in place. Even if you prefer email to handle most of your customers questions, social media can keep you in front of  your followers in a personal way. Dan Norris of WPCurve is an excellent example of continuing to build trust with his potential network. While he lets his service delivery team handle all customer communication, his Twitter followers receive company updates and accomplishments to drive home trust in using WPCurve. Explaining Sensitive Issues Personal concerns and sensitive topics may play out in a business transaction. Its never fun having difficult conversations with a customer, but content can help ease anxieties and keep a project on task. The Vanguard Blog takes the formality and nerves out of personal issues like investment, retirement planning and tax planning through the expertise of Vanguard employees. By publishing blog posts based on common issues and conversations they have with their clients, theyre helping the greater community in handling complex and sensitive issues. #3 Customer Advocacy Within your client base, there are a small percentage of customers who truly love what you do and want to tell people about it. This is a marketers dream, as word of mouth still reigns supreme. Building a customer advocacy base takes a lot of time, but building content that enables your current supporters is a good starting point. Continuing Product Loyalty Once a sale is complete, that doesnt mean your customer is 100% guaranteed to re-purchase when the time comes. Whether it takes days, weeks, months or years for a re-purchase, content can keep your business top of mind when the timing is right. Copyblogger offers membership-only access to third party companies such as New Rainmaker and ongoing discounts to events and training. Their members also receive access to advanced articles, webinars and their community forum for paid members. Continuously providing value after a membership is purchased reminds the customer when theyre ready to renew how invaluable their service has been. Even if your business is not a membership-type business, you can still create a membership feel with exclusive content only available to current or past customers.

A cellular network

A cellular network A cellular network is a radio network made of number of radio cells, each severed by fixed positioned based station. These cells stations cover several different areas and provide large radio coverage. In order for this to happen a variable number of portable transceivers can be used in any cell and moved through one cell during transmission. The use of multiple cells means that if the distributed transceivers are mobile and moving from one point to another point they should change also from cell to cell. This mechanism could be different according to the type of network and change of circumstances. In this case clear coordination between base station and mobile station is must in order to avoid communication interruption. The most common example of cellular Network is a cell or mobile phone, which is a portable telephone that could be dialled or receives calls through base station or transmitting tower. Radio waves transfer signal to and from mobile phone. The coverage area of serv ice provider sometime is split into small cells in order to prevent signal losses and also a large number of active phones in the area. The range of signals could be different in cities and rural areas. All base stations are connected to mobile phone switches centre, which connect to a public telephone network or to another mobile company switch. As the mobile consumer moves from one cell area to another cell, the switch automatically commands the handset and a cell site with a stronger signal (reported by each handset) to switch to a new radio channel (frequency). When the handset responds through the new cell site, the exchange switches the connection to the new cell site. Modern cell phones networks use cell as radio frequencies are limited, shared resource, base stations and handsets change frequency and use low power transmitters in order that limited number of radio frequency can be used at the same time by many users with less interferences. To distinguish signals from a vari eties of different transmitters, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA) has been developed. Advantage of cellular Network over other alternative solutions is: Increase capacity. Power usage reduced. Huge coverage area. Interference from other signals reduced. Reference paper 10 The evolution of the cellular Network started to flourish during the last years in which several different systems were developed; as a result we have first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G) cellular networks and the trend is continuously increasing. The first generation (1G) was used from 1970-1980 and now is retired. In 1990 the second generation (2G) of Networks were launched such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Personal Communications Service (PCS), and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN) and so on. The second generation (2G) of networks replaced the (1G) and became very popular with digital processing, enabl ing wireless transmission of voice as well as data and have different Variety of new features such as a Push to Talk, Short Messaging service(SMS), caller ID, conference calling, voice mail, email messaging and so on.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Essay Example The response of the African American women to these conflicting roles entailed the creation of a new meaning to true womanhood, the basis upon which Jacobs bases her story. Through her struggles, Jacobs fights to redefine the cult of true womanhood from its oppressiveness so as to secure her life and that of the future generation. As a young African American woman slave, having lost her mother and a few years later her mother’s mistress to whom she was bequeathed, Linda Brent fights all odds against sexual oppression from her father, Dr. Flint, to the extent of having an affair with a white neighbor, Mr. Sands, with whom she begets Benny and Ellen (Jacobs 2003, 131). Linda seems to have discovered herself and her intolerance to the oppression and mistreatment that slaves, and particularly the women, were subjected to, causing her to always run away from its perpetrators, not leaving her children behind. The cult of true womanhood The 19th Century African American woman was exp ected to be a domesticator. ... Furthermore, Linda appreciates responsible motherhood as a critical aspect of true womanhood and she sacrifices her welfare so as to ensure the well-being of her children. Even when she plans to escape to the North, she considers all options of having her children escape with her. She fights to see that they do not fall into the bondage of slavery, knowing the oppression involved. This indicates her embrace of motherhood together with the involved responsibilities as an appreciation of true womanhood. The excellence of a woman in domestic tasks made her worth of praise as a true woman. Secondly, submission was a key trait of true womanhood. African American women were to abide by what their husbands and men in general dictated without questioning, since men had God-given authority over women. According to Welter (1966, 156), the society then considered submission as the most feminine virtue that a woman had to portray whereas men were expected to be religious and pure, even though th ey barely had time for these. This submissiveness is portrayed when Dr. Flint objects to Linda’s wishes to marry her love, a young free black man, and in turn Linda asks him to leave and give up on the marriage. Religion propagated this submissiveness as observed of the minister who preached obedience to masters and hard work as Christian ethical obligations (Jacobs 2003, 82). Women were particularly to be passive, submissive responders in this society. To this African American woman, marriage was not to be guided by money but pure love, and its corollary is motherhood, adding to the prestige and usefulness of such a woman. As documented by Littlefield (2007, 54), motherhood for slave women was rooted

