Thursday, October 31, 2019
Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Conflict - Essay Example Some used avoidance while others used competition in conflict resolution. Still others use an accommodation, compromising or collaborating conflict resolution styles. The latter was sociologically effective in eliciting a win-win resolution to situation. A non-assertive collaborator is a silent onlooker of the conflict situation and whose decision can be swayed and be taken advantaged with such helplessness. The person could be influenced to various demands and requests thoughtlessly. Roger (2008) pointed that non-assertive collaborator allow other people to decide for his fate, direction and outcome of living. Roger (2008) explicated that such personality can be depicted as emotionally dishonest, ambivalent, thrives in denial and hindered by inhibitions. In conflict situation, non-assertive collaborator could be easily offended, nervous, and sometimes confused with oneââ¬â¢s decision. He could be critical too to the point of ambivalence. Non-assertive personââ¬â¢s gestures are illustrated with shyness or inability to establish eye contacts whenever communicating or there is obvious hesitancy to commit and assume responsibilities or obligations (Roger, 2008). The person is uncertain of his participation in this collaboration, although there is certain level of emotional satisfaction in his involvement in conflict situation management. Depending on the depth of the knowledge and skills of the collaborator, the non-assertive character could susceptibly be understood as a person who weighs issues without aggression and attempts to deal with situation in a calmer and patient management. However, as conflict management requires intellectual impartiality in dealing with conflict situation, decisions require that all accounts of the situations and issues are weighed well to achieve a certain level of justness in the decision-makings (Armstrong, 2004). While hoping to achieve better solution to
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Quality assessment at bank call centre Research Paper
Quality assessment at bank call centre - Research Paper Example is a need to decrease variation so that proper attention can be given to continuous improvement in what is provided to the customers as is demanded by the customers. Another philosophy which needs to be established as a central part of the organization is the crucial need to implement correct controls along with proper techniques so that improvement can be made whenever it is required and is possible. As a student, it is very important for us to properly understand and realize the importance quality holds for organizations, specially the service sector which constantly is informing its employeeââ¬â¢s importance of quality to make them an important customer segment. After a lot of research, finally we were able to find a bank which is providing proper service to its customers which is ICICI bank.à à At ICICI Bank, all the banking and also financial products are offered to the corporate and also retail customers , they are using a variety of delivery channels and also through their subsidiaries which are specialized in life and also non-life insurance, investment banking also also asset management and venture capital. The bank is operating in India, Russia, Canada, Hong Kong, China and also United Kingdom.ICICI equity shares are basically listed in India on National Stock Exchange of India Limited and also Bombay Stock Exchange. American depositary Receipts are basically listed on New York Stock Exchange. Company was basically promoted during the year 1994 and was by ICICI limited which is an Indian Financial Institution and was also wholly owned through subsidiary. ICICI has board comprising of eminent individuals who are wealthy and also have international business experience related to financial services, banking and also management consulting. ICICI is providing innovati on in banking services which are liked and recognized all over the world. They have properly managed idea along with innovative products and also launches. Bank is also involved in engaging
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Voting Habits in US Elections
Voting Habits in US Elections The right to vote typifies the soul of American popular government. Despite the fact that we have propounded popular government abroad, suffrage has never been just as open to all Americans. Making a choice is the most broadly comprehended and discretely compelling approach to have ones voice heard in American legislative issues. When we practice our entitlement to vote in favor of open authorities, the votes we cast reach out a long ways past one election: we have the capacity choose people who will settle on cement choices for our sake about how our legislature will be run, the wars we participate in and how assets, both national and nearby, are disseminated. Also, the election of candidates from assorted groups serves to make an initiative base that can well-spoken and supporter for the particularized needs of these groups. This history of the right to vote has been characterized by rejections. Toward the start of our republic generally just white guys with property or riches could practice the right to vote. The primary significant development of the right to vote happened after the Civil War with the appropriation of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which developed the right to vote to previous African American slaves. On the other hand, from that time until the Voting Rights Act in 1965, numerous African American, Latino/an, Asian American and indigenous Indian groups were kept from the surveys through clearly bigot implies. In spite of the fact that the entry of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 proclaimed a fresh start in giving racial and ethnic minority groups with access to the political methodology, the battle for all inclusive suffrage and political cooperation is a long way from being done. This battle for electing correspondence proceeds with today. Concerned group activ ists, voting rights legal advisors and different promoters furnished with instruments, for example, the government Voting Rights Act and other elected and state statutes, persevere in their endeavors to destroy the last vestiges of appointive gadgets, practices and methodology that repress the full political mix of racial and ethnic minority groups. The most fascinating inquiries concerning an election are not concerned with who won however with so much inquiries as why individuals voted the way that they did or what the ramifications of the results are. These inquiries are not generally effectively replied. Looking just at the fight occasions and episodes wont suffice. The one of a kind parts of the election must be mixed with a more general understanding of electing conduct to make a full clarification. We in this way need to talk about fundamental ideas and thoughts utilized as a part of the investigation of voting conduct as a premise for examining the 2004 results. Two noteworthy concerns portray the investigation of appointive conduct. One worry is with clarifying the race come about by distinguishing the wellsprings of individual voting conduct. We endeavor to comprehend the election result by seeing how and why the voters made up their personalities. An alternate real concern in voting exploration stresses changes in voting examples over the long run, for the most part with an endeavor to figure out what the race results let us know about the bearing in which American legislative issues is moving. For this situation, we concentrate on the elements of constituent conduct, particularly as far as present and future improvements. These two concerns are corresponding, not opposing, however they do accentuate distinctive sets of examination inquiries. For our reasons, these two concerns give a valuable premise to examining key parts of voting conduct. Numerous Americans nearly take after political issues, yet studies demonstrate that most dont. Most Americans in this manner settle on their political choices, and voting choices, in view of variables other than the issues. These variables include: The voters experience and recognizable proof with the hopefuls The voters party recognizable proof The voters perspective of the officeholders past execution For some voters, their impressions in regards to specific hopefuls and political partys are profound established. Most voters know how they will vote, even in the early phases of a fight. It is uncommon for crusades to change the brains of voters, however some of the time a crusade can effectively influence enough voters to impact the anticipated conclusion of a race. Consider the 2012 presidential race. Different surveys demonstrated that just around 10% of enrolled voters asserted to be undecided in the two months before Election Day. Of those 10%, roughly 40% asserted to be inclining to a specific hopeful. Likewise note that, of those 10%, just 61% were named liable to vote whatsoever. A voters experience has the biggest impact on that voters choice. Voter foundation implies the voters social personality, for example, monetary class, ethnicity, sex, race and religious inclination. Regularly, an applicant will intentionally rigging crusade messages to specific voters, utilizing a subject that passes on equivalence. This equality can be focused around the general foundation, appearance or even the identity of the applicant. Then again, once in a while voters relate to an applicant even without that hopeful intentionally indulging shared characteristic. In any case, voters have a tendency to vote in favor of the competitor that appears to be most like them. Case in point, 95% of African-Americans who voted in the 2008 race voted in favor of African-American hopeful Barack Obama. Of those African-Americans who voted in the 2012 election, 93% voted in favor of Obamas reelection. In the 2008 essential races, a greater number of ladies than men voted in favor of female hopeful Hillary Clinton. Notwithstanding, female minorities still had a tendency to vote in favor of Obama and Obama won the Democratic selection over Clinton. In 1960, John F. Kennedy was ready to turn into our countrys initially chosen Catholic president. He won, with about 78% of Catholic voters throwing their votes in favor of Kennedy. Presently how about we investigate the impact of a voters party. A voters party distinguishing proof specifically impacts that voters choice. By party ID, we mean a voters party association as well as a voters mental connection to a specific political party. Eminently, near to 90% of voters partnered with a political party vote in favor of that partys applicant in presidential races. American voters have a tendency to learn and embrace whichever party association most affected their childhoods. Those brought up in a group of Democrats generally recognize themselves as politically liberal, while those brought up in a group of Republicans normally distinguish themselves as politically moderate. Be that as it may, this is not generally the situation. The quantity of voters recognizing themselves as Independent is on the ascent, however 89% of those voters case to incline to a specific political party. Note that these Independents are very nearly as prone to help a political partys appli cant as those voters who transparently partner themselves with that party. The presidential race, the absolute most vital election in America, regularly goes unnoticed by a huge number of people the country over. Notwithstanding its criticalness in excess of 36 percent of the 206 million qualified voters ââ¬â more than 70 million individuals, in excess of eight million of which were 18 to 24 ââ¬â neglected to make their choice in the 2008 election. For each presidential election, a large number of secondary school understudies and different grown-ups pick not to vote. By doing so they crush the motivation behind majority rules system and relinquish the benefit to vote in favor of their next president. In a perfect world each qualified subject would vote to fairly choose future authorities, however numerous individuals quit of voting and never offer thought to such stupendous choices. As a just republic, the United States provides for its kin the ability to choose authorities who will go ahead to choose the fate of the country. This right takes a stab at the overwhelming expense of war, and even today a few different nations offer their residents no such popularity based methodology. America provides for its kin sure rights, and its kin ââ¬â every one of them, even secondary school understudies ââ¬â ought to use these rights to their fullest degree. Voting is the pith of popular government and its most urgent. References Teixeira, R. A. (2011).The disappearing American voter. Brookings Institution Press. Dalton, R. J. (2013).Citizen politics: Public opinion and political parties in advanced industrial democracies. CQ Press. Hazan, R. Y., Rahat, G. (2010).Democracy within parties: candidate selection methods and their political consequences. Oxford University Press. Aarts, K., Blais, A., Schmitt, H. (Eds.). (2011).Political leaders and democratic elections. Oxford University Press.
