Communities of Practice: Learning, Meanings, and Identity Essay

Presentation   A people group essentially alludes to a gathering of individuals living respectively in solidarity and congruity and planning with one another to perform different undertaking and duties which advantage everybody included. It can likewise be alluded to as a type of social unit which is made of individuals who share basic qualities, perspectives, intrigue and even have shared objectives that they might want to accomplish together (Wenger, 72). Self as well as other people essentially alludes to a circumstance whereby one takes a stab at their own turn of events while simultaneously reassuring others to accomplish their own turn of events. It assembles for working for ones won advantage as well as to assist others. This identifies with the guideline of a network whereby everybody cares for one another and values the enthusiasm of others notwithstanding their own. The different sorts of networks which exist incorporate, the networks made of individuals with a similar intrigue or offer a similar energy, a network of individuals who attempt to bring change through their activities, a network of individuals who are united because of the geological area and limits they share. Besides, there are networks of individuals who share comparative practice or offer a similar sort of calling, and to wrap things up there are networks which are united as consequence of the comparable outer circumstances or occasions which influence the entirety of the individuals in question (Wenger, 72). Every one of these networks can be named brought together, de-unified or even disseminated networks. An individual guarantees that the normal destinations and objectives of the entire network are accomplished by giving their commitment and assuming their job in the network. What's more, an individual shows regard, collaboration and takes part effectively. The people group then again, guarantees that an individual accomplishes self-improvement, security, and general prosperity notwithstanding fulfillment. As an individual, I have a place with the understudy body of my school which speaks to my inclinations and cares for my government assistance as an understudy. My obligations remember my dynamic support for guaranteeing that I keep the school rules, make yearly commitments to the understudy body and take an interest in decisions while choosing new understudy pioneers. The innovative headways have changed the comprehension of network to that of individuals who are found on a similar informal organization and can cooperate without disapproving of each others’ improvement or interests. Innovation has brought virtual networks which just exist through web associations in spite of the fact that they despite everything may share normal interests (Chayko, 4). The current comprehension of network identifies with the associations on info rmal organizations and the physical touch does not exist anymore. References Chayko, Mary. Versatile Communities: The Social Dynamics of Online and Mobile Connectedness. Albany: SUNY Press, 2008. Print. p.4 Wenger, Etienne. Networks of Practice: Learning, Meanings, and Identity. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print. p.72 Source record

On Conflict Settlement Essay

Schick (1995) characterizes a contention as a â€Å"distinctive structure of wants and a belief† (p. 58). A contention emerges when an operator needs x and y wherein x and y are the main choices accessible to the specialist. Given this circumstance, a specialist may decide to respond in two different ways. To start with, the operator may decide to evade the contention or second, the specialist may decide to determine the contention. In the goals of a contention, the specialist begins to think reasonably by seizing to feel that the choices accessible to him includes picking both x and y or losing both x and y. In this sense, the specialist empowers the goals of the contention through an inward intercession of their wants. Something very similar applies with regards to relational clash. The distinction between the two only lies in the presence of a specific circumstance wherein the wants and convictions of at least two operators will in general counter that of the other. This shows the way where clashes empower the â€Å"balancing of power† inside a specialist or inside a gathering (Rummel, 1991, p. 76). The adjusting of forces coming about because of the event of a contention empowers the adjusting of the accompanying components: interests, capacities, and wills. Rummel (1991) notes â€Å"conflict is an adjusting of individual interests, capacities, and wills. It is a synchronous answer for the conditions of power† (p. 77). Inside a relational clash, it doesn't really imply that the agent(s) whose convictions and wants overshadow the other is the agent(s) who hold power inside a gathering. The parity of forces alludes to the common fulfillment of the extraordinary and fighting interests inside a gathering. At the end of the day, the equalization of forces might be comprehended as the consequence of the intercession inside a relational clash. In the past introduction, one of the gatherings introduced steps that might be followed in the event that a contention emerges. The means that they gave include the agent(s) advancement of mindfulness. The significance of mindfulness here can be checked whether one thinks about that it is just through the agent(s) ID of the conflicting convictions and wants that the agent(s) will have the option to accomplish the goals of the contention. This was appeared by the gathering through a production that they introduced in class. One may take note of that in the play itself, the gathering had the option to introduce that inability to create mindfulness may prompt animosity which may additionally upgrade the current contention. The significance of this play doesn't lie in its methods for giving a guide to the individuals who were available; it additionally empowered the audience’s direct understanding of a contention. Deutsch et al (2006) notes, â€Å"observing models manage troublesome circumstances permits the onlooker to accomplish more prominent opportunity in adapting to present and future issues of various kinds (p. 309). In spite of this, the gathering notwithstanding, couldn't show that goals and animosity are by all account not the only methods in which a contention may end. Matthews and Roberts (2004) noticed that contentions may likewise prompt â€Å"collaboration and bids to authority† (p. 451). Albeit one may express this likewise prompts the goals of a contention as in it closes a contention, note that contentions that end as such further varieties the making of further contradictions among the agent(s) included. Matthews and Roberts (2004) further notes that in the goals of a contention, there are sure abilities which people ought to learn. These include â€Å"active tuning in, decisiveness, articulation of emotions in fitting ways, sympathy and point of view taking, collaboration, arrangement, and strategies for countering bias† (p. 451). In spite of the fact that the gathering couldn't present these point, they had the option to hand-off well the data that they had arranged for the introduction. In outline, since time is running short limitations on the gathering, I think the gathering had the option to hand-off accommodating data that will help the individuals from the crowd during the time spent comprehension and dealing with circumstances that may prompt both individual and relational clash. References Deutsch, M. et al. (2006). The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Matthews, G. and R. Roberts. (2004). Enthusiastic Intelligence: Science and Myth. Massachusetts: MIT Press. Rummel, R. (1991). The Conflict Helix. London: Transaction Publishers. Schick, F. (1997). Settling on Choices: A Recasting of Decision Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

American Policy, Judicial Activism and Restraint Assignment

American Policy, Judicial Activism and Restraint - Assignment Example In giving its decision, the traditionalist gathering of the Roberts Court improved the reason for corporate personhood through enabling huge enterprises to muffle the voices of the electorate by the creation and flowing of semi media messages advancing or belittling certain political up-and-comers. In giving organizations this force, the Court made the way for making them the most impressive purveyors of popular conclusion, without requiring responsibility or honesty (Manje 102). This is a force that ought not be conceded to enterprises, accordingly I close this inquiry is backing of legal limitation powers. In Furman v. Georgia, the judges considered capital punishment as an infringement of the Fourteenth Amendment on the grounds that these capital punishments were savage and unordinary in a similar way that being struck by lightning is surprising and merciless (Griffins 304). They contended the way that individuals accused of assault are basically sentenced, yet those accused of negligible wrongdoing need to be executed. I feel that capital punishment is an obstacle to wrongdoing inasmuch as it is forced on the vital violations that have the right to be rebuffed with capital punishment. For example, attackers, individuals who are accused of multiple tallies of any wrongdoing. This will fill in as a generally excellent case of dissuading crime percentages (Griffins 305). What might make one type of the death penalty remorseless and unordinary is the virtual conviction that really honest people will be executed and that there is no presumable method of compensating them for this unnatura l birth cycle of equity? What establishes remorseless and strange discipline, for example, is the anguish the blameless loved ones of lawbreakers need to likewise experience during the execution. In any case, the appointed authorities thought about the message they were sending to likely offenders so as to stop wrongdoing. (Griffinsâ 304) Haidt’s inquire about gives me more prominent knowledge into why individuals feel uniquely in contrast to I do about legislative issues and government because of the straightforward reality that their continually contradicting sees about legislative issues that is the reason there are radicalism and conservatism.