Ebay and Market Entry Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ebay and Market Entry Challenges - Essay Example eBay maintains the seller platform much like the United States that is set on fixed auction philosophy, which limits real-time discussion with sellers. GMarket is also more innovative in setting up excitement with buyers and sellers, acting as a middleman for various lottery schemes that provide more incentives (Ihlwan, 2006). eBay attempted to simply export in its market entry strategy, using the same business model that had found success in the United States. In a market where GMarket was an innovator creating incentives-based packages, eBay was having a tough time being the dominant auction and selling site of choice. eBay’s fixed price selling concept was considered unfavorable by Chinese customers used to more direct sales tactics between buyer and seller. The use of mobile technology in China is also limited based on distribution of cellular technology and cultural adoption of this modernized selling format. Therefore, the ability to gain more market share through mobile technology sales was limited or eBay (Chan, 2007). Lack of ability to use mobile sales and marketing in this region limited the brand visibility of eBay with potential target markets and thus made it difficult to establish brand loyalty for eBay. The inability to use technology to improve the competitive position of eBay posed significant expansion problems. Pricing was another reason why eBay found difficulty in Asia, where the fixed price auction format made it appear to buyers and sellers that product listing costs were much higher than competition. The ability of sellers to contact customers and the flexibility of GMarket gives the buyer the ability to instantly reduce prices or add certain incentives, which makes eBay look rigid in pricing structures that is a turnoff to the price-sensitive Chinese buyers. Thus, it should be said that place, product, price and promotion were all negatively impacted by competition and the current sales platform being used by eBay. Simply export ing American talent and technology to this market was a poor market entry strategy since the Chinese online sales environment differed culturally than in the United States. It was a mistake to think that Chinese buyers would maintain the same market characteristics and therefore eBay entered this market without adaptable tools to better fit market conditions and buyer/seller attitudes and brand familiarity with other auction and sales competition. eBay simply did not have any quality tools to differentiate the business from competition other than mobile marketing which is not a common sales practice in the Asian markets. References Chan, Isabelle (2007) â€Å"EBay Has Its Eye on Southeast Asia â€Å", 29 Oct 2007, Business Week. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb20071029_295570.htm Ihlwan, Moon (2006) â€Å"Gmarket eclipses eBay in Asia†, 28 June 2006, Business Week. Retrieved August 27, 2012 from http://www.businessweek. com/globalbiz/content/jun2006 /gb20060628_910393.htm?chan=search RUNNING HEADER: Google and Asian Online Censorship Google and Asian Online Censorship BY YOU YOUR SCHOOL INFO HERE DATE HERE Google and Asian Online Censorship In Asia, Google faced many problems with establishing a market presence and gaining consumer revenues associated with its search engine business. In China, the government censors much of