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Pastoral Setting of Shakespeares As You Like It :: Shakespeare As You Like It Essays
The Pastoral Setting of As You Like It à Central to the pastoral vision of As You Like It is the setting in the Forest of Ardenne, especially the contrast between it and the ducal court. In the former, there is a powerful political presence which creates dangers. Deception lurks behind many actions, brothers have secret agendas against their brothers, and people have to answer to the arbitrary demands of power. à In the Forest of Ardenne, however, life is very different. For one thing, there is no urgency to the agenda. There are no clocks in the forest, and for the exiled courtiers there is no regular work. They are free to roam around the forest, prompted by their own desires. There is plenty of food to eat, so the communal hunt takes care of their physical needs. That and the absence of a complex political hierarchy creates a much stronger sense of communal equality hearkening back the the mythical good old days. The exiled Duke himself attests to the advantages of living far from the court, free of the deceits of flattery and double dealing and welcomes Orlando to the feast without suspicion. à And, most important here, especially in comparison with the history plays, is the importance of singing. As You Like It is full of songs-not performances by professional court musicians, but impromptu group singing which expresses better than anything else the spontaneous joy these people derive from life in the Forest and the joy they give back to others. The songs indicate clearly the way in which in the Forest people can shape their actions to their moods-a situation totally unlike the court where one has to consider one's actions much more carefully. à Hence, the Forest of Ardenne provides for the exiled courtiers an important freedom to experiment with their lives, to discover things about themselves. In the Forest people can talk openly with whoever they might happen to meet on a stroll through the trees, and that might be anyone, given that in the Forest no one owns any particular territory (there are no rooms, palaces, roads-unlike the court where there is a preoccupation with property) and thus one might well meet and have to deal with a person whom one would never get close to in the court (that can have comic results, of course, as Touchstone's conversations with Audrey and William demonstrate).
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Neural & Synaptic Transmission
The nervous system is made up of neurons and glila cells. Neurons are the basic communication links in the nervous system. Glila cell provide support for neurons and contribute to communication. Neurons normally transmit a neural impulse (an electric current) along an axon to a synapse with another neuron. The neural impulse is a brief change in neuronââ¬â¢s electrical charge that moves along an axon. It is an all-or-none event. Action potential triggers the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters that diffuse across the synapse to communicate with other neurons. Transmitters bind with receptors in the postsynaptic cell membrane, causing excitatory or inhibitory PSPs.Most neurons are linked in neural pathway, circuits, and networks. In the nervous system, the neural impulse functions as a signal. For that signal to have any meaning for the system as a whole, it must be transmitted from the neuron to other cell. As noted above, this transmission takes place at special junctio n called Synapses, which depend on chemical messengers. To explain in another way neural impulses are electro chemical events. When Neurons stimulated beyond threshold level, there is a rapid shift in its polarity from negative to positive charge. This reversal of charge, called an action potential or neural impulse, is generated along the length of the axon to the terminal buttons.When neural impulse reaches the terminal button, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry the message across the synapse to neighboring neurons. Neurotransmitters can have either excitatory or inhibitory effect to the neurons at which they dock. Example: The educational and childcare reformers who have used brain science as the base for their campaigns have primarily cited to key findings: the discovery of critical period in neural development and the demonstration that rats raised in ââ¬Å"enriched environmentsâ⬠have more synapses than rates raised in ââ¬Å "impoverished environments.â⬠A critical period is a limited time span in the development of an organism when it is optimal for certain capacities to emerge because the organism is especially responsive to certain experiences.Classical conditioning Classical conditioning explains how neutral stimulus can acquire the capacity to elicit a response originally evoked by another stimulus. This kind of conditioning was originally described by Ivan Pavlov. Many kind of everyday responses are regulated through classical conditioning, including phobias, fears, and pleasant emotional responses. Even psychological responses such as immune and sexual functioning and drug tolerance can be influenced by classical conditioning. A conditioned response may be weakened and extinguished entirely when the CS is no longer paired with the US. In some case, spontaneous recovery occurs, and an extinguished response reappears after a period of non-exposure to CS.Conditioning may generalized to addition al stimuli that are similar to the original CS. The opposite of generalization is discrimination, which involve not responding to stimuli that resemble the original CS. Higher order conditioning occurs when a CS function as if it were US, to establish new conditioning. Example: The art of manipulating peopleââ¬â¢s association has been perfected by the advertising industry. Advertisers consistently endeavor to pair the product they are pendling with stimuli that seem likely to elicit positive emotional response. Like advertisers, candidates running for election need to influence the attitude of many people quickly, subtly, and effectively- and they depend on evaluation conditioning to help them do so. For example , politician show-up at an endless variety of pleasant public events( such as opening of a new mall) that often have nothing to do with their public service.Stress Stress is common every day event, even seemingly minor stressors or hassles can be problematic. To a large d egree, stress lies in the eye of the beholder, as appraisals of stress are highly subjective. Major type of stress includes frustration, conflict, change, and pressure. Frustration occurs when an obstacle prevent one from attaining some goal. The three principal type of conflict are approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, and approach-avoidance. A large number of studies with the SRRS suggest that change is stressful. Although this may be true, it is now clear that the SRRS is a measure of general stress rather than just change related stress.Two kind of pressure ( to perform and conform) also appears to be stressful. Emotional reaction to stress typically include anger,à fear, and sadness, although positive emotions may also occur may promote resilience. Emotional arousal may interfere with coping. The optimal level of arousal on a task depends on the complexity of the task. The psychological arousal in response to stress was originally called the fight-or-flight response by Cann on. The fight-or-flight response may be less applicable to women than men. Selyeââ¬â¢s general adaptation syndrome describes three stages in physiological reaction to stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.There are two major pathways along which the brain send signal to the endocrine system in response to stress. Action along these pathrelesea two set of hoemonse, catecholamines and corticosteroids, into the bloodstream. Stress may support the process of neurogenesis. Some coping responses are less than optimal. They include giving up, blaming oneself, and striking out at others with act of aggression. Indulging oneself is another coping pattern that tends to be of limited value. Defense mechanism protect against emotional distress through self-deception. Small positive illusion about oneself may sometimes be adaptive.Piaget According to Piagetââ¬â¢s theory of cognitive development, the key advance during sensorimotor period is the childââ¬â¢s gradual recognition of the permanence of objects. The preoperational period is marked by certain deficiencies in thinking- notably, centration, irreversibility, and ego centrism. Jean Piaget (1929, 1952, 1983) was an interdisciplinary scholar whose own cognitive development was exceptionally rapid. In his early 20s, after he had earned a doctorate in natural science and published a novel, piaget turned his focus on psychology.He soon found himself administering intelligent test to children to develop better test norms. In doing this testing, piaget became intrigued the reasoning underlying the childrenââ¬â¢s wrong answers. He decided that measuring children intelligent was less interesting than studying how children use their intelligence. He spent the rest of his life studying cognitive development. Many of his ideas were based on insights gleaned from carful observation of his own three children during their infancy.Like Eriksonââ¬â¢s theory, Piaget model is a stage theory of development. Piaget prop osed that the youngsters progress through four major stages of cognitive development, which are characterized byà fundamentally different thought process: (1) Sensorimotor period (birth to age 2), (2) the preoperational period (age 2 to 7), (3) the concret operational period (age 7 to 10), and (4) the formal operational period (age 11 onwards). Example; fathers are essential for healthy development. Over the last 40 years proportion of children growing up without a father in home has more than doubled. During the same time, we have seen dramatic increase in teenager pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, violent crime, drug abuse, eating disorder, teen suicide and family dysfunction.Erikson Erikson theory of personality development propose that individual evolve through eight stages over the life span. In each stage the person wresles with changes (crises) in social relationship. According to Erikson Personality is shaped by how individual deal with these psychological crises. Each cris is involves a struggle between two opposing tendencies, such as trust versus mistrust or initiative vesus guilt, both of which are experienced by the person. Erikson describes the stages interms of these antagonistic tendencies, which represent personality treatesthat people display in varying degrees over the reminder of theier lives. Although the names for Eriksonââ¬â¢s stage suggest either-or-outcomes, he viewed each stage as a tug of war that determind the subsequent balance between opposing polarities in personalties.The eight stages In Erikson theory are: stage 1- Trust versus mistrust ( is my word predictable and supportive?, first year of life), stage 2-Authonomy versus sham and doubt (Can I do thing myself or must I always rely on others?, second and third years), stage 3-Initiative versus guilt (Am I good or am I bad?, fourth through six years), stage 4- Industry versus inferiority ( Am I competent or am worthless? Age six through puberity), stage 5-Identity versus conf usion (Who am I and where am I going?, adolscent), stage 6- Intimacy versus isolation (Shall I share my life with another or live alone?, early adulthood), stage 7-Generativity versus selfe-absorbtion (will I produce something of real value?, middle adulhood), stage 8-integrity versus despair (have I lived a full life?, late adulthood)Psychoanalytic (Freud/Jung) Freudââ¬â¢s psychoanalytic theory emphasis the importance of the unconscious. Freud described personality structure in terms of three components- the id, ego-and superego- which are routinely involved in ongoing series of internal conflict. Freud theorized that conflict centering on sex and aggression are specially likely to lead to anxiety. According to Freud, anxiety and other unpleasant emotions such as guilt are often warded off with defense mechanisms. Freud described a series of five stages of development: Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.Certain experiences during these stages can have lasting effect on ad ult personality. Jungââ¬â¢s most innovative and controversial concept was the collective unconscious. Adlerââ¬â¢s individual psychology emphasis how people strive for superiority to compensate for their feeling of inferiority. Overall, Psychodynamic theories have produced many ground breaking insights about the unconscious, the role of internal conflict and the importance of early childhood experiences in personality development. However, psychodynamic theories have been criticized for their poor testability, inadequate base of empirical evidence, and their male centered view.