The Bonsai

Bonsai All that I love I overlap over once And by and by And keep in a case Or a cut in an empty post Or in my shoe. All that I love? Why, truly, however for the second †And forever, both. Something that folds and keeps simple, Son’s note or Dad’s one pretentious tie, A roto image of a youthful sovereign, A blue Indian shawl, even A cash bill. It’s articulate sublimation An accomplishment, this heart’s control Moment to second proportional all affection down To a measured hand’s size, Till shells are broken pieces From God’s own brilliant teeth. What's more, life and love are genuine articles you can run and Breathless hand overTo the merest youngster. †Edith L. Tiempo * A first perusing of Edith L. Tiempo’s signature sonnet is a bit perplexing, for the principal woman of Philippine verse in English conveys the centripetal-radiating centripetal (or internal outward-internal) movement in communicating her profoundest contempla tions and most profound sentiments about affection. The title itself, â€Å"Bonsai,† is somewhat deceptive, since no place else in the sonnet are there any further references to vegetation or the antiquated Japanese strategy of developing smaller than normal trees or bushes through overshadowing by specific pruning.Some may even contend that â€Å"Origami† is the better title decision, for at any rate the persona’s demonstration of collapsing objects is somewhat comparable to the Japanese specialty of paper collapsing to make confounded shapes. In any case, this peruser will demonstrate toward the finish of this exposition that â€Å"Bonsai† is the most suitable title for the sonnet, something that isn't exactly clear to a great many people after their spur of the moment evaluation of this regularly misread scholarly showstopper. Notwithstanding, in spite of the bogus lead, even a quick scrutiny of the sonnet uncovers to the delicate and reasonable peruse r that â€Å"Bonsai† is about adoration, if simply because the four-letter word is referenced in each of the four stanzas.In the primary verse, the persona announces that she overlays everything that she cherishes and keeps them covered up covertly puts: â€Å"a box,/Or a cut in an empty post,/Or in my shoe. /† What at that point are the things she thinks about basic enough to keep? From the outset, the inventory of her darling articles in the subsequent verse seems, by all accounts, to be dissimilar, irrelevant, practically irregular, if not totally aleatory. Yet, since a scholarly sorceress like Tiempo only here and there submits botches in conjuring fitting pictures, at that point there must a be purpose behind singling out these specific things and not others.The increasingly significant inquiry consequently is this: What do â€Å"Son’s note or Dad’s one pompous tie,/A roto[i] image of a youthful sovereign,/A blue Indian shawl, even/A cash bill. /â⠂¬  share in like manner? Other than being foldable and in this manner simple to keep, they should represent for the caring female persona significant people and occurrences throughout her life. For as the semiotician Roland Barthes effectively sees in A Lover’s Discourse: â€Å"Every object contacted by the adored being’s body turns out to be a piece of that body, and the subject enthusiastically connects himself to it. [ii] If we are to accept that the talking voice of â€Å"Bonsai† intently looks like the poet’s own, at that point the initial three items must speak to individuals from her close family: child Maldon; spouse Edilberto (It is a verifiable truth among composing colleagues and specialists of the Silliman Writers’ Workshop that Edith affectionately called the late fictionist and scholarly pundit â€Å"Dad,† while being tended to by her better half as â€Å"Mom,† which is a typical practice among Filipino couples. ; and girl Rowena (Unknown to many, the present Program Administrator of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a previous champ of the Miss Negros Oriental excellence challenge at some point during the 1970s, another marker of the Filipino kind of the sonnet, since the Philippines is an exhibition fixated Third World nation. ). The referents of the last two things are progressively clandestine and along these lines increasingly hard to decode. Best case scenario, we can just hypothesize on the people or potentially occasions that make the two things critical: blue Indian shawl (Edith’s commitment date with Edilberto, her first winter in Iowa, her last fall in Denver? ; cash charge (Her underlying compensation from Silliman University, money prize from the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature? ). Over the long haul however the indeterminacy of the references doesn't generally make a difference, for the murkiness of the images leads not to conventional haziness and jumbl ing, yet to individual folklore and puzzle. Maybe part of the poem’s message is that the things an individual considers essential and in this manner important most others may consider as garbage, debris or earth. Note that the verb modifier â€Å"even† changing â€Å"money bill† is utilized to demonstrate something surprising or uncommon, which with regards to the sonnet implies that a cash bill is anything but a traditional item to gather and fortune even by the most wistful of people. ) Suffice it to state that every one of the five items, which are apparently normal and common, obtain acquainted implications since they serve for the idyllic persona as channels of review, similar to mementoes, trinkets and keepsakes.Interestingly, the subsequent refrain starts with what seems, by all accounts, to be a non-serious inquiry (â€Å"All that I love? †), which the persona answers with an oddity: â€Å"Why, indeed, however for the second â€/And forever, bo th. † The hugeness of these apparently self-conflicting lines will be talked about towards the finish of this paper, yet until further notice this peruser will concentrate on the way that the persona delays to mull over on the relevant issue of the extent of her adoration, before she continues to list her cherished ones’ memorabilia that she has chosen to vouchsafe.Love for the female persona along these lines is a cognizant decision, a psychological demonstration not just an emotional one, a theme that repeats in different degrees in the majority of her other love sonnets. In the third verse, the persona clarifies the method of reasoning behind her activity: It’s express sublimation An accomplishment, this heart’s control Moment to second proportional all affection down To a measured hand’s size, The catchphrase here is sublimation, which in brain science is the diversion of sexual vitality or other atavistic organic drive from its quick objective to one of a higher social, good or tasteful nature or use.In science, then again, sublimation is the way toward changing a strong substance by heat into a fume, which on cooling gathers again to strong structure without evident liquefaction. Characteristic in the two definitions is the demonstration of refinement and cleansing through fire, since to sublimate it could be said is to make something great out of something shameful. In the last an exacting fire breaks down through a cauldron the dross from the valuable metal, while in the previous it is heater of the brain that copies away the pointless from the critical experiences.The second most significant thought in this refrain is the technique of downsizing love, which Tiempo declares is an accomplishment without anyone else, an outstanding achievement of the female persona’s wistful heart which is accomplished through most extreme order and limitation. Be that as it may, beside minor sensibility, for what reason is it imp ortant to scale down adoration, to trim it down to the size of â€Å"a measured hand†? The response to this appropriate inquiry is given, though in an unrelated design, in the fourth and last refrain: â€Å"And life and love are genuine/Things you can run and/Breathless hand over/To the merest kid. Love as â€Å"real things† or solid items as opposed to as dynamic ideas is simpler to pass on, since it has gotten progressively substantial and in this way increasingly intelligible to most every other person, including kids and one’s adored posterity. It additionally underscores the significance of giving the inheritance of affection to the people to come, since as the adage goes â€Å"children are the eventual fate of the world,† which makes â€Å"the merest child,† and not the most shrewd lady nor the most grounded man, the perfect beneficiary of such a superb gift.The picture of the measured hand likewise accentuates the possibility that in the de monstration of giving the one contribution the endowment is additionally a poor person of sorts, since the recipient can generally decline to acknowledge the treasures being proffered. In any case, another significant component is presented in a definitive refrain, for the persona by some unprecedented unqualified presumption sees the shells on the sea shore as â€Å"broken pieces/From God’s own splendid teeth,† which for a superior comprehension of â€Å"Bonsai† must be explained on, with the goal that perusers of Philippine verse from English can completely value the tight basic association of the poem.Gemino H. Abad in his astounding exposition â€Å"Mapping Our Poetic Terrain: Filipino Poetry in English from 1905 to the Present†[iii]connects this picture to the dumbfounding lines of the second refrain â€Å"for the second â€/And forever, both. † This peruser really want to concur, since for sure the five articles referenced by the persona be ing mementoes of her loved ones are metonyms of memory, broke however sparkling parts of order, caught significant minutes deified in the heart and brain, in the event that we are to envision Time itself as an appearance of God.Of more prominent outcome, thought, is that this awesome figure finishes Tiempo’s wonderful picture about adoration and recognition by including the otherworldly detail, for affection like the unmentionable Hebrew name of the Almighty is additionally a Tetragrammaton, a four-letter word, which has presumably induced the frequently cited aphorism that â€Å"God is Love, and Love is God. † Structurally, her most renowned sonnet would thus be able to be diagrammed as such: TREE/SHRUB â€â€- bonsai LOVE â€â€â€â€- son’s note, Dad's one pretentious tie

Two Days in the Life

Two Days in the Life Yo homez, Im back! And guess what? Im a senior. I. AM. A. SENIOR. I walk down the halls of Simmons and see freshman frantically p-setting even through theyre on Pass/No-Record, and I think to myself, hahahaha n00bs and then immediate proceed thinking, Wait Im not one of you anymore, which leads to internal sobbing and then Im jolted back to reality when I inevitably run into the door frame. I wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy, then realize, Ermegerd, this is my last sixth day of school EVER! (Just kidding, but it does start each day off rather epic-ly.)  It also means that people round these parts assume I know some stuff about stuff. I havent decided how I feel about this. Actually, things have been pretty business as usual, thank goodness. Take my last two days, for example Figure 1. Thursday 1a) First stop in the morning. 3.055 Biomaterials Science and Engineering. Not sure if there are any readers out there who remember back in the day when I used to doodle in my notes. The doodling kind of stopped last semester, so I decided to dig up some notes from the other day in class and add a little something to them. Just. For. You. All things for the greater glory of blogging. Fun fact No. 1: I fell in lurve with biomaterials last fall after taking 20.441 Biomaterials-Tissue Interactions. Fun fact No. 2: One of the professors of this class lives in my dorm as a Resident Scholar. Fun fact No. 3: Shes my high school math teachers doppelganger. 1b) Lecture for 20.309 Measurement and Instrumentation for Biological Systems, followed by the entire afternoon spent in lab. Lab 1 is to build a fluorescent microscope. Our team managed to bolt down our first draft, after which one of the instructors pointed out that wed kind of built the whole thing incorrectly OOF STORY OF MY LIFE. 1c) A quick dinner is followed by MITSO rehearsal. I creepily snapped this photo while we were filing out of sectionals. Dvorak has a way of redeeming 4 hours of epic-lab-fail-time. Figure 2. Friday (Day) 2a) First stop in the morning. After frantically reviewing some protocols, I bike over to the Koch Institute for some par-tay time at the Langer lab, where I UROP.  I work for a post-doc on nanoparticle drug delivery. He fist-bumps me every time I see him. DID I LAND THE AWESOMEST UROP OR DID I LAND THE AWESOMEST UROP? (Answer: I landed the awesomest UROP.) 2b) I call this one, Wait Wut Why Do My MIT Notes Look Like Dis? This summer I was looking over my degree requirements and realized I was one class away from getting a music minor. So I was all, okay harmony and counterpoint, YOLO. (Please dont smack me. I promise to never say that again.) After finishing some ligation reactions in the morning, I ran over to the piano lab component of 21M.301, where I spent an hour lamenting that I never practiced my scales (theyve literally come back to haunt me every year since Ive been in college) and apologized to the instructor for my hilariously shameful theory knowledge. 2c) Bolted from piano lab to some more 20.309 lab lecture, where I learned about signal noise (and by noise I mean everything-that-can-and-will-break-everything-you-attempt-to-make-this-semester-and-cause-you-to-commence-self-loathing). Ate lunch with a 309 classmate, talking about how awesome summer was and bracing ourselves for the impending misery of the semester. (Just kidding. Seriously. It wont be that bad, right?) Ran back to 309 lab, where my partner and I literally went back to the drawing board, fixed our sad little scope, and reached a local maximum of success. Science it 10% of the time, it works every time. Figure 3. Friday (Night) 3a) Friday nights in college. I mean, this is a normal experience, right? People building a super-secret project in the basement of a dorm, other people creeping/blogging about it normal, right? 3b) Projects involving 12 new TVs, drilling, design, programming 3c) I mean, normal, right? Figure 4. Friday (Night, continued) 4a) ABNORMAL. MIT students referring to the product manual. Wut. Iz. Dis. Madness. 4b) The cruise-ship captain of this project. You might recognize Cosmos as the director of  behind putting Colbert on notice (actually, thatd be colossally creepy if you did, as hes never in the video). 4c) Productivity. I am an immensely valuable asset of moral support and tomfoolery.  Are any of you wondering what these goobers were up to last night? Well, I guess youll just have to check the blogs soon to find out HOOK LINE AND SINKER, SUCKERS.