The Fault And Rise Of John Lasseter Essay Example for Free

The Fault And Rise Of John Lasseter Essay John Lasseter grew up in a family heavily involved in artistic expression. Lasseter was drawn to cartoons as a youngster. Then as a freshman in high school he read a book entitled The Art of Animation. The book, about the making of the Disney animated film Sleeping Beauty, proved to be a revelation for Lasseter. He discovered that people could earn a living by developing cartoons. Lasseter started writing letters to The Walt Disney Company Studios regarding his interest in creating cartoons. Studio representatives, who corresponded with Lasseter many times, told him to get a great art education, after which they would teach him animation. When Disney started a Character Animation Program at the California Institute of Arts film school, the Disney Studio contacted Lasseter and he enrolled in the program. Classes were taught by extremely talented Disney animators who also shared stories about working with Walt Disney. During summer breaks from Cal Art classes, jobs at Disneyland further fuelled Lasseter’s passion for working as an animator for Disney Studios. Full of excitement, Lasseter joined the Disney animation staff in 1979 after graduation from the California Institute of Arts, but he was met with disappointment. According to Lasseter, â€Å"[t]he animation studio wasn’t being run by these great Disney artists like our teachers at Cal Arts, but by lesser artists and businesspeople who rose through attrition as the grand old men retired.† Lasseter was told, â€Å"[y]ou put in your time for 20 years and do what you’re told, and then you can be in charge.† He continues, â€Å"I didn’t realize it then, but I was beginning to be perceived as a loose cannon. All I was trying to do was make things great, but I was beginning to make some enemies.† In the early 1980s, Lasseter became enthralled with the potential of using computer graphics technology for animation but found little interest among Disney Studio executives for the concept. Nonetheless, a young Disney executive, Tom Willhite, eventually allowed Lasseter and a colleague to develop a 30-second test film that combined â€Å"hand-drawn, two-dimensional Disney-style character animation with three-dimensional computer-generated backgrounds.† Lasseter found a story that would fit the test and could be developed into a full movie. When Lasseter presented the test clip and feature movie idea to the Disney Studio head, the only question the studio head asked concerned the cost of production. Lasseter told him the cost of production with computer animation would be about the same as a regular animated feature, and the studio head informed Lasseter, â€Å"I’m only interested in computer animation if it saves money or time.† Lasseter subsequently discovered that his idea was doomed before he ever presented it to the studio head. Says Lasseter, â€Å"[w]e found out later that others poked holes in my idea before I had even pitched it. In our enthusiasm, we had gone around some of my direct superiors, and I didn’t realize how much of an enemy I had made of one of them. I mean, the studio head had made up his mind before we walked in. We could have shown him anything and he would have said the same thing.† Shortly after the studio head left the room, Lasseter received a call from the superior who didn’t like him, informing Lasseter that his employment at Disney was being terminated immediately. Despite being fired, Lasseter did not speak negatively of the Disney organization, nor did he let others know anything other than the project on which he was working had ended. His personal admiration and respect for Walt Disney and animation were too great to allow him to do otherwise. Lasseter was recruited to Lucasfilm by Ed Catmull to work on a project that â€Å"turned out to be the very first character-animation cartoon done with a computer.† Not too long afterwards, Steve Jobs bought the animation business from George Lucas for $10 million and Pixar Animation Studios was born. Lasseter became the chief creative genius behind Pixar’s subsequent animated feature film successes like Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, and The Incredibles, among others. In 2006, Disney CEO Robert Iger and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs consummated a deal for Pixar to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney. Iger wanted to reinvigorate animation at Disney, and as the top creative executive at Pixar, John Lasseter, was viewed a key figure in achieving this objective. Lasseter â€Å" is regarded by Hollywood executives as the modern Walt [Disney] himself [with capabilities] that have made Pixar a sure thing in the high stakes animated world.† Former Disney Studios head, Peter Schneider, says Lasseter â€Å"is a kid who has never grown up and continues to show the wonder and joy that you need in this business.† Current Disney Studio chief, Dick Cook, says that Lasseter is like the famous professional basketball player, Michael Jordan. â€Å"He makes all the players around him better.† Lasseter now oversees development of movies at both Pixar’s and Disney’s animation studios. Says Lasseter, â€Å"I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have all these new roles. I do what I do in life because of Walt Disney his films and his theme park and his characters and his joy in entertaining. The emotional feeling that his creations gave me is something that I want to turn around and give to others.† Discussion Questions 1. What forms of interpersonal power are evident in the case? 2. In what ways do the two faces of power appear in this case? 3. Does the firing of John Lasseter from Disney Studios and the events leading up to his firing demonstrate the ethical use of power? Explain your answer. 4. Did the firing of John Lasseter indicate the existence of political behaviour in the Disney organization?