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning has also found its way into the realms of entertainment. The most notable example of this is the 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange written by Anthony Burgess and it subsequent 1971 movie directed by the late Stanley Kubrick (Internet Movie Database. ) A Clockwork Orange details the activities of a young ultra-violet protagonist named Alex. Alex is ââ¬Å"curedâ⬠of his evil tendencies via classical conditioning. He is forced to watch various films depicting ultra-violence (US) and the like , and his natural feeling of excitement or joy serves as the UR. The films are paired with a drug (CS) that makes Alex violently ill. In turn Alex eventually becomes violently ill (now the CR) when he begins to feel the excitement associated with violence. The people treating Alex also utilize galvanic skin response (GSR) to get the optimal results. GSR is used to measure arousal from a stimulus (Hawkins 1998. ) It uses small electrodes attached to the skin that measures minute changes in perspiration. The most well known use for GSR is in the lie detector test (Hawkins 1998. The book brings up certain moral aspects of classical conditioning when used to modify behavior (such as consumer behavior. ) Burgess makes his character out to be programmed, and unable to make choices on his own. It is generally believed that Burgess overstates the power of classical conditioning in the context complete behavior reform. In addition to entertainment, classical conditioning is also used as a marketing tool. Classical conditioning is generally used with low-in volvement products (Hawkins 1998. ) This is because classical conditioning is most effective when emotion is involved (Classical Conditioning. Advertising for low-involvement products usually attacks the consumer through affective means because nobody wants to think (cognitive) about purchasing low-involvement products. Advertising and sales promotion (event sponsorship) are the most common forms of classical conditioning in marketing. Classical conditioning is used in a plethora of advertisements. The idea behind it is a simple one. Make an ad (US) that elicits a positive response (UR) in the person exposed to the ad. The product or brand within the ad then becomes the CS. The goal of advertisers is to get the exposed person at the grocery store or what have you, to associate the positive feeling they had for the ad with the product. This makes the positive feeling now the CR. Event sponsorship is very similar to this. With event sponsorship the sponsor wants the person viewing the event (US) to project the positive feelings (UR) they get from the event with their product. The big advantage to event sponsorship is that the person being exposed has generally chosen to be exposed to the event. Therefore, the positive emotional feeling toward the event can be intense. This can also be a double-edged sword as well. This occurs when the emotion involved is extremely negative. An example of this is when it is a sporting event, and the exposed personââ¬â¢s favorite team loses. The product could then be associated with those feelings. One area extensively covered with regard to classical conditioning and consumer behavior is the effect of background music. Gerald Gorn can be considered the leader in this research due to his 1982 experiment involving background music and the color of pen chosen as a gift (Kellaris 1989. The experiment involved pairing one pen color with pleasant music, and pairing another pen color with unpleasant music. Several pen colors were tested and ranked on a scale of one to seven. Then two pen colors with similar positions were used in the experiment. The music was picked using a ranking scale as well, except instead of picking two pieces with similar positions, the two selections were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. T he subjects then were exposed to slides of the one color pen paired with pleasant music, and the other with unpleasant. When given a choice the more subjects chose the pen color associated with the pleasant music This study has a major impact because it showed that consumer behavior can be influenced rather easily. The Gorn experiments are not without controversy (mostly regarding the procedures used in the experiment), but the are still very widely accepted and referenced (Kellaris 1989. ) Another area looked at by marketers is how often to repeat the advertisement. This will be looked at in the next section. Low-involvement advertising needs extensive repetition in advertising (Hawkins 1998. This is mostly because people just are not actively searching for information on low-involvement products. This generally means that not a great deal of attention is paid to ads for low-involvement products. The problem with this is a certain amount of diminished return on the ad. The first time the ad is adequately comprehended it is generally as funny, emotional, etc. as it is going to get. From that point on its affect diminishes and the conditioning is not as strong. This encourages companies to advertise in campaigns. This way they donââ¬â¢t have to reinvent the wheel every time out, but they can still remain fresh with ongoing variations. Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning has also found its way into the realms of entertainment. The most notable example of this is the 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange written by Anthony Burgess and it subsequent 1971 movie directed by the late Stanley Kubrick (Internet Movie Database. ) A Clockwork Orange details the activities of a young ultra-violet protagonist named Alex. Alex is ââ¬Å"curedâ⬠of his evil tendencies via classical conditioning. He is forced to watch various films depicting ultra-violence (US) and the like , and his natural feeling of excitement or joy serves as the UR. The films are paired with a drug (CS) that makes Alex violently ill. In turn Alex eventually becomes violently ill (now the CR) when he begins to feel the excitement associated with violence. The people treating Alex also utilize galvanic skin response (GSR) to get the optimal results. GSR is used to measure arousal from a stimulus (Hawkins 1998. ) It uses small electrodes attached to the skin that measures minute changes in perspiration. The most well known use for GSR is in the lie detector test (Hawkins 1998. The book brings up certain moral aspects of classical conditioning when used to modify behavior (such as consumer behavior. ) Burgess makes his character out to be programmed, and unable to make choices on his own. It is generally believed that Burgess overstates the power of classical conditioning in the context complete behavior reform. In addition to entertainment, classical conditioning is also used as a marketing tool. Classical conditioning is generally used with low-in volvement products (Hawkins 1998. ) This is because classical conditioning is most effective when emotion is involved (Classical Conditioning. Advertising for low-involvement products usually attacks the consumer through affective means because nobody wants to think (cognitive) about purchasing low-involvement products. Advertising and sales promotion (event sponsorship) are the most common forms of classical conditioning in marketing. Classical conditioning is used in a plethora of advertisements. The idea behind it is a simple one. Make an ad (US) that elicits a positive response (UR) in the person exposed to the ad. The product or brand within the ad then becomes the CS. The goal of advertisers is to get the exposed person at the grocery store or what have you, to associate the positive feeling they had for the ad with the product. This makes the positive feeling now the CR. Event sponsorship is very similar to this. With event sponsorship the sponsor wants the person viewing the event (US) to project the positive feelings (UR) they get from the event with their product. The big advantage to event sponsorship is that the person being exposed has generally chosen to be exposed to the event. Therefore, the positive emotional feeling toward the event can be intense. This can also be a double-edged sword as well. This occurs when the emotion involved is extremely negative. An example of this is when it is a sporting event, and the exposed personââ¬â¢s favorite team loses. The product could then be associated with those feelings. One area extensively covered with regard to classical conditioning and consumer behavior is the effect of background music. Gerald Gorn can be considered the leader in this research due to his 1982 experiment involving background music and the color of pen chosen as a gift (Kellaris 1989. The experiment involved pairing one pen color with pleasant music, and pairing another pen color with unpleasant music. Several pen colors were tested and ranked on a scale of one to seven. Then two pen colors with similar positions were used in the experiment. The music was picked using a ranking scale as well, except instead of picking two pieces with similar positions, the two selections were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. T he subjects then were exposed to slides of the one color pen paired with pleasant music, and the other with unpleasant. When given a choice the more subjects chose the pen color associated with the pleasant music This study has a major impact because it showed that consumer behavior can be influenced rather easily. The Gorn experiments are not without controversy (mostly regarding the procedures used in the experiment), but the are still very widely accepted and referenced (Kellaris 1989. ) Another area looked at by marketers is how often to repeat the advertisement. This will be looked at in the next section. Low-involvement advertising needs extensive repetition in advertising (Hawkins 1998. This is mostly because people just are not actively searching for information on low-involvement products. This generally means that not a great deal of attention is paid to ads for low-involvement products. The problem with this is a certain amount of diminished return on the ad. The first time the ad is adequately comprehended it is generally as funny, emotional, etc. as it is going to get. From that point on its affect diminishes and the conditioning is not as strong. This encourages companies to advertise in campaigns. This way they donââ¬â¢t have to reinvent the wheel every time out, but they can still remain fresh with ongoing variations.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Health Care and Culture Essays