The Great Depression Essay - 682 Words

The Great Depression not only affected the United States but the world in general. In my estimation some the reasons for the depression was the combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920’s and the debts not paid back from WWI. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The distribution of wealth in the 1920’s, â€Å"roaring twenties,† was done with despair between the very wealthy and the lower classes, between industry and agriculture within the United States, between the U.S. and Europe. This imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy. The excessive assumption in the late 20’s kept the stock markets artificially high, which eventually lead the large market crashes and the American economy to turn over.†¦show more content†¦nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The European nations were struggling to rebuild themselves from the damage after the war. The U.S. government lent the European allies billions of dollars for the war to purchase U.S. goods. After the war they were in no position to pay off debts. Their gold had flowed into the U.S. during and immediately after the war, ruining their own currencies. To make the wealth distribution between Europe and the U.S. even more devastating was the high t ariff policies put into effect on imports into the U.S. The effect of these tariffs caused the Europeans to be unable to sell their own goods to the U.S. in equitable quantities. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;To keep the economy going prices had to fall for people to afford to buy things. There was a high volume of goods building up, especially in the agricultural business. The government had been paying great amounts of money to the farmers for crops and things to support the war and encourages them to also expand on their land and plant more crops. Now that the war was over the government had pretty much stopped investing so much into the agricultural business, which led to many farmers going bankrupt. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The stock market, to me, is like another world of credit and debt. There were mass speculations through out the 1920’s that led to record volumes ofShow MoreRelatedThe Depression Of The Great Depression1223 Words   |  5 Pagesfar-reaching consequences as the Great Depression. This experience was the most extended and severe depression of the Western world. It was an economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted until 1939. A large amount of America’s labor force lost their jobs and suffered during this crisis. During the nation’s financial disaster, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president and made extensive changes to America’s political structure. The effects of the Great Depression had lasting consequences that areRead MoreThe Depression Of The Great Depression1232 Words   |  5 Pagespeople think that the stock crash was to blame for the Great Depression but that is not correct. Both the crash and depression were the r esult of problems with the economy that were still underneath society s minds. The depression affected people in a series of ways: poverty is spreading causing farm distress, unemployment, health, family stresses and unfortunately, discrimination increases. America tended to blame Hoover for the depression and all the problems. When the 1932 election came peopleRead MoreThe Great Depression Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: The world had faced two main economic problems. The first one was the Great Depression in the early of 20th Century. The second was the recent international financial crisis in 2008. The United States and Europe suffered severely for a long time from the great depression. The great depression was a great step and changed completely the economic policy making and the economic thoughts. It was not only an economic situation bit it was also miserable making, made people more attentionRead MoreThe Great Depression1292 Words   |  6 PagesBefore the crash Before the start of the great depression the United States was a country of great economic wealth, with new technology being invented and a boom in industry. Due to a boom in America’s Industry because of World War One the economy was at an all-time high with a tremendous amount of prosperity. Following the end of world war one the industrial might that America had was being used for peaceful, domestic purposes instead of being used for violence and war. New technologies like carsRead MoreThe Depression Of The Great Depression2071 Words   |  9 PagesPaul Von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor on the 30th January 1933. The Depression did play a vital role in this, however other factors such as the Nazis propaganda, the resentment of the Weimar republic and the political situation of 1932-1933 also contributed to his success. Before the Great Depression, the Nazis gained 12 seats and 2.6% of the vote in the May election of 1928. Despite this, by July 1932, Hitler gained 230 seats and 37.3% of the vote in the Reichstag. This is a dramaticRead MoreThe Great Depression1731 Words   |  7 PagesThe 1920’s was a decade of discovery for America. As mentioned in â€Å"who was roaring in the twenties? —Origins of the great depression,† by Robert S. McElvaine America suffered with the great depression due to several factors but it managed to stay prosperous at the end. In â€Å"America society and culture in the 1920’s,† by David A. Shannon there was much more to the great depression. It was a time of prosperity an economic change. Women and men were discovering who they were and their value to societyRead MoreThe Great Depression1551 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Depression was one of the most devastating events recorded in history. The nation as a whole plummeted in one econ omic downfall. Few individuals escaped the effects of the depression. The hardship of unemployment and the loss of homes and farms were a large portion of the pain caused by the economic crisis. Through all of these sufferings, women had a large impact on society. Women faced heavy discrimination and social criticism during the Depression Even though through research it is provenRead MoreThe Great Depression1186 Words   |  5 Pagesfriends is the true definition of of what the Great Depression really was. It was a time that most people want to never remember or ever happen again. You would think the United States would have learned from their mistakes but it seems we are going down the same road once again without even taking a step back and realizing it. When people talk about the Great Depression not a single person will have anything good to say about it. It caused families a great deal of pain that they will never forget. WithRead MoreThe Great Depression1368 Words   |  6 PagesAfter WW1 the Great Depression had a very late impact on the major film companies in France, when it did, it unfortunately caused several film studios to go bankrupt, then in the late 1920’s to 1930’s many small film companies and groups emerged giving birth to the tendency called poetic realism. Because the large companies who made films with a focus on making money were gone the filmmakers and artists were able to concern themselves with the art of film, they often took poetic innovations thatRead MoreThe Great Depression1133 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,† is a famous quote once said during the Great Depression by Franklin D. Roosevelt. After one world war, great financial fallout, and another world war to follow, the twentieth century was already shaping out to be a handful. When the Great Depression was coming to an end and the economy was trying to turn around, jobs started opening up and a new wave of imm igrants came into New York, the Puerto Ricans. For some the American dream was to come to

Association in Java Definition and Examples

The association relationship indicates that a class knows about, and holds a reference to, another class. Associations can be described as a has-a relationship because the typical implementation in Java is through the use of an instance field. The relationship can be bi-directional with each class holding a reference to the other. Aggregation and composition are types of association relationships. Associations join one or more of one thing against one or more of another thing. A professor might be associated with a college course (a one-to-one relationship) but also with each student in her class (a one-to-many relationship). The students in one section might be associated with the students in another section of the same course (a many-to-many relationship) while all the sections of the course relate to a single course (a many-to-one relationship). Association Example Imagine a simple war game with an AntiAircraftGun class and a Bomber class. Both classes need to be aware of each other because they are designed to destroy each other: public class AntiAirCraftGun {   Ã‚  private Bomber target;   Ã‚  private int positionX;   Ã‚  private int positionY;   Ã‚  private int damage;   Ã‚  public void setTarget(Bomber newTarget)   Ã‚  {   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this.target newTarget;   Ã‚  }   Ã‚  //rest of AntiAircraftGun class } public class Bomber {   Ã‚  private AntiAirCraftGun target;   Ã‚  private int positionX;   Ã‚  private int positionY;   Ã‚  private int damage;   Ã‚  public void setTarget(AntiAirCraftGun newTarget)   Ã‚  {   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this.target newTarget;   Ã‚  }   Ã‚  //rest of Bomber class } The AntiAirCraftGun class has-a Bomber object and the Bomber class has-a AntiAirCraftGun object.