The Concept of Love in Ovids Metamorphoses :: Ovid Metamorphoses Essays

The Concept of Love in Ovid's Metamorphoses In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the concept of love seems to vary from character to character. In one case, a god in the form of a man desperately seeks a particular woman and refuses to relent until he has her. In another instance, a female goddess cares deeply for a man and goes to great lengths to protect him from danger. In yet another case, both who are arranged to be married seem indifferent about the matter. This anti-epic certainly does not follow the adventurous theme of the epic. There is no protagonist hero to focus on unless you visualize the god's prey as the hero in his/her escape. The assembled writings seem to be more of a recording of the misdeeds of the gods. It appears that Ovid wanted to write about the desires of gods and people instead of a great adventure. Ovid's work ridicules the concept of marriage and harmony between the sexes. It paints men and women as individual creatures who have little desire of joining with the opposite sex. The male gods are impelled by Cupid's power to chase certain female characters. Of course, the female characters are not interested and choose to evade capture so that they may continue with their individual desires. When the female god Venus falls for a human male and lays with him, she goes to great lengths to protect him from the wild animals. She specifically tells him to be bold "when you approach the timid animals, those who are quick to flee: but do not be audacious when you face courageous beasts" (Ovid 936). The man Adonis chose not to heed the god's warning and went on to hunt a wild boar with the aid of his hounds. The boar that Venus despised killed the human that she lusted after. This is another example of individual wants taking precedence over the joined couple. Pygmalion was so much of an individualist that he created his own mate from ivory. The Concept of Love in Ovid's Metamorphoses :: Ovid Metamorphoses Essays The Concept of Love in Ovid's Metamorphoses In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the concept of love seems to vary from character to character. In one case, a god in the form of a man desperately seeks a particular woman and refuses to relent until he has her. In another instance, a female goddess cares deeply for a man and goes to great lengths to protect him from danger. In yet another case, both who are arranged to be married seem indifferent about the matter. This anti-epic certainly does not follow the adventurous theme of the epic. There is no protagonist hero to focus on unless you visualize the god's prey as the hero in his/her escape. The assembled writings seem to be more of a recording of the misdeeds of the gods. It appears that Ovid wanted to write about the desires of gods and people instead of a great adventure. Ovid's work ridicules the concept of marriage and harmony between the sexes. It paints men and women as individual creatures who have little desire of joining with the opposite sex. The male gods are impelled by Cupid's power to chase certain female characters. Of course, the female characters are not interested and choose to evade capture so that they may continue with their individual desires. When the female god Venus falls for a human male and lays with him, she goes to great lengths to protect him from the wild animals. She specifically tells him to be bold "when you approach the timid animals, those who are quick to flee: but do not be audacious when you face courageous beasts" (Ovid 936). The man Adonis chose not to heed the god's warning and went on to hunt a wild boar with the aid of his hounds. The boar that Venus despised killed the human that she lusted after. This is another example of individual wants taking precedence over the joined couple. Pygmalion was so much of an individualist that he created his own mate from ivory.