Health Care and Culture Essays Health Care and Culture Paper Health Care and Culture Paper Culture is an important ingredient in the mode of life of any group, be they ethnic or modern sub-cultures. In addition, culture is a very pervasive matter and that is why it also has an important impact in health care delivery. Moreover, there are some societies that are sensitive when it comes to their culture. This is the reason is why, it is necessary to tread around carefully so as not to give offense to the culture. Otherwise health care delivery will not only be seen as negative, the persons delivering the health care will also be considered as outsiders in the culture and thus, will make it harder for them to penetrate into the community. But what is culture? According to Hoult (1969), culture refers broadly to the values, norms, institutions and artifacts that a particular society holds dear. This also includes the language, the manner of communications and the nature of social relationships in any given society. Because of the surge of immigration into the United States coupled with the trend of globalization, it has become important for people from various races and culture to coexist with each other. According to Larsen (2004, pp. 1-2), in 2003, 33. 5 million people in the United States were foreign born. This accounts for more than ten percent of the total population of the United States. Given this, there is a need for people, especially those that are engaged in the delivery of important services such as health care. Cultural Competence and Effective Communication The US Department of Health and Human Services (2003) identified the concept of cultural competence in dealing with the culture of people who are in need of important services, especially in disaster mental health programs. Cultural competence refers to the changes in the perceptions, attitudes and even the basic treatment of people in connection to various cultural groups. It is exemplified by sensitivity and awareness of differences yet granting respect to different groups. Furthermore, the Departmentââ¬â¢s publication highlighted the importance of the community in the lives of ethnic and cultural groups and this is the reason why in the occurrence of disasters, it is important to get through to the community and help them recover together. An awareness and sensitivity of culture is needed in this regard. Hence, ââ¬Å"effective communicationâ⬠cannot be discounted as an important factor in getting through to the members of the community (US DHHS, 2003). Effective communication would then mean taking into account the various cultural expressions of such groups and be sensitive to these expressions. Another important reason why communication is essential is that people from cultural groups tend to bring with them their own ideas about diseases, which may not be accurate scientifically. It falls upon the health care practitioner to communicate with these people the proper way of treating diseases with proper understanding and sensitivity (ââ¬Å"Why Language and Cultureâ⬠, 2003). Cultural Group and Health Service Needs The Hispanic Americans comprise the largest nonwhite ethnic group in the United States. The focus, however, is on the elderly members of this sub-population in the US. Hispanic Americans who are 65 years old and over make up 5. 6% of the total population of older Americans. These older Hispanics are faced with various health threats such as coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes among others. In terms of mental health, several studies have shown that there are symptoms of depression among older Hispanic women. As such, this group of people needs to have medical assistance. On the other hand, several cultural issues that need to be addressed include language, the family, as well as religion and spirituality and how this group defines illness (Talamantes, Lindeman, Mouton, 2003). Also, given the difficulty of some members of this population to speak English, it would be necessary for health workers to have a translator handy in order to translate for them and to watch out the cultural nuances that need to be taken care of. Bhui, et. al. (2007) discovered that although there have been several attempts to incorporate cultural competence in the delivery of health care services. They concluded, however, that much of these works have been exploratory and that the efficiency and effectiveness of training has not been fully established. As such further quantitative studies and more effective trainings are called for in the future. In addition to the delivery of health care services, it is also important for the members of this population to have access to medicines. In this regard, pharmacists should also have the necessary skills in promoting cultural competence and providing service to different clients regardless of their cultural backgrounds (Oââ¬â¢Connell, et. al. , 2007) Conclusion The world is sinking, thanks to globalization. Increasingly the United States and other countries in the world are becoming multicultural and that people share and trade off stories. Yet, the process of integration is not as easy as it looks to be, especially in the area of language and in the overall dynamics of communications. This is the reason why in the delivery of service, those who administer them should be able to relate well with other people of different cultures. Through this way, they will be more effective in communicating and in getting their points across to those who need medical help. Reference Bhui, K. , Warfa, N. , Edonya, P. , McKenzie, K. , Bhugra, D. (2007). Cultural Competence in Mental Health Care: a Review of Model Evaluations. BMC Health Services Research, 7: 15. Retrieved 12 July 2007 from pubmedcentral. nih. gov/articlerender. fcgi? artid=1800843. Hoult, T. F. (Ed) (1969). Dictionary of Modern Sociology. Totowa, NJ: Littlefields, Adams. Larsen, L. J. (2004). The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2003. United States Census Bureau. Accessed 9 July 2007 from census. gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-551. pdf. O, Connell, M. B. , Korner, E. J. , Rickles, N. M. Sias, J. J. (2007). Cultural Competence in Health Care and Its Implications for Pharmacy Part 1: Overview of Key Contents in Multicultural Health Care. American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 27 (7), 1062-1079. Talamantes, M. , Lindeman, R. , Mouton, C. (2003). Ethnogeriatric Curriculum Module: Health and Health Care of Hispanic/Latino American Elders. Stanford University. Retrieved 12 July 2007 from stanford. edu/group/ethnoger/hispaniclatino. html. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2003) Developing Cultural Competence in Disaster Mental Health Programs: Guiding Principles and Recommendations. DHHS Pub. No. SMA 3828. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Why Language and Culture Are Important. (2003). Diversity Rx. Retrieved 12 July 2007 from diversityrx. org/HTML/ESLANG. htm.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Free Essays on The Horse Dance
The Horse Dance The horse dance started out with a crier sent around in the morning who told the people to camp in a circle at a certain place. The people did this, in the middle of the Circle Bear Sings and Black Road set a sacred tepee of bison hide, and on it they painted pictures from Black Elks vision. On the West side hey painted a bow and a cup of water, on the north, white geese and the herb, on the east, the daybreak star and the pipe, on the south, the flowering stick and the nations hoop. They also painted horses, elk, and bison. Then over the door of the sacred tepee, they painted the flaming rainbow. For this ritual Black Elk was told not to eat anything until the horse dance was over. There were four black horses to represent the West, four white horses for the north, four sorrels for the east, four buckskins for the south. For all these young riders had been chosen. And Black Elk got a bay horse to ride on, as it was in his vision. Four of the most beautiful girls in the village were ready to take their part, and there were six old men to use as the Grandfathers. The four girls and the sixteen horses all faced the sacred tepee. Black Road and Bear Sings started out singing a song, and all the others sang along following, this song was as follows ââ¬Å"Father, paint the earth on me. Father, paint the earth on me. Father, paint the earth on me. A nation I will make over. A two- legged nation I will make holy. Father, paint the earth on me.â⬠The four black-horse riders were painted all black with blue lightning stripes down their legs and arms and white hail spots on their hips, and there were blue streaks of lightning on the horseââ¬â¢s leg. The white horse riders were painted all white with red streaks of lightning on their arms and legs of the horses there were streaks of red lightning, and all the white riders wore plumes of white horse hair on their heads to look like geese. The riders of th... Free Essays on The Horse Dance Free Essays on The Horse Dance The Horse Dance The horse dance started out with a crier sent around in the morning who told the people to camp in a circle at a certain place. The people did this, in the middle of the Circle Bear Sings and Black Road set a sacred tepee of bison hide, and on it they painted pictures from Black Elks vision. On the West side hey painted a bow and a cup of water, on the north, white geese and the herb, on the east, the daybreak star and the pipe, on the south, the flowering stick and the nations hoop. They also painted horses, elk, and bison. Then over the door of the sacred tepee, they painted the flaming rainbow. For this ritual Black Elk was told not to eat anything until the horse dance was over. There were four black horses to represent the West, four white horses for the north, four sorrels for the east, four buckskins for the south. For all these young riders had been chosen. And Black Elk got a bay horse to ride on, as it was in his vision. Four of the most beautiful girls in the village were ready to take their part, and there were six old men to use as the Grandfathers. The four girls and the sixteen horses all faced the sacred tepee. Black Road and Bear Sings started out singing a song, and all the others sang along following, this song was as follows ââ¬Å"Father, paint the earth on me. Father, paint the earth on me. Father, paint the earth on me. A nation I will make over. A two- legged nation I will make holy. Father, paint the earth on me.â⬠The four black-horse riders were painted all black with blue lightning stripes down their legs and arms and white hail spots on their hips, and there were blue streaks of lightning on the horseââ¬â¢s leg. The white horse riders were painted all white with red streaks of lightning on their arms and legs of the horses there were streaks of red lightning, and all the white riders wore plumes of white horse hair on their heads to look like geese. The riders of th...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
What Does it Take to Get into Fordham University?