Understanding Dota Gamers Free Essays

string(36) " proof of attachment with the game\." DotA is an abbreviation of Defense of the Ancients which is a map modification from Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne based on the map of â€Å"Aeon Strife† of Starcraft, a team game focusing on hero combat. DotA is a five versus five game with two sides which are sentinel and scourge. The map is divided into three lanes where creeps automatically spawn. We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Dota Gamers or any similar topic only for you Order Now The objective of the game is to destroy the opponent’s Ancient that is heavily guarded by several defensive towers which attacks hostile creatures. The map was developed with the World Editor of Reign of Chaos. The first DotA map was developed by anonymous modder known as Eul. He released DotA even before the Frozen Throne came out. Then another anonymous modder, Guinsoo, took over and converted DotA for the Frozen Throne, but he later stopped developing maps. Icefrog then took his place and is the current DotA developer. Game is commonly played with teams. Each team creates strategy to win the game. First, they pick hero, one hero for every player. Next, player buys item for the hero to make it strong. And proceed into one lane for defense and offense mode. Hero gains one gold, currency of the game, every second and forty for creeps and two hundred plus for hero kills. Player collects gold by farming, microing, and hostile hero killing to buy recipe items to be synthesized for an upgraded weapon. Also, hero gains level experience, up to level twenty five, every time they kill a creeps and heroes. Every hero has their own unique balance skill. Proper timing and usage of skill is one aspect that a DotA player needs to learn. Ever since the DotA was developed, the game had undergone many changes. Game bugs and glitch do appear and are reported by testers and players. It gives a thought that a modder is not the only developer of the game. The DotA community has their own share. â€Å"But despite all of the community’s help, it is still Icefrog, a man who may be named Jeremy, who may be from Boston and who may study at UCLA, which makes the final changes. The masses may be the power of the movement, but the figurehead and initiator of all that changes is still focused on a mysterious, almost spiritual figurehead. †1 The popularity of DotA has increased over time. The game can be played around local area network or online through battle. net. Battle. net allows one player to connect with other players in the internet. Garena provides interconnection of players for every game, in this case DotA. It has several rooms created by a host player inviting another player to join in. DotA was once featured in the magazine Computer Gaming World. Different tournaments were done and one of the famous is Electronic Sports World Cup in 2008. LAN tournaments are a major part of worldwide play. From game addiction to game creation, the League of Legends was released. It has the same environment with Defense of the Ancients, but an enhanced and improved graphics and animation and different characters, items and skills. Same goes with DOTA 2, the improvised DotA. Everything was remained. DOTA 2 is a whole new game. Even with DOTA 2 released, there are still player of the DotA. Pre-gamers think whether they will try the game or not. They are curious about the game. Things that in their mind are bad pictures like they will be bullied, will be laughed of, or will become attached to the game. They question themselves: why are existing players play DotA? How much fun can they get? How to play the game? With these questions in their mind, they are influence by their curiosity to start and play the game and find the answers themselves. They will seek assistance first, and then remember the basic controls and movements of the character for their next play. In other cases, curiosity is not the reason why someone starts to play DotA. It is the influence of their peers inviting the pre-gamer to join the club – DotA gamers. The friendship does not want to be broken. The known reputation of DotA being one of the most addictive games pushes the pre-gamer to decline playing. Some succeed in declining and others did not. It is because they are convinced by their friends to play DotA. Girlfriend of an existing DotA gamer is the common relationship status of girl players. They want to get the attention of their boyfriend. So, girlfriend asks her boyfriend to teach her and learn it herself so they can play and have fun together. Once they have tried the game, it will leave them impressions. The common impression is that it is not good because of the low quality graphical representation and the controls are hard to remember at first. It is also hard to kill an artificial intelligence character that a beginner will think the game is impossible, but this will change later. Another one impression is ‘disappointed’ because their first play could not meet their expectation and will not be satisfied with the result. Some quit at once while other continues. After getting the game’s information, a beginner will start to change his view towards the game. He/she will discover that the game is exciting, thrilling, and fun. He will practice playing to kill an AI character. This will lead to continuous playing and eventually improve his/her skills and strategies. When that happens, he/she will kill an AI and be ready to compete with other players. At middle time of a gamer, he/she finds DotA as a place of recreation and entertainment. His/her addiction of the game is showing. A gamer spends most of their free time playing the game solo or with friends. Other gamers still play sports and socialize with friends and play DotA afterwards. This case is a proof of attachment with the game. You read "Understanding Dota Gamers" in category "Papers" Some gamers treat DotA as a hobby. They only play for pastime or to entertain their self. They are not considered as addicted. On the other hand, a gamer is considered addict when he/she plays more than an hour, spends money to heat up the game, and chooses the game instead of socializing with others. There are other reasons or symptoms that based a gamer addicted. As time goes by, for existing gamers, they turn out to become advance game player. The game is as familiar as their house. Strategies are like rock, scissor, and paper game. They can switch to new strategy for whenever they want. In-game characters are like dolls they control as they command. â€Å"Change is the only constant†, said Heraclitus (535-375 BC). Changes show in the later time of the gamer. There are changes in gamers’ physical appearance, thinking capacity, socialization, and studies. These changes affect the player’s daily life. The gamer is different from his/her past self. If he/she attends a reunion, his/her relatives would think of him for another person. â€Å"Physical consequences of gaming addiction include carpal tunnel, migraines, sleep disturbances, backaches, eating irregularities, and poor personal hygiene. Carpal tunnel syndrome has long been associated with computer use, so it’s no surprise that it’s a physical symptom of gaming addiction. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when the main nerve between the forearm and hand is squeezed or pressed. This occurs when the carpal tunnel – the area of the wrist that houses the main nerve and tendons – becomes irritated or swollen. Overuse of a computer mouse can cause such irritation and swelling, as can excessive use of a video game controller. Migraine headaches typically start in one spot and slowly spread, getting more painful as they progress. In severe cases, the pain can be so extreme that it causes the sufferer to vomit. Light and noise can cause excruciating pain. Someone who plays video games for extended periods of time is more prone to migraines because of the intense concentration required and the strain put on the eyes. The term â€Å"sleep disturbances† covers several sleep-related disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, nocturnal myoclonus (periodic leg or arms jerks during sleep), and parasomnia (i. e. , night terrors, sleepwalking or talking, and nightmares). Sleep disturbances are caused, in part, by overstimulation of the brain. However, some people can’t get a good night’s sleep simply because they think obsessively about the game they’re playing. Backaches are a common physical symptom of gaming addiction because most gamers stay seated in the same position for hours on end. The lack of movement causes stiffness and soreness, but could deteriorate into chronic back problems. Eating irregularities are caused by gaming addiction simply because most addicted gamers don’t want to take the time to eat properly. Rather than eating healthy, balanced meals, they eat food that is quick and usually unhealthy. In extreme cases, the gamer may choose not to eat at all. An addicted gamer is not going to take the time to properly care for himself. Showers, face-washing, and brushing hair and teeth all get put on the back burner. It simply becomes less of a priority, if it’s a priority at all. These physical consequences will occur in varying degrees from one gamer to another. Though the severity of physical consequences is often tied to the severity of the addiction, this is not always the case. A gamer that is already in poor physical condition will be more susceptible to these effects early on. †2 Video game is also a cause of obesity particularly with kids. They eat while their character is dead and wait until it respawn. Gamer mostly eats unhealthy or foods with imbalance nutrients. They do not exercise even sometimes which results to gaining weight, and back and wrist pains. This case majority happens to addicted players. A game player’s intellectual capabilities varies depend on his/her attitude or personalities. It also depends on their way of thinking and past knowledge. Gamers with strong and sharp mind usually win a session game in DotA. Gamers’ mind thinks fast that is to establish game strategy and to take up the lead. This factor is a good effect of video game. He/she can make decisions fast but careful because he/she thinks as if he/she is still playing. He/she does not want to screw his game play and strategic plan. â€Å"Playing a game which requires very fast deployment of visual attention and motor movement could prime a strategy of speed over accuracy,† explained Nelson, â€Å"while playing a game which emphasizes a slower, more thoughtful pace could prime the opposite pattern. The main point is that different kinds of video games engage different cognitive and perceptual skills, and there are measurable differences in their effects, even in the short term. Similar results have been noted in previous research by Daphne Bavelier, of the University of Rochester in New York. She co-authored a study that showed video game players have improved hand-to-eye coordination, increased visual processing, stronger mental rotation skills and enhanced visuo-spatial memory. †3 Defense of the Ancients is not as addictive as massive mult i-online role playing game (MMORPG), where a player maintains and upgrades level and strength of his character and does not restart the character information after logging off. Meanwhile, DotA characters start at level one every session of game. DotA is more fun to play with peers than playing alone. The average length of a game session with user opponent is sixty minutes. Thus, it gives the player to interact with his teammate and opponents for an hour. It is virtual socialization, where a player speaks through the chat bar and dialog box, and interact with other player with his game character. Socialization in real life comes after a session. Gamers snacks together and talks about their finished game and criticize the player who cause the win or loss. It creates bonds and trusts for playmate. Gamers that play in computer shop increase their peers who they met and play the game with. Too much attachment to the game DotA affects relationships with family, relatives, friends and other people. A gamer that chooses to spend all of his free time and sleep for playing neglects his social interaction with relatives and in school. He only interacts with the player or peer he is playing with. And since he lacks sleep, there is a chance that he will fall asleep in class and affects his school performance. Peers changes the gamer’s way of socializing. The gamer absorbs the negative treatment onto him and do it himself onto other game player. He tries to bully weaker player – easy kill, easy money. And his way of speaking changes. Polite becomes impolite and occasionally turns to being rude. Some of his words are swap with words from the game, ixempli gratia, godlike and ‘imba’, which only a DotA game player understands. Most of his expression is about the game. He loves to talk all things about DotA only with other DotA player. He will not try to talk about it with non-gamer for they would not understand. Some gamers who are attached to the game do not fail in class. He manages his time carefully and controls his self with his decision to not set aside studies for computer game. Unfortunately, other gamers fall behind lectures. The common reason is lack of sleep. Gamer often yawn in class and inevitably fall asleep. Some gamers do not attend their first class and later drop the subject. There are gamer that do not spend their money allowance for snacks instead spend it for computer rental, if the gamer do not have computer at home or he just want to play DotA with other player. Other gamers decrease their time for study and spend it for socialization with peers through DotA. DotA had different tournaments. There are Local Area Network (LAN) tournament, online tournament, international tournaments and other tournaments. Advance players grab this opportunity to challenge their skills and to compete with other strong players, but the common reason for joining is the prize especially the cash. Winners gain reputation. Losers gain rivals. The population of DotA gamers consists mostly of students. Their allowance usually goes to computer rental. Other gamers are nonstudent, with occupation and bystander. Bystanders have more free time to play though they have insufficient fund for renting computer though they can only play alone at home through internet if they have computer. Those advance gamers with jobs are the ones who usually place bets to heat up their game. This is a form of gambling. They even place bets though they are only watching. Gamers make money through winning bets and tournaments. Experience is knowledge. We gain lessons in every experience. Experience sharpens our personality. Our mistake is a lesson to avoid and improve the right one. Gamers experience the changes which were discussed in the last topic. While playing DotA, gamers experience different feelings and emotions like hunger, fun, excitement, and thrill. These emotions are triggered by neurotransmitters such as endorphins and dopamine. These brain chemicals are responsible for animals’ sense of pleasure. The brain secretes these chemicals when the body feels excitement, joy, or pain. Even a fake smile can cause pleasure and trick the body that it is happy. â€Å"Then, there’s the excitement. A good game will get your pulse racing and your adrenaline pumping, even if you’re just sitting on the couch holding a controller. Games with a time component amplify this excitement, even in simple games like Jewel Quest where you’re down to one second before everything blows up because you didn’t find the three matching gems. †4 During the game session, the hand-to-eye coordination is used. Most of the time, hands and eyeballs are the only part of the body that moves. They seldom stretch their hand, legs, and neck. Parts of the body that is not use become weak. DotA gamers experience lack of sleep because of playing. The gamers do not care of time during the session. His focus and attention are in the game only. They ignore other matter even emergency calls and text messages are ignored. Reply is given upon the end of the game session. These are reasons why parents and girlfriend/boyfriend, if there is any, get upset. Based on the observation of the researcher, gamers , particularly on weekend, start to play at nine in the morning and finish at about four the next morning, then get some rest and come back playing. They said, they only eat, take small amount of time to sleep, wake up, eat again, take a bath, then go to internet shop to resume his play. For students, they usually play after class hours. They are sometimes distracted by the thoughts of DotA while in the class. They are excited for class dismissal. They come home late and make their parents anxious. Some of these students are being fetched by their parent. Some act shy, on the other hand, some act tough and proud. In Internet shop, gamers are happy, and noisy. During the session, they shout and trash-talk each side even the watchers shout. Harsh and mean words are trash-talk like ‘weak’, ‘lousy’, ‘slow’, and ‘gay’. The competition each game is intense. Gamers who lose often get bullied and easily angered. Later, this bullied player, sometime, cause trouble and brawl. Losers feel sad, depression, and shame, and think for a new strategy to win the next game. They gain rivals to overcome, putting more time for practice game to improve tactics. On the other hand, winners celebrate, feels fun, and gain challengers. Some gamers quit, but there are new players who replace them. The reasons of new players are curiosity towards the game, seek of fun, peer pressure, and friendship. People find ways to eradicate pressure and boredom. One of it is playing DotA. The game DotA has effects depends on the physical and mental capacity of the gamer. Weak-willed mind and poor health are more susceptible to game addiction and negative changes in their personality and body. Playing the game reduces time for socialization and study. Game players must learn how to control their selves to refuse from overuse of time and money for playing. Parents must watch their kids. It is hard to forbid kids from playing video game. This action can cause the kids to rebel. So, give them outdoor activity like sports to balance their mind and body. Definition of terms Bugs are small insect. Bugs, in computer program, is an error, flaws, or mistake in a computer program that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Farming ,in agriculture, it is an activity of growing crops and raising livestock. Farming, in DotA, is an act of collecting gold. figurehead is a person given a position of nominal leadership but having no actual authority. Glitch is a minor malfunction, or technical problem. Godlike means resembling or having the qualities of God or a god. In DotA, it is a call for having nine consecutive player kills. Imba is an abbreviation for â€Å"imbalanced†. Imba can be applied to a subject in gaming (Weapon, army, race, role or job) which can be either too strong (Overpowered, or OP) or too weak (Underpowered, or UP). Insomnia is a specific kind of sleep disorder in which the patient is not able to get into sleep or the patient is not able to remain asleep for an adequate period of time Jerk is a single quick motion of short duration. Micro is a word comes from the Greek word micros meaning small. Micro (microing),in DotA, is an act of last hitting creeps. Narcolepsy is a condition characterized by an extreme tendency to fall asleep whenever in relaxing surroundings. Parasomnia, from the Latin meaning â€Å"around sleep,† is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal sleep behaviors. Parasomnias involve unconscious complex, semi-purposeful, and goal-directed behaviors that have meaning or importance to the individual. These can include night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep eating, sleep sex, rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder, or any number of potential behaviors that occur while the person remains asleep. re-gamers means a potential game player that is not yet a game player. Respawn Also known as spawn, respawn is a gaming term used to describe the action of a computer player or human player coming back to life after being killed. Restless leg syndrome (Nocturnal myoclonus) is a disorder in which there is an urge or need to move the legs to stop unpleasant sensations. Screw is a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, and topped with a slotted head, driven in to wood or the like by rotating, especially by means of a screwdriver. Screw means to mess something up, turn things for the worse. Sleep apnea is the temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime sleepiness. Apnea is a Greek word that means â€Å"want of breath. † Spatial memory is the part of memory responsible for recording information about one’s environment and its spatial orientation. Trash-talk is a form of boast or insult commonly heard in competitive situations. Visuospatial is pertaining to perception of the spatial relationships among objects within the field of vision. How to cite Understanding Dota Gamers, Papers