12 Years a Slave

The movie is based of the life and times of a man named Solomon Northup, who was born a free man in Minerva, New York, in 1808. In the movie, the book, and his life, little is known about his mother, because they never gave her name. However in all three we know of his father, a man named Mintus, who was originally enslaved to the Northup family from Rhode Island, but he was freed after the family moved to New York.In the movie, a now young man, you saw that Northup helped his father with farming, chores and even worked as a raftsman on the waterways of upstate New York. He married Anne Hampton, a woman of mixed black, white, and Native American ancestry, on December 25th, 1829. They had three children together. During the 1830s, Northup became known as an excellent fiddle player. In 1841, two men offered Northup large sums of wages to join a traveling musical show, but unfortunately soon after he accepted it they drugged him and sold him into slavery! He was sold at auction in New O rleans in 1841.Now Northup had to serve a number of masters, some of course were brutally cruel and others who were more humane. After several years of slavery, he met with an outspoken abolitionist from Canada who sent letters to notify Northup's family of Northup’s current situation. A state agent was sent to Louisiana to reclaim Northup as a slave and he was successful through a number of chances. After he was finally declared a free man, Northup pressed charges of kidnapping against the men who had drugged him and sold him, but the length of the trial was dropped because of legal inabilities, and he received nothing for it. Little is known about Northup's later life after the trial, but he is said to have finally passed away in 1863.Twelve Years a Slave was recorded by David Wilson who is a white lawyer and legislator from New York who claimed to have presented. The story is sometimes believed to have been dedicated to Harriet Beecher Stowe and is even said to have introd uced another key to Uncle Tom's Cabin. Northup's book was published in 1853 which was maybe less than a year after he was set free. It sold over 30,000 copies and is therefore not only one of North America’s many slave books, but also one of the most popular ones.

Office of Strategy Management

Office of Strategy Management In the article â€Å"Office of Strategy Management†, Kaplan and Ditto reveal that there is a disconnection amongst companies between strategy formulation and strategy execution. On average, 95% of a company's employees are unaware of, or do not understand, its strategy. They say that there is a gap in many large organizations between strategy formulation and execution, between ambitious goals and actual performance. The authors submit that if employees are unaware of the strategy, they cannot help the organization implement it effectively. Kaplan and Norton say it doesn’t have to be like that. They have studied companies that achieved performance breakthroughs by adopting the Balanced Scorecard and its associated tools to help them better communicate strategy to their employees, and to guide and monitor the execution of that strategy. While some companies have achieved better, longer-lasting improvements than others, the organizations that have managed to sustain their strategic focus have typically established a new corporate-level unit to oversee all activities related to an office of strategy management (OSM). The OSM coordinates an array of tasks. The function of the OSM is to create and manage the scorecard, align the organization, review the strategy, develop strategy, communicate strategy, manage strategic initiatives, and integrate strategic priorities with other support functions. They assert that the OSM does not do all the work, but it facilitates the processes so that strategy is executed in a more integrated way across the organization. They say that an OSM is applicable with every organization whether it is used or not. I agree with the authors the OSM sets the framework to ensure good communication throughout the company. An OSM can improve a strategy execution, and the communication of that strategy, and to ignore any of the process that an OSM seeks to achieve for an organization could lead to its failure. If the company is working fine it might be necessary, but some form of an OSM might be in place. However an OSM is a must for companies where the communication and the execution of a strategy are poor.