Only 46% of Fordham University applicants are admitted. What does it take to get in? Founded in 1841 by the Catholic Diocese of New York, Fordham University is an acclaimed private research institution located in New York City. Fordham is a Jesuit, Catholic institution that is committed to both its founding religious values and the academic development of its student body. Additionally, the university and its students are fully engaged with its greater urban communityââ¬âtruly living up to the saying, New York is my campus. Fordham is my school. à With its rich history and dedication to excellence, Fordham is a top choice for many applicants around the world. However, with an acceptance rate of 46%, getting into Fordham is no guarantee. If youââ¬â¢re looking to contribute to Fordhamââ¬â¢s vibrant community, keep reading for tips on how to craft a successful application. You can apply to Fordham University using The Common Application. For more information on The Common Application, check out our application guide, The Common App: Everything You Need to Know . Students may apply by November 1 for either Early Decision, Early Action or Priority Performance and by January 11 for Regular Decision. à There are specific commitment expectations associated with priority deadlines ; if youââ¬â¢re unsure about when you should apply, check out our post Early Action vs. Early Decision vs. Restricted Early Action for more insight. When applying, be sure to submit the following: Transfer applicants have a different set of deadlines and requirements. For more information, visit Fordhamââ¬â¢s Transfer Admission page. With an undergraduate admissions rate of 46%, Fordham is moderately selective. In the fall of 2018, 46,164 students applied and 21,216 were admitted. Of those, approximately 2,260 students actually enrolled. Although admissions statistics can be intimidating, keep in mind that the strength of your individual application factors heavily into your personal chance of acceptance. Beyond strong grades and test scores, a well-crafted application can make all of the difference.à Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in todayââ¬â¢s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. As a research institution shaped by the dynamism of New York City, Fordham values applicants who are passionate and committed to taking their learning beyond the classroomââ¬âa true embodiment of their motto Sapienta et Doctrina, or wisdom and learning. Academic History. Fordham University expects prospective students to have taken at least 16 academic credits in the following areas: Potential for Success. Although your test scores are just one aspect of your application, they are reviewed in conjunction with your grades to predict your future success at Fordham. The middle 50% of admitted students from the class of 2022 had SAT scores that ranged from 1310-1450 and ACT scores that ranged from 29-33. If you are interested in a particular area of study, keep in mind that there may be specific standardized test score ââ¬Å"cutoffsâ⬠ââ¬âtake a look at Fordhamââ¬â¢s Test Scores page for more information. As demonstrated by their active Office of Multicultural Affairs , Fordham is truly dedicated to fostering a diverse community of leaders and learners. That being said, take the opportunity to let admissions know how your unique life experience and perspective will positively contribute to the greater Fordham community. Avoid wasting time by listing generic facts and figures about the university in essay. Remember, the essays are meant to provide admissions with a better understanding of who you are. A commitment to giving back has been integral to Fordhamââ¬â¢s mission since its inception. Each year, Fordham students log over a million hours of community service. With this in mind, it is important to demonstrate to admissions that you are also dedicated to community engagement through your continued involvement in meaningful extracurriculars. à Participating in community service should never feel like checking off another box on list of college applications to-doââ¬â¢s. The key is to first find a cause youââ¬â¢re passionate about, and then get involved. A little over half of all applicants to Fordham University arenââ¬â¢t admitted, so donââ¬â¢t take a rejection to heart. If you are still set on becoming a Fordham Ram, you can always transfer in, but keep in mind that admissions are normally just as competitive the second time around. It can be difficult to find contentment in your backup choice after rejection, but there are many great-fit schools out there. One of the best ways to proceed is to maximize your experience at another university; if you still want to transfer after a year or two, you can then consider it. Getting into Fordham University is no easy feat, but you can definitely improve your chances by building a strong academic foundation and giving back to the community in an intentional way. If you would like more tailored advice on your admissions profile, our College Applications Program helps students navigate the applications process with insight from successful mentor at a top school. We help every step of the way, from creating a strong school list to preparing for interviews.Ã
Friday, October 18, 2019
Business Intelligence Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Business Intelligence - Article Example As a result of this philosophy, Vodafone resorted to implementing EDW to get better access to information from diverse sources for enhanced and dynamic decision making. This made capturing the market impulse easier and becoming proactive in chalking out strategies. Ans 3. Executives do rely on their ââ¬Ëgut feelââ¬â¢ when making major corporate decisions as asserted by research conducted by Graham et al (2010). They opine that executives of mostly small firms do base their decision on their experience, emotional intelligence, and intuition. Gut feeling in decision making creeps in when executives do not want to delegate more and also when they have faced similar risks during their lifetime. The amount of information collected and processed by the human mind in a service of a large number of years is far more than data analyzed through any of the EDW. This benefit allows executives to rely on their gut feeling when going for major corporate decisions. Ans 4. CEOs care about the single version of the truth because it defines the vertical or the horizontal alignment of the company (Oracle 2008). The single version of truth eliminates redundancy and multiple definitions of a single term used in a business parlance and thus bring in greater financial and operational transparency leading to enhanced business performance (Wailgum 2008). Ans 1. The Go Forward Strategy of Continental deployed the combined use of real-time data warehousing with decision support system to better its business proposition. The primary benefit attained was the single version of the truth for both the employees and the customers and also reduction in costs arising due to frauds, misrepresentation of facts and figures and redundant and obsolete data. Reputation wise, Continental rose to the ââ¬Ëfavoriteââ¬â¢ category from that of worst and numerically, over $500 million were saved as costs and generated through increased revenues.
FINAL EXAM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1
FINAL EXAM - Assignment Example Von Hirschââ¬â¢s utilitarian justification claims that although punishment causes human suffering, it is good in preventing similar suffering in the future. Ethics plays an important role in correctional and treatment staff to define what should be done to the prisoners and the treatment that they should be given. The prisoners have their rights and so the staff working in the prisons have to adhere to the law that defines how that should be done. As indicated earlier ethics refers to the specific moral standards. The staff has to ensure that the prisoners have access to the basic standards of care. These include access to adequate food, shelter and something to wear. They should also have access to primary medical and psychiatric care. The staff should also uphold anti-bullying programs without favor or fear. Re-integration skills are offered in the prisons to help the prisoners become important when they rejoin their members after their term in jail. The staff should also ensure that all the prisoners are subscribe to the programs that are ongoing to help them become important people in the society after their term. Correction office rs should not be allowed to abuse power. They should be allowed limited authority to ensure that they are also answerable and accountable for their actions. Mutual respect, tolerance and understanding should always prevail among the inmates and the corrective officers. Correction officers should always maintain the professional gap and should involve themselves in issues and relationships that compromise the integrity of their roles and duties. Corrupt practices by the prison staff undermines and neutralizes the administration of justice and destroy public confidence in the system. The correction officers should therefore uphold the ethics that govern their roles. In a bid to restore and maintain ethics in the staff that is working within the prison institution, the management at
Summarize chopin's The Story Of An Hour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Summarize chopin's The Story Of An Hour - Essay Example On the list of people who were killed in the accident, he saw Brently Mallard, Mrs. Mallardââ¬â¢s husband. He went to the house to tell her. Although Josephine and Richardââ¬â¢s feared that the news would kill Mrs. Mallard, the news made her happy. The more Mrs. Mallard thought about her husband being dead, the better she felt. She relished the idea and was getting used to it. Just as she was feeling free, she looked out her window and saw many images that were also a sign of freedom. For example, Mrs. Mallard observed the impending spring rain, the songs of the birds, and the blue sky. Mrs. Mallard was happy for the first time in her life. She would not be under the thumb of her husband anymore and she would be able to live as she wanted. ââ¬Å"Free, Free, Freeâ⬠(par. 10) she exclaims, as a rush of that freedom washed over her while she sat in the chair. She was giddy from the thought of this wonderful freedom. Mrs. Mallard felt so happy that she cried and laughed at th e same time. She, nor her family thought that perhaps Mr. Mallard had not been on the train. When Mr. Mallard walks through the door, as though nothing had happened, Mrs. Mallard felt a sudden sense of shock and disappointment. As a result, Mrs. Mallardââ¬â¢s heart gave out and she died of
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Mardi Gras Funny story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Mardi Gras Funny story - Essay Example We started our journey yesterday afternoon and before the fall of the evening, we were already in New Orleans. Everybody seemed happy with some adoring special attires to mark Murdy Gras Day. As per our plan, we checked in at one of the famous bars. The mood inside was exciting. People were very many. Something peculiar struck us though, one side of the bar had relatively few patrons with some tables empty. We did not bother to find out why more people preferred one side of the bar to the other. The mood did not allow us to do that. After approximately two minutes, a young beautiful waiter came, and we placed our orders. The first round of beers came, and we cleared it fast. The waiter enquired if we were comfortable with paying for the first set before proceeding to the next one. We retorted that it should come at the end of drinking. We ordered for several rounds of assorted beers. The interesting part came when we requested for the final bill for the evening. The bill was double my expectation. On enquiry, we realized that the cost of beer was almost double the normal rate. Besides the cost of beer being high, the waiter explained that the table we occupied had a different rate from the rest. Ignorance has no defense. We had no more cash as the bill was far much high. We came to an agreement with the bar owner that we be waiters for the rest of the night. It was embarrassing and funny. Before travelling to New Orleans, we had organized to meet with the girls after drinking. We resorted to being offline as a way of escaping from the girls. As the night progressed, we went round serving patrons at the bar. An unfortunate coincidence occurred just when we were about to finish the waiting role. The women we were to meet happened to occupy one of the tables I was serving. It was an amusing scenario and embarrassing at the same time. The thought of serving a girl you are interested in was a spoiler for the whole Murdy Gras
BINGE DRINKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