Do Woman Make Better Leaders free essay sample

However, when women leaders are putting glorious greatly, they need to sacrifice their parts of life to earn such a success. Mostly, they need to work overnight and hard like their male fellows, they are single or divorced, and they may need to take care of both of their career and children. Actually, female leaders are facing some practical problems in their emotion, career and family. Many females are suffering in balancing these factors. Do women make better leader than men? Or specifically, are women playing a better role in managers? What are issues women leaders facing? In order to solve these problems and leave no doubt, I write this essay to analyze this topic. 2. 1 Leadership According to the professional definition, â€Å"leadership is the process of influencing an organized group toward accomplishing its goals. †(Roach Behling, 1984) There are certain basic qualities or characteristics that most people associate with leadership, such as self-confidence, persistent, integrity, ambitious and determination. People would agree that who own these qualities can be labeled as â€Å"leaders†. However, it is usually hard to recognize a proper leader with a standard measurement. Human traits are quantized immeasurable. In daily works, a good leader is normally judged by people he or she leads. Unfortunately, these opinions are always subjective and biased. Work performances may consider being comparable. However, in reality, only similar works can provide comparable performance results which limit the number of comparable cases. Insufficient parameters cannot provide a reliable analysis. Due to these difficulties, this essay will compare female and male leaders in other factors which are not specialized and quantized for leaders but also providing references for good leaders. These factors include effectiveness, intelligence and attitude which compare leaders in the aspects of performances; psychical and psychological; values and reliability, respectively. Before comparison and analyzing, it is more reasonable to realize the current situation about gender and leadership which will also give readers a general idea. 2. 2 Men are still the major force in leaders Actually, majority of world still consider that domination of power is in man’s hand, though women leaders are increasing rapidly recent years. As statistics show, woman account for 51 percent of population and 46. 5 percent of labor force while their numbers in manage level are negligible. In fact, in more powerful positions, women only account for 7. 3 percent of Fortune 500 corporate line officers; only 4. 1 percent of top earners are women. (Catalyst, 2001) The true situation is like what Oakley ,J. G. said,† The overall percentage of women on corporate boards surpassed the 10% milestone for the first time in 1996, however, 105 out of the 500 companies surveyed still had no women on their boards. †(Oakley, 2000; Dobrsynski, 1996) In making such a males’ world, social and environment factors play critical roles. Traditionally, women are told to be less competitive and ambitious when they are still girls, when they start their careers, mostly, environment and themselves keep suggesting them to be more unleader-like and docile. This attitude is formed in a long period and by surrounding environment, and it actually becomes part of female’s character. Attitude toward leadership is stronger predictor of leader emergence than masculinity. (Kolb, 1999) This theory is even more reasonable when biology theory is abandoned. Generally, majority of leaders is still male , the roles that women are told to play and attitudes they are suggested to own is signaling to be â€Å"second class†. 2. 3 Woman leaders show great potential It is undoubtedly men are traditionally leaders in the society; nevertheless, women are catching up in an amazing speed. Especially in recent years, woman leaders are showing their great power. In a long period before, people believe that women lack of managerial skills and they define it as â€Å"female deficiencies† as a reason why few women have made it to the top. Steven, Lynda and Joanne, 2003) However, many professors have proved the irrationality of this stereotypical concept, Davidson and Burke (DavidsonBurke,1994) have contended that almost all the evidence shows little or few difference in the traits and abilities of managerial skills among women and men. Furthermore, Ferrario(Ferrario,1994), Carless(Carless,1998) and Komives (Komives,1991) have studied and p roved that gender does not determine who should get the leadership. According to above statements, it is easy to realize that gender is not physical or psychical obstacle for female leaders. Moreover, Kent and Moss suggested the possession of feminine characteristics does not decrease an individual’s chances of emerging as a leader as long as the individual also possesses masculine characteristics. If women are more likely to be androgynous, they may have better chance of rising to leadership status. (Kent and Moss, 1994) Kent and Moss’ words can be explained related to women’s own characteristic. Normally, women are more approachable and modest. The advantage is obvious above; male leaders cannot combine female’s good personalities which will be considered to be sissy while females will treat androgynous as a merit which show their potential. So, in some kinds of careers which require managers to be more mild and communicative, such as teachers and nurses, woman leaders are more preferred. To sum up, women’s characteristic advantage is seen as particularly important in light of the trends toward flatter organizations, team-based management and increased globalization. Oakley,2000; Adler,1993;Rosener,1995) Undoubtedly, woman leaders have predominance in some specific works than man leaders 2. 4 Gender and the leadership 2. 4. 1 Intelligence comparison Intelligence is defined by Cronbach as a person’s all-around effectiveness in activities directed by thinking. (Cronbach, 1984) Intelligence can divide in two parts, academic intelligence and emotional intell igence. In the aspect of academic intelligence, it is well accepted that there is no difference in academic intelligence between men and women. Furthermore, people with high academic intelligence don’t mean they are good leaders. Obviously, traditional view about intelligence is quite narrow. Current research has denied the theory of IQ as the only measure of intelligence. In 1920 Thorndike hypothesized that true intelligence was composed of not only an academic component, but also emotional and social components. (Barbara Shilpa, 2003) Bar-on argued that emotional and social intelligences were better predictors of success in life. (Bar-on, 1997) According to Barbara Shilpa’s statistic analysis, the mean transformational leadership score of females and males are roughly the same (65. 21 and 63. 31 respectively). The mean emotional intelligence score for females was higher than the mean emotional intelligence score for females (109. 58 and 98. 31 respectively). (Barbara Shilpa, 2003) Although the results of the current study suggest that females have scored higher than males in emotional intelligence, it is possible that women as compared to men scored higher on empathy or social skills and low on motivation or self-regulation. However , male and female’s leadership score is very close which can prove that different genders have differences in EQ, but no capability difference in leadership. To sum up, there is no specific gender difference in academic intelligence. Females have a higher score in emotional intelligence and males have an equally emotional leadership score with females. 2. 4. 2 Attitude comparison Attitude means a general and enduring positive or negative feeling about some person, object or issue. (Kalliath, 2010) Normally, we divide attitude in two parts, one is the affective component, and the other one is the behavioral component. Actually, leadership is affected by attitudes in the sense that a leader’s attitude about their subordinates is dictated by theories X and Y. Theory X in the simplicity means leaders view their subordinates as pessimistic. They believe that the best way to treat subordinates is by manipulating for they think subordinates are lazy and unmotivated. Theory Y thinks oppositely, leaders of theory Y feel that most people are motivated and afraid of punishment. (Kalliath, 2010) Normally, leaders with a positive self-concept and a Theory X philosophy tend to be bossy, pushy and impatient; they also generally take on a dictatorial leadership. Leaders with a negative self-concept and a Theory Y philosophy may seem afraid to make decisions and self-blaming. Hughes, Ginnett Curphy, 1993) Related to above apart, women’s attitude is an obstacle for their leadership. This disadvantage is caused by environmental and cultural factors. All stereotyping views towards woman will affect them when they are becoming leaders. However, according to theory X and Y, they generally talk about two types of leaders. It can be seen that gender is not the major factor in attitude. To sum up, woman leaders are normally have more problems in their attitude and valuation than their man opponents. 2. 4. 4 Effectiveness comparison Effectiveness is understood in terms of leaders’ facilitation of a group or rganization’s ability to meet its goals. (Hunt, 1991; Mumford, 1986) It is stated that there is no difference in effectiveness, although some situations favor women and others favor men. (Powell, 1993)However, some people point out that female leaders may be less effective when they are doing stereotypically masculine jobs. It is easy to understand that women may violate conventions concerning appropriate female behavior. Female leaders will be subjected prejudiced reactions, which included biased performance evaluations and negative preconceptions about future performance. Consistent with research on self-fulfilling prophecies (Geis, 1993), negative opinion towards women’s leadership can diminish their performance. Even though, some professors argue that role conflict for female leaders might also be minimized by adopting a relatively feminine leadership style that would meet people’s traditional expectations about female behavior. (Eaglly, Makhijiani, Klonsky, 1992) They assert that it is unfair to value the effectiveness in leadership roles that are rarely occupied by women and in which most of their evaluators are male. (Eaglly, Makhijiani, Klonsky, 1995) In order to analyze this issue, two perspectives are introduced: alternative perspective and contingency theory based perspective. As a matter of fact, alternative perspective also have two parts, the first one is a structure view suggests that men and women are equally effective in leadership. (House, 1991Hunt, 1991) Another alternative view takes into account the different selection of men and woman for leadership. Besides gender equality opinion, it also points out that women may be superior performers, especially in the longer run as they may erode negative thinking about their work. Craig Jacobs, 1985) The second perspective is of contingency theories of leadership, suggests that leaders’ effectiveness depends on their style of leading. (Bass, 1990) It focuses more in the aspect of leadership style. It insists that effectiveness of different gender is related to corresponding factors in leadership methods, not gender. In a word, although male leaders are considered more e ffective in traditional masculine jobs, female leaders are more effective than males in less masculine terms. Effectiveness is a reliable proof of the woman leadership is not worse than man leadership. Although some people still believe woman leaders are using some inefficient management methods when they are most in masculine works. It can be expected that females will fare at least as well as men in an increasing range of leadership and managerial roles. 3. Conclusion From the days of old to the modern world, people who have the opinion that men are born to lead and women should serve as followers are out of date. No one can deny the gender equality in the current society. Leaders are no longer the exclusive privilege for men, but also for excellent females. We start to realize the importance of analyzing this topic and have taken a close look at some of the most basic qualities needed in a successful leader, such as attitude, intelligence and effectiveness. While some qualities seem to be more present in males than females, such as attitude, there are still many females owning the necessary characteristics to be better leaders, such as effectiveness in feminization jobs. This essay collects studies that analyzed leadership under rigorous researches and we have also taken a close look at some of the more recent studies on this topic.