Housekeeping Essays

Housekeeping Essays Housekeeping Essay Housekeeping Essay Marilynn Robinson portrays this intolerant, in her book Housekeeping, the novel depicts two sisters, Ruth the narrator, a quiet, friendless girl who has only her sister, and Lucille who longs for lifestyle of normality and stableness. Both girls struggle to cope with their parents death, abandonment by each and every caretaker they have ever had, and an insecurity of themselves. Eventually the girls are left in the care of their aunt Sylvie, a childless and childlike woman who has spent the majority of her as a drifter and a loner. She is the closest thing the girls have ever known to be a mother. As the novel progresses, Robinson uses Sylvie transcendentalism to lead Ruth into the impermanence of the natural world and human relationships. Robinson makes Ruth choose the lifestyle she desires while she uses Lucille and Sylvie identities to contrast the ideas of conformity and individuality, to show how human beings endeavor to control the uncertainty of the unknown, by using social relationships, and depending on ones family, because they enjoy the permanence and knowledge of the future, when in reality they need only accept these changes by themselves. As Ruth egging to travel in the footsteps of Sylvie she begins to enjoy and accept the feelings of isolation, all while Lucille detests Sylvie erratic lifestyle and housekeeping, because she still longs for a stable life and home, wishing to conform with what is normal, tired of being the outcast and stranger society doesnt accept. Eventually the girls paths begin to separate because of the different goals they each desire, Ruth foreshadows this when she says. In the spring I had begun to sense that Lucille loyalties were with the other world. With fall began her tense and passionate campaign to naturalized to it. The months that intervened were certainly the last and perhaps true summer of my life (Robinson, 95). By foreshadowing the idea that Lucille eventually leaves Ruth, Robinson shows how even the only family that Ruth truly knows, leaves her because it is human nature to want to conform to what is considered normal by society. This leaves Ruth to search for her own individualism and personal freedom, by depending on herself and no longer relying on Lucille. Ruth slowly begins to accept this idea of being by herself before Lucille even leaves her because she knows that it is inevitable and she can always depend on having resell, which is all she needs in the end. When Ruth and Lucille stop going to school, and travel to the forest, Ruth ponders the real reason Lucille travels to the woods with her when she says It is accurate to say that Lucille went to the woods to escape observation. I myself felt the gaze of the world as a distorting mirror that squashed her plump and stretched me narrow. , too, thought it was Just as well to walk away from a Joke so rudely persisted in. But I went to the woods for the woods own sake, while, increasingly, Lucille seemed to be enduring banishment there. (99). In this tote Robinson shows how Lucille travels to the woods not to be with herself, but as a place of refuge from the observations and distaste of society because she is embarrassed of how others think and view her, while Ruth receives those sam e thoughts of how she is viewed so differently by society, she travels to the woods for the ambiance and chance to be with herself. While Ruth enjoys the time she is able to spend in the forest, she feels as if Lucille is only tolerating a punishment that she has to bare until she can return to society and be accepted as someone who is viewed as normal. As Ruth and Lucille begin to grow apart, Ruth only gets closer to Sylvie and her way of life. When Lucille finally grows tired of her erratic life style, she leaves Ruth and Sylvie to live with her home economics teacher, in search of this stable lifestyle she desires. Lucille leaving to live with her home economics teacher shows this idea that humans desperately want this stability and attempt to get it through social relationships and family because the fear what they cannot control. The life Sylvie has chosen does not follow guidelines set by society, and she ignores this by accepting the impermanence of life and legislations, she truly believes that she does not need to depend on anyone but herself. While Lucille is the opposite and hates everything about Sylvie personality, Lucille shows this after she learns that Sylvie had had a very nice conversation with a lady who had ridden the roads form South Dakota, en route to Portland to see her cousin hanged to which she immediately yells Why do you get involved with such trashy people? Its embarrassing! (104). The fact Sylvie does not care who she speaks too again shows this idea of impermanence, how she will meet new and different people every day, and that conversations she has with them are of no importance so there is no harm to them. As to how Lucille sees the conversation with someone strange as a something that Just shouldnt be done because it is not normal and that is what Lucille so badly desires. After Ruth and Sylvie return from the lake clothes dirtied and wet Sylvie says, Dont mind if they stare We walked through town At the drugstore we passed Lucille and her friends, though Sylvie seemed not to notice. Lucille was dressed like all the others in a sweatshirt and sneakers and rolled up jeans, (173). Robinson shows how Sylvie does not even notice Lucille, because she has Just become another face in society, who blends in with the others. While Ruth and Sylvie are still considered the outcasts of the city because of their choices to be individually free and not follow the lines established by society. By the end of the novel Ruth understands why Sylvie chose to be different and to depend on herself, and does the same for herself. The townspeople decline the idea that two self- reliant, transcendentalist women can create their own futures, so they view them as deranged people with no future. Robinsons contrast of conformity and individuality ultimately shows how important not being like everyone else and having ones own identity can be. Robinson shows that in the end nothing is accomplished if everyone does the same thing. By using Lucille hate of anything that is not accepted in society, Robinson shows how crucial it is to be yourself because then you can truly contribute to society. Robinson used this message in Housekeeping because she believes that everyone has something special about them and that they should not just let opportunity pass them by, Just to fit in and be another face in the crowd.