BINGE DRINKING - Essay Example The effects of binge drinking are harmful not only to the social and professional life but also to the physical health of a person. Hence, preventing young people from developing the habit of binge drinking is extremely essential. It is important to note that the study of risk factors have shown that binge drinking is more of a lifestyle related problem. Binge drinking is considered as a ââ¬Ëcourageousââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëmachoââ¬â¢ thing to do and hence, is taken as a challenge by aggressive young people. It is the desire to live a thrilling life that leads to binge drinking. Hence, if binge drinking is to be reduced or prevented among adolescents and young adults, then immediate and essential steps are needed to be taken by authoritative bodies to make changes in the college environment, and form some strict rules as it is the desire of enjoying a rash and dangerous lifestyle that leads young people to indulge in binge drinking. Definition Throughout the world, binge drinking is defined differently (Tischler 29). In Sweden, binge drinking is defined as ââ¬Å"drinking a half bottle of hard liquor or two bottles of wine on one occasionâ⬠(Tischler 29). For Italians, having even eight drinks a day is not binging (Tischler 29). English people think that a person can be called a binge drinker only when he has 11 or more drinks on one occasion (Tischler 29). This shows that the definition of binge drinking differs on the basis of the amount of alcohol consumed on one occasion. In 1994, social psychologist Henry Wechsler defined binge drinking as ââ¬Å"five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for womenâ⬠(Watson 98). According to Wechsler, when men take five or more drinks in one sitting and women take four or more drinks in one sitting, then they are said to be indulging in binge drinking (Watson 101). However, some groups refused this definition as they say that the factor of amount of time over which the drinks were consumed is not ref lected in the definition (Watson 101). This definition was modified to include the factor of short time in binge drinking. According to the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, binge drinking is defined as ââ¬Å"5 or more drinks for males and 4 or more drinks for females in a 2-hour periodâ⬠(Kearney and Trull 249). From the definition, it is clear that when alcohol is consumed in large amount on one occasion, then it creates fatal results. The effects of binge drinking are extremely dangerous. Effects of binge drinking Studies have shown that binge drinking affects young people in very serious way. It not only affects their performance at schools, colleges or work, but also prove to be life threatening. Binge drinking is known to kill people as it has the potential to affect the functioning of the body in serious ways. Some of the negative effects of binge drinking are discussed below. Negative impact on academic performance One of the wrong understandings that lead to binge drinking is the idea of ââ¬Ëoccasional drinking.ââ¬â¢ Young people tend to forget that it is by getting into a trap of ââ¬Ëoccasional drinkingââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëfew drinksââ¬â¢ that one usually becomes addicted to binge drinking. People lose control and never realize when they crossed the limits of ââ¬Ëfew drinksââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëonce in a whileââ¬â¢ (Alagna 29). It has been found in one of the national studies that the rate of educational, social and health problems are higher in students who
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Summarize chopin's The Story Of An Hour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Summarize chopin's The Story Of An Hour - Essay Example On the list of people who were killed in the accident, he saw Brently Mallard, Mrs. Mallardââ¬â¢s husband. He went to the house to tell her. Although Josephine and Richardââ¬â¢s feared that the news would kill Mrs. Mallard, the news made her happy. The more Mrs. Mallard thought about her husband being dead, the better she felt. She relished the idea and was getting used to it. Just as she was feeling free, she looked out her window and saw many images that were also a sign of freedom. For example, Mrs. Mallard observed the impending spring rain, the songs of the birds, and the blue sky. Mrs. Mallard was happy for the first time in her life. She would not be under the thumb of her husband anymore and she would be able to live as she wanted. ââ¬Å"Free, Free, Freeâ⬠(par. 10) she exclaims, as a rush of that freedom washed over her while she sat in the chair. She was giddy from the thought of this wonderful freedom. Mrs. Mallard felt so happy that she cried and laughed at th e same time. She, nor her family thought that perhaps Mr. Mallard had not been on the train. When Mr. Mallard walks through the door, as though nothing had happened, Mrs. Mallard felt a sudden sense of shock and disappointment. As a result, Mrs. Mallardââ¬â¢s heart gave out and she died of
BINGE DRINKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
BINGE DRINKING - Essay Example The effects of binge drinking are harmful not only to the social and professional life but also to the physical health of a person. Hence, preventing young people from developing the habit of binge drinking is extremely essential. It is important to note that the study of risk factors have shown that binge drinking is more of a lifestyle related problem. Binge drinking is considered as a ââ¬Ëcourageousââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëmachoââ¬â¢ thing to do and hence, is taken as a challenge by aggressive young people. It is the desire to live a thrilling life that leads to binge drinking. Hence, if binge drinking is to be reduced or prevented among adolescents and young adults, then immediate and essential steps are needed to be taken by authoritative bodies to make changes in the college environment, and form some strict rules as it is the desire of enjoying a rash and dangerous lifestyle that leads young people to indulge in binge drinking. Definition Throughout the world, binge drinking is defined differently (Tischler 29). In Sweden, binge drinking is defined as ââ¬Å"drinking a half bottle of hard liquor or two bottles of wine on one occasionâ⬠(Tischler 29). For Italians, having even eight drinks a day is not binging (Tischler 29). English people think that a person can be called a binge drinker only when he has 11 or more drinks on one occasion (Tischler 29). This shows that the definition of binge drinking differs on the basis of the amount of alcohol consumed on one occasion. In 1994, social psychologist Henry Wechsler defined binge drinking as ââ¬Å"five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for womenâ⬠(Watson 98). According to Wechsler, when men take five or more drinks in one sitting and women take four or more drinks in one sitting, then they are said to be indulging in binge drinking (Watson 101). However, some groups refused this definition as they say that the factor of amount of time over which the drinks were consumed is not ref lected in the definition (Watson 101). This definition was modified to include the factor of short time in binge drinking. According to the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, binge drinking is defined as ââ¬Å"5 or more drinks for males and 4 or more drinks for females in a 2-hour periodâ⬠(Kearney and Trull 249). From the definition, it is clear that when alcohol is consumed in large amount on one occasion, then it creates fatal results. The effects of binge drinking are extremely dangerous. Effects of binge drinking Studies have shown that binge drinking affects young people in very serious way. It not only affects their performance at schools, colleges or work, but also prove to be life threatening. Binge drinking is known to kill people as it has the potential to affect the functioning of the body in serious ways. Some of the negative effects of binge drinking are discussed below. Negative impact on academic performance One of the wrong understandings that lead to binge drinking is the idea of ââ¬Ëoccasional drinking.ââ¬â¢ Young people tend to forget that it is by getting into a trap of ââ¬Ëoccasional drinkingââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëfew drinksââ¬â¢ that one usually becomes addicted to binge drinking. People lose control and never realize when they crossed the limits of ââ¬Ëfew drinksââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëonce in a whileââ¬â¢ (Alagna 29). It has been found in one of the national studies that the rate of educational, social and health problems are higher in students who
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Fire investigation Essay Example for Free
Fire investigation Essay The triangle shirtwaist factory fire may have been cause by various flammable materials. The flammable materials that I could identify from the text that I was given were the lines of hanging patterns, the discarded rags on the floor and cutting tables, the shirts that have already been made, the table because they were probably made from wood and maybe the ceiling, walls and floor because that may have a material or something else flammable. The possible sources of ignition for the triangle shirtwaist factory fire could have been some faulty cables from the sewing machines causing the wires to rub together causing friction meaning that the cables would get hot and therefore this could be one ignition source. Another source could be gas lighters because in those days people were allowed to smoke in the work place. A gas lighter is not like a lighter nowadays because when it was alight it would not go out unless you put the cap over it unlike the lighter nowadays if you let go/ drop it the button comes back up instantly. Therefore, the gas lighter could have been a source of ignition if it was dropped. Another source of ignition could have been a cigarette. If it was not put out properly and was dropped, it could start the fire. Lastly, candles may have caused the fire because back in those days there would have been candles on each workbench so that the workers could see what they were doing because there were no lights back then. Due to there being candles around if one was knocked/ dropped it could have fell onto the rags on the floor causing the fire to start. Investigation of Liquid Combustion Introduction In this experiment, we will find out why some liquids burn at certain temperatures. Risk assessment Due to the fact that we are dealing with fire, long hair must be tried back goggles warn and lab coats on. There was also a risk of that somebody could bur themselves or set alight an object. In addition, if we were to pick up a hot crucible without gloves we must use appropriate equipment so that we do not burn our hands. Materials Crucible Heat proof mat Bunson Burner Tongs Splint String 1cm3 of kerosene 1cm3 of petroleum spirit. Method Petroleum (1cm3) was placed into a crucible and was then ignited using a lighted split. Once we lighted the petroleum and it had a burned we then poured 1cm3 of kerosene and attempted to ignite it using a lighted splint. After you have tried to light the kerosene with just a lighted splint place about 2-3 cm length of string into the crucible so that it is partly dipping into the liquid. Note the appearance how the kerosene lit. Results Petrol- The flame was quite tall and was yellow. The petrol ignited very quickly and there was soot around the edges of the crucible. When the petrol have burned the flame go smaller until it went out by itself. Kerosene- The Kerosene did not light so therefore there was no flame. Kerosene with string- The string slowly burnt away until it reached the crucible with the kerosene in which then ignited. It burnt with a tall, large yellow flame and left a lot of soot in the crucible when it had all burnt. Evaluation The experiments purpose was to investigate why certain liquids burn at different temperatures. By burning the petrol it showed us that it had, a low flash point so would ignite and burn easily. The kerosene by it selves did not burn meaning it have a high flash point, meaning it needs high temperatures to ignite and burn. Both the petrol and kerosene produced soot showing full combustion. Conclusion In conclusion, the petrol was the easiest ignite and could start a fire very easily while the kerosene did not light with just a lighted splint. It has a high flash temperature that why it is used as aeroplane fuel. Investigation of flames Introduction In this experiment we will be investigating how long it takes for a piece of paper to burn when lit from the top corner and the bottom corner. Risk Assessment Due to the fact that we are dealing with fire, long hair must be tried back goggles warn and lab coats on. There was also a risk of that somebody could burn themselves or set alight an object. Materials 2 sheets of A4 paper Heat proof mat Stands and Clamps Bunson Burner Splint Timer 2 sheets of A4 paper Method First we attached the clamps to the stands, and then attached a piece of A4 paper. We then lit the top of the short edge in the middle. It was then timed how long the piece of paper took to burn away completely and the time recorded. The experiment was then repeated with another piece of paper but lit at the bottom edge. Again it was timed until the paper was completely burned away and the time recorded. The Results `1st Paper: It started to burn instantly and spread downwards. The paper then dropped out of the clamps and fell to the table but it was not all burnt. After a while it all burnt out at 2 minutes and 11 seconds. 2nd Paper:. : It started to burn instantly and spread downwards. The paper then dropped out of the clamps and fell to the table but it was not all burnt. After a while it all burnt out at 23. 43 seconds.