Billy the Kid essays

Billy the Kid essays Billy the Kid was born in the East, came to New Mexico in the 1870 ¡s, and started out on his own from Silver City. Some of the people said Billy the Kid was a hero, some said he was a murder. After reading Etulain ¡s essay,  ¡Billy the Kid: Thunder in the West ¡ (36-51), I don ¡t think Bill the Kid was a hero just because he killed four people. What is a hero? Some one can be a hero if he kills another, and heroes can kill people, but they kill those people is for everyone, not just for themselves, which means they were heroes because they killed evil people who destroyed society. And a hero should deserved punishment bravery. Otherwise they are murderers. Unfortunately, Billy the Kid was a murder, not a hero. The first example of Billy the Kid as a murderer concerns the first person he killed in Arizona (37). In mid-August 1877, Billy the Kid came to the cantina near the boundary of the Camp Grant military reservation (37). When he arrived, a burly Blacksmith named Cahill called Billy a  ¡pimp, ¡ (37) and then Billy retaliated by calling the blacksmith a  ¡son of a bitch, ¡(37). A moment later a wrestling match ensued, and Cahill began to pummel Billy. But Billy pulled out the .45 stuck in his belt, shoved it into the belly of Cahill, and then pulled the trigger. Cahill rolled aside in agony and then died the next day. Thus, because senseless act of violent, Billy the Kind murdered Cahill. I know it was Cahill that said the bad things to him first, but Billy the Kid didn ¡t have to kill Cahill. When Cahill started to say something bad to Billy the Kid, he could have ignored him and left Cahill alone. If Billy the Kid at that time had just ignored what Cahill said, no thing would have happened. Cahill ¡s dead did not benefits anyone in the world except Billy, who may have felt happy. Therefore, Billy the Kid was a murderer, because he killed Cahill. The second example of Billy the Kid being a ...

The Disappearance of Afro-Argentines and Colonialism essays

The Disappearance of Afro-Argentines and Colonialism essays At first glance of the current Buenos Aires, one would pre-conclude that the population is purely white or of European ancestry. However, after reading the book authored by George Reid Andrews, one would think otherwise. As the author noted in his book, the population of the Afro-Argentines who obviously were in existence during the 1800s did not dwindle to nothing as many people described it. The mass of historical commentary on the Afro-Argentines disappearance have explained the phenomena as the result of four main reasons. The first being that the Afro-Argentines had been drafted and then perished during the wars of the nineteenth century in large numbers. The second reason was because Afro-Argentine women were faced with the shortage of men of their own race, they turned to the European male immigrants as partners, also in hopes of producing lighter-skinned children who would have a chance of upward social mobility. The third explanation was that low birth rates and high mortality rates were especially pronounced in the Afro-Argentine communities because of their unsanitary living conditions and their inability provide for their young due to the lack of men and their low social status. Th e fourth reason was that slavery was abolished and the import of slaves had declined dramatically. While all the reasons listed above were valid and has unquestionably contributed to the wane of the Afro-Argentine population, they were superficial, a facade for the underlying factor of their seeming demise. The beginning of the decline of the Afro-Argentine population was marked by the censuses taken starting from the early 1800s. The author proposes that blacks were underrepresented in the censuses taken during that period because of a variety of causes. In his opinion, since they lived in the least desirable houses and neighborhoods, many census takers were most likely unwilling to venture into those places to complete their...

Share your critical response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Share your critical response - Assignment Example s out that it took efforts of the federal government which represents collective action of many of the American citizens to abolish slavery, to create a developed system of railroads and bring the country to prosperity. In other words, it would not be wise to reject the leading role of the government in the process of development of the social environment. In other words, why would people want to get rid of something that has proven to be effective? Another example is taken from the current political world. The author suggests that when both far left and right argue the necessity of a new revolution, they fail to see that they are faced with a dilemma that none of them is able to solve. For example, governmental surveillance is needed to protect people from terrorism, but if we accept it we should also accept that it violates some of the basic rights of the people. Gutting, Gary. "You Say You Want a Revolution." Opinionator You Say You Want a Revolution Comments. N.p., 2 July 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

Lizzie Borden Not Guilty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lizzie Borden Not Guilty - Research Paper Example There was a difference in what someone could have had as a profile behind closed doors. Society's perception of the individual was more important for the morality of the situation. All evidence, which was collected before the trial showed that she could have killed her parents as it was circumstantial. She was judged on a legal technicality. The purpose of this paper is to prove you that only one side of this issue can be accepted. Time will be spent explaining the family dynamics, showing the initial interrogation, and the trial. The paper will conclude with the personal assumption that she did not have the psychological profile to be a serial killer. Before 1860 both daughters lived as spinsters in the Borden house. Those who were raised in the rising social and financial class moved out of the area. If a family stayed, their girls only were able to meet working class men, which was a social problem for Victorian women at the turn of the century. Mr. Borden refused to move even tho ugh he had risen to the upper classes of society. He had started as an undertaker and moved up to a business owner. His daughters could not find anyone who corresponded to their social status. At 32, it would be impossible for Lizzie ever to get married (Whiteman). There were many spinsters in their neighborhood who they socialized with. Their father contributed to the dynamics by refusing to refurbish their house with the proper amenities. He refused to connect to the sewer or to the water system. He refused to use anything other than kerosene lamps. (Masterson 38). Lizzie complained to her father constantly about the living conditions. Lizzie was quoted as embarrassed to have friends over to the house. It was an oddity that all the doors of the house were locked with keys. They had previously been burglarized on two different occasions. (Lizzie.com) His daughters had their own private entrance to their rooms and often ate by themselves. Their house appeared to be a maze. Lizzie on ly social life was with the Church's women's group. She also taught at Sunday school. This is somewhat incongruous with her home life. She appeared to be socially accepted because she was allowed to teach at school. She and her sister lived an isolated life without the amenities which they deserved to have. Some say she lived on a yearly stipend but others say she received anything she asked for. Lizzie lived a boring and depressing life with no outlook of it ever improving, a common social problem for New England Upper class women in the 19th century (Roggenkamp 67). Emma also lived under the same roof without any potential for a future. Total frustration was their sort in life. None of them got along with their step-mother or their father. There were always disputes. That particular day, they had all been suffering from food poisoning and the maid had become furious for having to clean the windows in the sweltering heat. More will be said further on about the family dynamics. It w as a common social ethic of the end of the Victorian era (19th century) that women could not possibly have the thought, or the strength to do such a heinous crime. Was she hiding for somebody else or for everybody because of the living conditions? If she knew the guilty person, she eventually could say, if she had to. (Brown Interview) Because of this preconception of the marble like statue of women, she was denied with counsel at her first questioning as she was told she did not need it.(Lizzie.com) At the first