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans Assignment

Medical Ethics and Recognizing the Higher Faculties of Humans - Assignment Example Written by Mitch Albom in 1997 to pay for his favorite teacher’s medical bills (CNN, 2001), â€Å"Tuesdays With Morrie† has sold more than 1 million copies and is one of the top literature used to teach and cultivate critical thinking skills in undergraduate health care courses. The novel tackles the true story of Morrie Schwartz, a sociology professor of Brandeis University who developed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a summary of the weekly conversation between the author and Morrie which dealt with issues such as marriage, family, relationships, culture, love, emotions, forgiving, aging and death. Mitch described it as their â€Å"last class together†¦[where they] talked all day about what’s important in life once you know you’re going to die† (CNN, 2001). The book is often categorized as a biographical and philosophical novel and is read for entertainment but it also provides different insights for medical practitioners. Over the years, it has served as a guide towards understanding health equity, and social justice in health care. Its lessons about aging and dying provides readers with a unique approach towards dealing with individuals who are terminally ill. The story raises various moral dilemmas, perhaps the most important of which is the understanding of death. In the book, Morrie remarks, â€Å"Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it† (Albom, 1997, p.76). This was a comment not only about the fear of death, but also, the lifestyles that people live. Morrie believed that most Americans do not prepare for death, hence they are unable to appreciate their lives. He expounds, â€Å"[M]ost of us walk around as if we’re sleepwalking. We really don’t experience the world fully, because we’re half asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do† (Albom, 1997, p. 77). People prioritize work over their families because they think they need money in order to enjoy life, but in the process, they waste their time working, never realizing that their families are moving on without them. People have become so involved in materialistic things that they never really appreciate the beauty of nature, â€Å"the loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted† (Albom, 1997, p. 78). Morrie’s insights were unique in that it talks about the failure of the American culture to provide its people with a sense of purpose. The American belongs to a society of consumers – their homes, cars, and bank accounts determine their success. Hence, early in life, most people are already conditioned to work hard in order to fulfill their economic needs. For Morrie, people waste their time running after things that does not provide them with purpose. He says to Mitch,

Organisational Behaivior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Organisational Behaivior - Assignment Example However, all this changed after 2002, as Luxborough Chiltern increased in size and acquired more employees and projects. The lack of documentation suggests that no formal change management process was implemented and changes made were reactionary and not enacted with the participation of those undertaking tasks. The effects of the absence of a change management programme led to the gradual attrition of skilled labour for a variety of reasons. Certain policies were discontinued without prior consultation or regard to the employees it may affect. Actions such as these, had the effect of invalidating the organisational motto of "Transparency and Fairness for All" as the emphasis was placed on a certain category of employees. This pattern was followed in the reward system with bonuses which excluded a significant portion of the workforce. No consultation were held with regards to salary review, and as a result highly skilled employees have left the organisation as they believe their contribution and qualifications are not adequately recognised and rewarded. Immense pressure was being placed on meeting targets, and this pressure made it difficult for employees to be flexible and meet other commitments for fear of disappointing their respective teams. The list is endless; however the main underlying theme with the problems facing Luxborough Chiltern is that of a lack of communication between the managerial levels and the operational levels. Too many assumptions and judgements are being made which are having an adverse impact on the quantity and quality of the work produced. This lack of communication has been responsible for the resistance to change in this organisation, which has manifested as poor retention rates. If this is not addressed with urgency, Luxborough Chiltern will face a decline as it loses its value - which is its workforce. The recommendations for this situation have to start at the basic level, which is the 8 step change management model, which will form the basis for other additional programmes to rectify this situation. The onus is on the management of Luxborough Chiltern to acknowledge their contribution to this problem, and to recognise that the solutions lie in listening to and involving their workforce. Introduction Following Luxborough Chiltern's (LC) successful amalgamation of several organisations, the organisation has become one of the largest planning consultancies in the country. LC has grown from being a medium sized employer to being one that employs several hundred people. However, it as been an observation that this growth is having a negative effect on LCs retention rate, which is a cause for concern. If our retention rate continues on this downward spiral, this organisation could face serious threats to its reputation, as it would have lost its most valuable resource and the knowledge and expertise entwined within its employees. The problem with the retention rate has really been highlighted by the situation facing the Scarlett team which is now the smallest team in the organisation, and it is also the team that is experiencing a high rate of resignations. The manager for the Scarlett team is new to the organisation and has different