Monday, October 14, 2019
The Issue of Informatized Conflict
The Issue of Informatized Conflict Charles H. Rybeck, Lanny R. Cornwell, Philip M. Sagan It took the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936 to awaken many to the threat of the Nazis. In 1957, it took Sputnik to awaken the US to the Soviet threat in space. It took 9/11 to awaken many to the threat of violent Islamist extremism. And it took the Underwear Bomber of Christmas Day 2009 to awaken the White House to the inadequacy of the way the US used its Terrorism Watchlist. What will it take to awaken us to the threat of what the Chinese insightfully call Informatized Conflict[1]? Will we embolden our adversaries through an ineffectual response as the world did when facing the emerging Nazi threat? Or will we respond as decisively and with as much foresight as we did to Sputnik? What will it take to align the United States Government (USG, used here as synonymous with whole of Government as an enterprise construct) and its allies to take effective countermeasures to prevail in Informatized Conflict? In this article, we outline a non-partisan, USG-led strategy for security in the face of that challenge. Information Technology, the quaint and already outdated concept of IT, fails to capture the digital dimension of our world in the Information Age. The concept harkens back to the now-distant days when IT was a sequestered, relatively unimportant, compartment of our world. CIOs reported to CFOs because CEOs pigeonholed computers as simple aids to accounting. In reality, though, as anyone with a smart phone knows, the digital dimension is now integral to every aspect of business and societal interaction on a global scale. Each day we wake up in a world of active Informatized Conflict. Unseen battles are being waged all around us. After the Chinese penetrated our military weapons supply chain, after the North Koreans exposed our corporate vulnerabilities, and after the Russians influenced our national media in the 2016 Presidential Election, how is it that we havent responded strategically to this clear and present danger? What catastrophe would we have to experience to take the steps necessary for our own defense? Sadly, the USG and our entire National Security Enterprise (which includes all stakeholders, public and private) are failing to directly confront the digital threat because it is not constituted to see this issue. Our institutions look at the world as it was, not as it is, and not as it is inevitably becoming in the rapidly emerging world of the Internet of Things (IoT), where machine learning will play an essential role in organizing the growing sea of information in which we live. Every tool we use in national security (from weapons to intelligence to diplomacy), in commerce, and in governance now rests on a rapidly evolving digital foundation. Today we must run to keep up, and tomorrow we will be required to run even faster. This challenge to run is, unfortunately, in an area where we have seldom managed to crawl and our nations leaders have not fully recognized that reality at the highest levels. Senior executives are only beginning to realize that our digital challenges have become mission-critical, that they defy our routine acquisition processes, and that they are too consequential to be left to technologists and acquisition specialists, alone. The pressing need for consideration of Informatized Conflict by non-technologists prompted us to translate what have been internal Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC), IT-based debates into unclassified laymens terms for consideration by informed influencers. This article was written to (1) identify key, progress-limiting issues on which the Executive Branch and Congress need to act, (2) offer a unifying and non-partisan strategy to protect Security and Freedom. In Part II of this series uses two specific examples to illustrate the execution of this proposed strategy. Responding to Global Disruption: How do We Need to Change the Way We Fulfill our National Security Mission? The digital dimension is enhancing and disrupting the fabric of life in every society where modern technology is present. Walter Russell Meads Blue Social Model[2] describes the slow-motion collapse of that part of the 20th Centurys legacy is now accelerating in ways that will likely usher in an historic realignment. This realignment will, of necessity, change the frameworks within which America provides for its security, including how it acquires the goods and services it uses in that effort. 2017s national and international news is unfolding so feverishly that the non-partisan Joint action recommended in this article is in constant jeopardy of becoming overcome by events. As Mead points out, Donald Trumps election can best be understood as part of the Blue Social Models collapse. TAI readers will not be shocked to hear that Government, Industry, and Labor leaders have all, in their rush to preserve the old order, ignored the digital dimensions National Security imperatives. Despite all the Governments talk about the Internet Cybersecurity and all its investment in IT Cyber, our National Security Enterprise has yet to reorient its priorities or its budget to prepare for Informatized Conflict. Right now, our Government has a unique opportunity to reorient the structure, flow, and management of the information for the National Security Enterprise in ways that both ensure the security of our future and reduce the cost of our defense.[3] We have not yet recognized that-even though our challenges have their roots in the technology arena-business-as-usual technological solutions alone will not address these challenges. USG decision makers and influencers, from the Executive Branch to Congress to our citizenry as a whole, will have to consider and adopt a Joint strategy in order to realize the benefits of this digital reorientation. Of course, this will take us outside our national comfort zone, but, given the Informatized Conflict threat, the alternative of continuing with business-as-usual is unthinkable. Wise observers have pointed out that overreaction to catastrophic attack is likely to jeopardize our democracy. So, prevention of such attacks should be a rallying point for citizens of every political persuasion. And we should protect our capacity for non-partisan and bipartisan cooperation on confronting our vulnerabilities as one of our strongest National Security assets. Only the Trump Administrations actions to preserve and rebuild trust across the National Security Enterprise can make that cooperation possible. Vision for a New National Security Jointness: Figure 1: The Joint National Security Enterprise: Combining Capabilities of the DoD, IC, and International Partners Source: USD(I) In the US, we entrust our frontline National Defense leadership to the DoD and the IC, two interconnected but separate chains of command. These entities are chartered to deliver kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities.Ãâà Only the Commander-in-Chief (POTUS) controls both. In 2009, Lt Gen James Clapper, as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence [USD(I)] combined his focus on Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) with all projections of national power that are informed by ISR in a vision for Jointness. This vision (see Figure 1.) has yet to be implemented, but it provides the basis necessary for C4ISR Fusion (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance). This vision summarizes what the DoD and the IC agree on in theory. They agree on Jointness and Fusion in the fields of intelligence, military operations, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism.[4] Jointness has a proud and successful history as a strategy for the US Armed Forces. But here we use the term Joint to refer not only to the combined Armed Services but to the unified actions of all the DoD, IC, and other stakeholders-and ever-shifting alliances-whose efforts combine in pursuit of National Security with all the instruments of national power. Fusion here combines data, data science, and data services to achieve security objectives first outlined by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. We depend on this Fusion at every stage of conflict. For example, modern ISR depends on Upstream Data Fusion (UDF), not always having to wait for cumbersome sequences to produce a fully-vetted finished document. Similarly, active conflict with near-peer adversaries demands kinetic responses only possible via Fusion-based, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) interoperability. A concerted national application of Jointness and Fusion can break the deadlock that is keeping us from doing what we know we need to do at the enterprise-level to defend ourselves in a world of Informatized Conflict. That Jointness can only be achieved by bringing together the appropriate teams, at the appropriate levels, to ensure a clear commanders intent is realized. Our Three Indispensable Mission-Critical Teams à à Figure 2: The National Security Enterprises Three Mission-Critical Teams Source: DMI Three Mission-Critical Teams combine to form the National Security Enterprise and fulfill its mission. The Government teams (Governance Budget, Mission Execution, and Technology) perform functions analogous to their three familiar private sector equivalents (i.e., the CEO, COO, and CIO organizations). The obvious differences between the Governments organization and the private sector (for example, the shared powers of Congress and POTUS) are useful in understanding why common-sense solutions and efficiencies adopted almost universally in the private sector have been rejected within the Government. C4ISR Fusion connects the three Mission-Critical Teams for Informatized Conflict. Acquisition to Support USG Innovation? Eisenhowers farewell address cautioned us to be wary as well as transparent in how we contract with the military-industrial base to improve capabilities. Despite yeoman efforts by the Executive Branch and Congress, Americas system for acquisition has not matched Eisenhowers challenge nor has it kept up with technologys structural transformation. Platforms, sensors, and systems are undergoing widely reported changes, but the USG meet the current acquisition challenge only by understanding the molecular structure of the information or digital substrate underlying them all. Without the discipline imposed by what the private sector calls a business case, the USG has become famous for failed large-scale technology initiatives.