Analysing Structure Changes due to Sony in Restructuring Mode

Analysing Structure Changes due to Sony in Restructuring Mode As directed by the Board of Directors of Sony, this report will analyse the structure of Sony Corporation from 1999-2005, the problems faced together with its responses and underlying rationales and recommendations for the benefit of the future directions of Sony. Being a multinational corporation in the electronics business, the company faces significant macroeconomic challenges. The decreasing trend in profits could be seen since 1998, possibly the main reason that prompted the need for an organisational restructuring. Whether the organisations strategy influences its structure or vice versa, the structure of Sony has to be evaluated first. In 1999, after the restructuring, the company became a tall hierachical structure with three main business areas electronic, entertainment and insurance and finance. Alongside with the unified dispersed model to face the constant market demands, the company became a divisionalized form with decentralization of dispersion of power to ease decisi on-making. The divisional structure of the electronics business is divisionalised due to its low interdependency level, adhocracy in entertainment business and professional bureaucracy in the insurance and finance business. In 2003, Transformation 60 saw a more centralised structure of Sony management-wise and financial-wise . It was found that Transformation 60 still had the company in a divisionalised form but a stronger pull to formalize in its technostructure. One of the problems faced include rapid evolution of technology causing top management to respond by investing heavily and restructuring of the organisation using a Value Creation Model and Transformation 60. Stiff market competitions resulted to partnership and takeovers for off-shoring purposes and to benefit the AV industry. The election of Howard Stringer as CEO will cause the problem in management style due to the differences in national culture. It can be concluded that Sonys management and business strategies affec t its organisational structure as it was the drop in profits that had the shareholders to pressurised the change of top management. Recommendations include the need to combine both Western and Eastern cultures under Stringer and comprehensive considerations in investment strategies. Contents Pages 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Business Description and Corporation Strategy 2.1 Key Figures 2.2 Correlation between Organisation Strategy and Organisation Structure 4-6 3.0 Organisational Structure 3.1 Structure of Sony in 1999 3.1.1 Internal Structure of Sony as a Whole 3.1.2 Divisional Structures of Sony 3.2 Structure of Sony in 2003 3.2.1 Divisional Structure of Transformation 60 3.2.2 Financial Structure of Transformation 60 7-12 4.0 Problems and Responses 4.1 Rapid Evolution of Technology 4.2 Market Competition 4.3 Differences in National Culture 13-16 5.0 Conclusion 17 6.0 Recommendations 18 Appendices 19 Bibliographies 20-22 1.0 Introduction As directed by the Board of Directors of Sony Corporation, this report will analyse the companys situation from 1999-2005. Sony, a world class consumer electronics makers, was facing serious concerns since the late of 1990s, such as Asian financial crisis in 1997, the tech bubble and the terrorist attacks in America in 2001. Besides, the ever increasing competition from competitors and rapid market changes are eroding the market shares of Sony. The top management confront their difficulties bravely and executed a series of actions to respond to those difficulties. This report focuses on the structure of Sony in 1999 and the restructuring in 2003, as well as the analysis of difficulties faced by Sony and how the management responded to those issues. The structure of the report starts with the business description and the corporation strategy which has significant relationship with the following sections. Then, the focus will move to structure 1999 follow with the restructuring of Sony in 2003 called Transformation 60. After the discussions about the business structure, the report will concentrate on analysing the issues associated with Sony and state the responses taken by the management and its underlying principle before concluding and with appropriate recommendations. 2.0 Business Description and Corporation Strategy Sony is one of the worlds top consumer electronics makers and employs over 167900 workers (Sony, 2010). The business operates in over 200 countries and covers the games, electronics, financial services, entertainment markets and others (ibid.). After 65 years of growth, today, the group has established a world class brand and the strong brand image can benefit its bargaining power and make the business move into new markets easily. 2.1 Key Figures Some key figures of Sony from 1997 to 2010 are listed below (Graph12). The Sales figure remained in the reasonably floating level before 2007. Unfortunately, the management and shareholders are unsatisfied with the profits, since 1998 the profits reduced nearly every year, this might have been the trigger to ignite the restructuring of Sony. Graph 1 Source: Sony Annual Report 2001, 2006, 2010- Five-Year Summary of Selected Financial Data Graph 2 Source: Sony Annual Report 2001, 2006, 2010- Five-Year Summary of Selected Financial Data 2.2 Correlation between Organisation Strategy and Organisation Structure Strategy and organisation structure are correlated to each other, even the debate of whether strategy or structure comes first is still in existence (Lynch, 2006). Therefore, to understand Sonys corporation strategy (Graph34) is significantly important before discussing the structure and restructuring of Sony. Besides, an essential portion of the study of Sonys actions is an understanding of the nature of business strategy for the Sony corporation as a whole (Mullins, 2010). Graph 3 Source: Sony Annual Report 1998 pp6, 7 Sony Annual Report 1999 pp26 Graph 4 Source: Sony Annual Report 2003 pp5-management discusses key issues 3.0 Organisational Structure This section is classified into two parts, 3.1 focuses on the structure of Sony in 1999 while section 3.2 concentrates on the restructuring in 2003. 3.1 Structure of Sony in 1999 Sony as a world class player in a diversified high-tech market was challenged with the fierce competition during the late 1990s (Sony, 1999). Therefore, the restructuring was necessary for Sony to survive in the competitive market. The group announced the organisations restructure plan in March 1999 to seize further growth opportunities in the new century and the Internet era (Sony, 1999). The structure of the organisation is determined by its age and size, technical system, power and environment (Mintzberg, 1979). Furthermore, in relation to the environment, the diversity of the environment will largely determine the structure of organization and directly affects the organisation functions into goal-seeking activities through the formal structure to achieve aims and objectives (Mullins, 2007; Mintzberg, 1979). In this diverse environment, different structures will be taken in specific department to meet different aspects of situation for Sony. 3.1.1 Internal Structure of Sony as a Whole The internal structure of Sony is a tall hierarchical structure as Sony consists of three main business areas which are electronic business, entertainment business and insurance and finance business (Graph 5). Besides, the setting up of the unified dispersed management model is to face the rapid change in market in the aforementioned pillars of Sony (Ravi, 2005). As a result, the overall structure of Sony in 1999 was divisionalized form. Schwartz and Thompson (1986) suggested that the divisionalization form can facilitate the various divisions to compete fiercely among them, with effective operations to face rapid changes in external environment. Graph 5 Source: www.Sony.net, Press Archive, March 29, 1999 Besides, centralization and decentralization depends on how organisational power is dispersed and is determined by the organization structure for decision-making and problem-solving (Schmidt, 2006). The structure of Sony in 1999 displayed Sonys trend to be decentralization to distribute the power yield. For example, Sony set up a unified dispersed management model which facilitates more functional and operational autonomy (Ravi, 2005). 3.1.2 Divisional Structures of Sony After the discussion above, the focus now moves to the structure of different divisions. The electronic business consists of various subsidiaries (Graph 6). Each subsidiary is responsible for its own different products and makes business decisions in different markets. There is little interdependence that exists between each other. Thus, the structure of electronic business was divisionalized form. Entertainment business displayed adhocracy due to its little formalisation of behaviour. Insurance Finance business displayed a Professional Bureaucracy structure due to its complex environment with highly trained skills and knowledge to offer standardisation of products and services (Mintzberg, 1979). Graph 6 Source: www.Sony.net, Press Archive, March 29, 1999 Each business division has the autonomous to make decisions in its daily operation. The Group headquarters concentrated on coordinating these business divisions to make a long-term business strategy. Nevertheless, under the complex, diverse and dynamic environment, perhaps the more organic and decentralized structure is more suitable for Sony. 3.2 Structure of Sony in 2003 Indeed, Sony restructured its organisation in 1999 into a more divisionalized and decentralised form using the unified dispersed model as a means of a Value Creation Model. Transformation 60 saw some changes in the architectural structure of the organisation with it becoming more centralised, management-wise and financial-wise. It was aimed to refining the organisational responsibilities in carrying out the operating strategies and restructuring the marketing strategies in profitable niches. The goals are to achieve more profit margins, reducing annual cost, and component outsourcing (Sony, 2003). 3.2.1 Divisional Structure of Transformation 60 Transformation 60 saw the convergence of the three pillars of Sony electronics, entertainment and financial as opposed to the unified dispersed model. The following are the divisional changes: In the electronics business, the management combined the Semiconductor Network Company, Home Electronics, Mobile Electronics and Information Technology (Sony, 2003). The entertainment business saw the joint of assets of pictures, music, game, electronics and services to enhance its position as a worldwide media company. The constructed financial holding company absorbed Sony Life Insurance Company Ltd, Sony Assurance Inc. and Sony Bank Inc. By these convergences, Sony clarified the operational structure and concentrated on the engineering, innovation and financial resources. According to the converging strategy, the new operation structure of Sony seems like a basic Machine Bureaucracy structure (Mintzberg, 1983). Although it is less dispersed than the structure in 1999, the pull to formalize by the technostructure of Sony could be seen in Transformation 60 (Mintzberg, 1981). The restructuring of Sony in 2003 was more centralised than before as a result of the serious convergences of several businesses. The tactical and strategic plans were permitted to each sectors, which points that the divisionalized form still existed. However, the power on personnel issues was controlled by the top management, as well as the supportive finance and the ultimate goal were allocated and formulated by the headquarters (Ravi, 2005). Moreover, the restructured Sony in 2003 did not belong to any specific structure of Mintzbergs pentagon t heory but the combined one (Graph 7). Graph 7 Sony organisational chart: electronics-related business (as of 1 April 2001) Source: www.sony.net, Press Release, 29th March 2001(a) 3.2.2 Financial Structure of Transformation 60 In the light of improving its fiscal position, the consolidation of fixed costs and the combining of assets reflected the change of a more centralized structure in Sony. The company aims to achieve an annualized cost reduction of approximately  ¥300 billion (Ravi, 2005). The cut in employees due to the off-shore strategy to China establish the Contribution equal to Compensation principal of paying for performances, as Schein (2004) stated that employees have worked well enough to be considered valid. Deactivating employees from Sony had cost the company financially and it might have explained the poor financial performance of Sony after the transformation was done. 4.0 Problems and Responses This section will discuss the problems associated with Sony alongside with the responses taken and its rationale. The difficulties faced by Sony have been separated into different categories mainly the rapid evolution of technology, competition in the market and the differences of national culture. 4.1 Rapid Evolution of Technology The rapid evolution of technology as pointed out by Idei (Ravi, 2005) has affected the electronics, entertainment and insurance and finance sectors of Sony. The constant improvements in technology have caused the company to respond to the demand of the market. The following are the responses made by the company alongside with its underlying rationale: Investments: Sony invested heavily in RD, capital equipment and facilities in order to meet demands and improve profitability. Technology for Inspiration and Shared Experience and Creating New Value are Sonys RD missions (Sony, 2011). The company believes that technology is capable of linking inspiration and shared experiences on top of creating new values and capturing emotions of customers (ibid.). Investment strategies link to the capability of top management of Sony. Organisation restructuring: The Company believes that the new group architecture can help gain market share besides increasing shareholders value (Sony, 1999). In this Value Creation Model, the unified dispersed management method saw changes in the electronics operations, establishment of Digital Network Solutions (DNS), changes in composition of workforce which could ultimately affect the morale of employees, implementation of new value-based performance measurement system and the separation of headquarters into two distinct functions (Ravi, 2005; Sony, 1999). Indeed, the model brings competitive advantage to Sony (Jayaranam Luo, 2007). In such a stiff market, it is understandable as to the measures taken to seize every opportunity. Unfortunately, in 2001, the September 11 attacks caused the consolidated drop in sales, affecting the fiscal position of the company (Sony, 2001b). This has proven that the Value Creation Model had loopholes, hence Transformation 60 took course. Severe cost saving measures were taken but by 2005, as a result of pressure from shareholder, a top management reshuffling with Howard Stringer as CEO (Ravi, 2005). This proves that investors of Sony began to lose confidence of the previous management team therefore it was necessary for the company to overhaul its board. 4.2 Market Competition Among Sonys competitors are LG, Samsung, Sharp, Dell and Canon. Each competitor seemed to have an advantage over Sony in different products. Below are among the steps taken by Sony to beat the competition in the market: Partnership with Solectron Corporation in year 2000 and off-shoring to China were to aid the outsourcing process of production of electronics was a step to help the company meet fluctuations in demands, cost reduction, quality improvisation and customer satisfaction (Sony, 2003; Sony, 2000). Outsourcing may be beneficial to the company as a whole but it could ultimately decrease the motivational level of employees, as there is a tendency of decrease of power of managers, and failure rate is between 40%-70% (Purse, 2009). This may explain the Sony Shock (Ravi, 2005) incident that happened in 2003 despite the laborious process of organisation restructuring. The cost-benefit consideration was not given much thought before the outsourcing was done. The takeover of Aiwa Co. Ltd. as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2002 was for the benefit of the electronics business of the company, particularly the audio and visual (AV) industry (Sony, 2002). The takeover became part of Transformation 60. It helped accelerate the structural reform of the electronics business of Sony on top of the creation of synergy as a result of the merger. 4.3 Differences in National Culture As Howard Stringer took over as the CEO of Sony in 2005, a major problem he would experience would be the differences in organisational culture. Culture refers to the way we do things around here (Sanchez, 2004). Being one of the few foreigners to be part of the top management in a Japanese company, Stringer has the responsibility of considering whether to impose the Western culture in a Japanese company. Azumi Mcmillan (1975) found that both the U.S. and Japanese culture are quite highly centralized and companys rules and procedures are abided. In Sony, although divisionalization form can be seen, the Headquarter still plays its role as a coordinator, meaning that ultimately, the decision-making process will need approval from the top management. Also, in Japan, traditional values that emphasises on hard work and details are a common practice due to its religion influences but in the U.S., creativity and innovation are the common values (Webster White, 2009). Hence, in U.S., risk-taking is very much observed. The open management style of Stringer, his understanding towards Sonys tradition and his international viewpoints could be the key to influence the cultural organisation (Sony, 2005). This can explain Stringers successes in streamlining Sonys movie and music businesses. 5.0 Conclusion Due to the external environment effect such as the Asian financial crisis, the ever increasing competition, as well as the internal business issues like the low efficiency, the profits of Sony has been reduced dramatically since 1998. Therefore the management had to execute some restructuring plan to respond to those concerns. According to the restructuring plan announced in March 1999, the structure of the group was divisionalized and more decentralization, in order to seize further growth opportunities in the 21st century. Besides, the group launched a unified dispersed management model to ensure that the business operate more efficiently and to be able to survive the rapid change of environment. Sony did a mass of changes to adapt to the market changes; unfortunately, the pace of the latter was overtaking the managements expectations. Consequently, Sony had to accelerate the reform plan and announced another restructuring plan called Transformation 60 in 2003. The change in 2003 s aw a stronger pull to formalize in the technostructure although it can be seen that there is a mixture between the machine bureaucracy and divisionalized forms. Convergences in the three sectors saw power being more focused at the top management. The change of technology, market competition and the differences in organisational culture, especially after the takeover of Stringer, were the main concerns of Sony. Organisational restructuring and investment strategies were among the solutions in coping with technological changes. Market competition forced Sony to deal with vast partnerships, joint ventures and mergers with other companies for outsourcing purposes. Finally, the change to a foreigner to lead a Japanese company spark concerns on the future of Sonys organisational culture. Nevertheless, based on the analysis that has been done, it can be concluded that Sonys management and business strategies affects its organisational structure. It was the drop in profits that led investors to force the overhauling of top management, as a result, the unified dispersed model and Transformation 60. Unfortunately, both measures failed to bring positive impacts to the companys fiscal positions. In light of the situation above, the new team led by Stringer with the probable change in organisational culture could probably help turn things around. 6.0 Recommendations Two main recommendations should be taken into account: Firstly, the future of the organisational culture of Sony has to be determined from two aspects based on the organization structure and the differences in national culture since the takeover of Stringer as CEO. Perhaps, Stringer could consider integrating the Eastern and the Western cultures to obtain the best of both worlds. Next, investment strategies of Sony may have to be re-evaluated again, as after the study of the company was done, there are hints of possibilities that failures in the companys fiscal position may have been caused by past investment decisions. Outsourcing may be beneficial but a thorough cost-benefit analysis has to be done. Investment decisions will reflect the capability of top management to stakeholders. Appendices Value Creation Model refers to the combination of intangible assets and monetary items to create additional value of the business for stakeholders, particularly shareholders (Qureshi, Briggs Hlupic, 2006; Haksever, Chaganti Cook, 2004). 2 The performance measurement system is capable of reflecting the current cost of capital of Sony 3 Before being elected as the CEO of Sony Corporation, he was the Chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation of America. Bibliographies Azumi, K Mcmillan, C (2004) Culture and organisation structure: a comparison of Japanese and British organisation, International Studies of Management and Organization. Vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 35-47. Available from: Business Source Premier. [Accessed 16 January 2011] Datamonitor (2010), Sony Corporation-Company Profile, pp4, 5 and 21, Publication date: 12 Mar 2010 Elkington, J. Masaki, T. (2004) CSR Report 2004, [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/csr/issues/report/2004/index.html [Accessed 5 January 2010] Haksever, C, Chaganti, R Cook, R (2004) A model of value creation: a strategic view, Journal of Business Ethics. Vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 291-305. Available from: Business Source Complete. [Accessed 27 December 2010] Jayaranam, V Luo, Y (2007) Creating competitive advantage through value creation: a reverse logistics perspectives, Academy of Management Perspectives. Vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 56-73. Available from: Business Source Complete. [Accessed 23 December 2010] Lynch, R. (2006). Corporate Strategy, 4th edition, Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall Mintzberg, H. (1979). The Structuring of Organization.Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliff Mintzberg, H. (1983). Structure in Fives: Designing Effective Organizations. Prentice-Hall Inc. pp 169-175, pp 190-200, pp 215-222, pp 273 Mintzberg, H (1981) Organization design: fashon or fit? Harvard Business Review [online]. Vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 103-116. Available from: Business Source Complete. [Accessed 16 January 2011]. Mullins, L, J. (2007) Management and Organisational Behavior, 8th edition Harlow: Pearson Education Limited Mullins, L, J. (2010) Management and Organisational Behavior, 9th edition, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited Purse, K (2009) Outsourcing myths and workers compensation claims administration, The Australian Journal of Public Administration Vol. 69, no. 4, pp. 446-458 Available from: Business Source Complete. [Accessed 4 January 2010] Qureshi, S, Briggs, R Hlupic, V (2006) Value creation from intellectual capital: convergence from knowledge management and collaboration in the intellectual bandwidth model, Group Decision and Negotiation. Vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 197-220. Available from: Business Source Complete. [Accessed 27 December 2010] Ravi, M., (2005) Sony in restructuring Mode: Stringers Challenge (B), ICFAI Knowledge Center Sanchez, P (2004) Defining corporate culture, Communication World [online]. Vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 18-21. Available from: Business Source Complete. [Accessed 27 November 2010] Schein, E. H. (2004). Organisational Culture and Leadership 3rd editions, John Wiley Sons, Inc. Schmidt, T. (2006) A review of Structure in Fives: Designing Effective Organizations Schwartz, M. and E. Thompson, 1986, Divisionalization and Entry Deterrence, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 101, 307-321. Sony (1999) Press Releases: Sony announces new group architecture for network-centric era [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199903/99-030/index.html [Accessed 23 December 2010] Sony (1999) Press Releases: Sony Announces Organisational Structure For New Network Companies [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199903/99-038/index.html [Accessed 23 December 2010] Sony (2000) Press Releases: Sony and Solectron announce cooperation in electronics manufacturing [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/200010/00-1018E/ [Accessed 4 January 2011]. Sony (2001a) Press Releases: A New Group Structure for the Next Stage of Integrated, Decentralized ManagementTransforming Sony into a Personal Broadband Network Solutions Company.[online] Available from http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/200103/01-017E/ [Accessed 3 January 2010] Sony (2001b) News and Information: Consolidated financial results for the second quarter ended 30 September 2001 [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/fr/qfhh7c000000kl5e-att/qfhh7c000000kl6g.pdf [Accessed 27 December 2010] Sony (2002) Press Releases: Accelerating structural reform of the Sony groups electronics business  [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/200202/02-0228aE/ [Accessed 5 January 2011]. Sony (2003) Press Releases: Transformation 60 confirming Sonys position as a  leading consumer brand in the 21st century [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/200310/03-047E/ [Accessed 4 January 2011] Sony (2005) News Releases: Sony Corporation announces new management structure [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200503/05-014E/index.html [Accessed 16 January 2011]. Sony (2010) Sony Annual Report 2001, 2006, 2010- Five-Year Summary of Selected Financial Data [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/ar/Archive.html [Accessed 1 December 2010] Sony (2010) Sony Annual Report 1998 pp6, 7 Sony Annual Report 1999 pp26 [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/ar/Archive.html [Accessed 1 December 2010] Sony (2010) Sony Annual Report 2003 pp5-management discusses key issues [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/financial/ar/Archive.html [Accessed 1 December 2010] Sony (2010) About Sony Group-Sony Corp. Info [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/index.html [Accessed 3 December 2010] Sony (2010) Technology: RD Mission [online]. Available from: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/technology/rd/index.html [Accessed 20 December 2010] Webster, C White, A (2009) Exploring the national and organisational culture mix in service firms, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science [online]. Vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 691-703. Available from: Springerlink. [Accessed 30 November 2010]