[5] Fortunately, though, new, private-sector innovations are creating opportunities to change how the Government conducts its National Security business. Industry observers are all aware that software development has undergone an historic transformation from grand, multi-year Waterfalls to modest, short-term Agile sprints. DevOps is now coming into use to describe software DEVelopment and information technology OPerationS as a way of accelerating the building, testing, and releasing software. Famously taking advantage of microservices and as-a-service infrastructure, private sector leaders (such as Netflix and Uber) are currently showing how new software can be delivered hourly. In contrast, fielding software enhancements in National Security now typically takes years. The USG is adopting Agile development-but within enterprise strictures that are preventing the implementation of many of its most potent benefits. Responding to these global, private sector-led changes, Congress has mandated acquisition change in the National Defense Authorization Acts of 2016 and 2017. [6]Ãâà Although such reform has been a perennial subject of conversation, Secretary of Defense Mattis has an opportunity to work with a receptive Administration and Congressional leaders like the Chairmen of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), to fundamentally reorient acquisition. In the past, the USG focused primarily on procuring existing products, services, and capabilities to meet known requirements. Now, the USG needs to build the inherently Governmental internal competency to lead a new way of doing business: continuous engineering to take advantage of evolving technology in a data-centric context and to confront evolving threats. In confronting the current strategic and acquisition challenge, the Trump Administration will need to avoid the pitfalls of commercial conflicts of interest, bureaucratic overreach, and unnecessary partisanship. In a dynamic commercial environment involving many vendors offering to sell partial solutions to the USG, the Administration will need to improve its acquisition and orchestration functions. What does an informed USG senior executive need to know about the infinite array of National Security technological and programmatic detail in order to affect such a consequential change? At one level, it is quite simple: Private Sector best practices can guide, regulate, and execute the many functions that are not unique to the USG. Key mission areas, in contrast, demand unique and USG-specific intervention. US law often refers to this as inherently Governmental and specifies how it needs to be handled. Private Sector best practices, here, are inadequate to meet USG needs. This simple distinction can be usefully applied to our current Informatized Conflict challenge. Commanders Intent/ Congressional Intent/ National Strategy:à We Already Know What Works The Trump Administration should begin immediately to remedy the gridlock inherent in so much of the USGs preparation for Informatized Conflict. The Executive Office of the President (EOP) could mobilize the leaders of Governments three Mission-Critical Teams (Governance Budget, Mission Execution, and Technology) across the entire National Security Enterprise. Together, the three Mission-Critical Teams could champion Tightly Aligned core capabilities to enable enterprise functionality and innovation at the Loosely Coupled edge. Figure 3: Tightly Aligned/ Loosely Coupled as an alternative to todays dysfunction and as a Winning Joint Strategy in Informatized Conflict While the Tightly Aligned/ Loosely Coupled approach originated as an engineering concept, it has been successfully applied in concert by the three private sector equivalents of the Mission-Critical Teams to guide similar foundational, Internet-dependent initiatives. Major retailers and service delivery firms (famously, Wal-Mart in the 1990s and Netflix in the 2000s, for example) rebuilt their supply chains using this approach. The Google Android used on smartphones, tablets, and other devices-the operating system (OS) with the worlds largest installed base-is an open source example of this strategy in action. The Tightly Aligned/ Loosely Coupled strategy applied to the USGs digital assets can be what Ernest May and Philip Zelikow called a Capital P Policy[7], a redirection around which the country unites over a long timespan and across political divides. This and subsequent Administrations will need a rigorous Mission/Business Case to sustain alignment among these three Mission-Critical Teams. Fortunately, the mission benefits are so powerful and the cost savings so dramatic that the Mission/Business Case could be strong enough to overcome the entrenched interests who will, of course, fight it with all the tools at their disposal. The essence of the Tightly Aligned/ Loosely Coupled strategy is to agree on those few principles, policies, and standards necessary for the enterprise to function as a unified whole. Then operational units and individual programs can be freed to innovate at the edge in whatever ways best serve their individual missions. Who Needs to Do What? What we are proposing is an approach inspired by extraordinary systems thinkers from each of the three Mission-Critical Teams. Here we give examples with an emphasis on those representing the Governance Budget and Mission Execution teams. The only technologist listed here is Dr. Cerf: Andy Marshall (retired leader of the Defense Departments Office of Net Assessment) Gen Mike Hayden (retired after leading NSA and CIA) Philip Zelikow (former executive director of both the Markle Foundation task force on National Security in the Information Age and then the 9/11 Commission; later Counselor of the Department of State under Secretary Condoleezza Rice) The late Ernie May (senior advisor to the 9/11 Commission) Michà ¨le Flournoy (former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and now head of the Center for a New American Security) Gen Paul Selva (the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) Vint Cerf (the co-inventor of TCP/IP, the messaging protocol that underlies the entire Internet) They and we have found that few Government executives have the cross-functional experience to fully appreciate their counterparts frames of reference. But the kind of changes that the USG needs now can only be made by aligning the strategies of all of the three Mission-Critical Teams. Figure 4: Aligning the Three Mission-Critical Teams Source: DMI The three Mission-Critical Teams bring very different foci, levers, and artifacts to the fight. These, in turn, depend on distinctive disciplines, equities, goals, methodologies, timetables, and metrics. In order for the teams to align, each need to accommodate the others demands and battle rhythms. A Call to Action President Dwight Eisenhower personally led the response to Sputnik. Among a series of coordinated initiatives, he formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) which changed the Governments approach to procurement of high risk, high payoff advanced technology, ensured US leadership in the Space Race, and funded what eventually became the Internet. Eisenhower demonstrated the power of senior executive decisions in combining the three Mission-Critical Teams under the coordination of the EOP. This article has proposed how the three Mission-Critical Teams Necessary for Security (Governance Budget, Mission Execution, and Technology) can mobilize around a Tightly Aligned/ Loosely Coupled strategy. We have specified roles and responsibilities in language understandable to each of those teams. We have proposed a framework that enables serious, public consideration of issues that have been ignored, enables senior executives to take decisive Joint action, and enables them to authorize unclassified metrics for assessing progress in classified realms.[8] Do we have to wait until adversaries inflict catastrophic damage before we take the steps that we already know we need? Will we allow ourselves to be incapacitated by internal divisions?Ãâà In advance of the unthinkable, can we do what it takes to provide for the common defense in this Age of Informatized Conflict? Charles H. Rybeck, Lanny R. Cornwell, and Philip M. Sagan are Senior Advisors to the Intelligence Community and the Defense Department on Enterprise Engineering issues. They are CEO, COO, and CTO of Digital Mobilizations, Inc. (DMI). This is Part II of an Occasional Special Series DRAFT IN PROCESS: Not Releasable in Any Form This requires Prepublication Review before official submission The Figures are in this draft for content only. They are being recreated in forms suitable for publication. This is a continuation of theWhat Will It Take? Part I of an Occasional TAI Special Series. Tightly Aligned/ Loosely Coupled Strategy in Action: Two Illustrative Examples Charles H. Rybeck, Lanny R. Cornwell, Philip M. Sagan The Tightly Aligned/ Loosely Coupled strategy calls for budgetary, operational, and technology changes, but in this article, we only introduce the strategy in broad outline using two representative examples of where the USG has already successfully begun. These two examples underscore the role of the combined three Mission-Critical Teams within the Government in initiatives that require broad popular support. Below we explore two examples in order to illustrate the challenge facing the USG, to show how pockets of excellence within the USG have already pointed the way forward, to demonstrate how the challenge of the digital dimension demands different USG responses, and to underscore what, concretely, will need to be done by the USG. Many achievements are classified, legitimately and necessarily protected from public discussion. But any digital strategy for National Security can and must be agreed upon at the unclassified level, sustaining widespread public support on the basis of sound arguments that include a full defense of our privacy and civil liberties. For that reason, we consider two pathfinding efforts, acknowledging their strengths and sketching what needs to be done next. Our System Can Work: Weve Shown We Can Crawl We assess the US response to the challenge of the digital dimension as requiring a progression from Crawl to Walk to Run. US visions for future defense such as the Third Offset, Integrated Intelligence, Cyber Security, Data-to-Decisions (D2D), and Fusion Warfare all depend on this digital foundation. For the last decade, for example, the DoD has been guided by the Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) construct in planning to confront near-peer adversaries. A2/AD will also need to adjust its view of platforms, sensors, and weapons to accommodate the kinetic and non-kinetic implications of this new digital foundation. Fortunately, much groundwork for this mobilization is already being laid at the Federal level. We can already point to many successes at the Crawl stage. Two examples can illuminate how consequential these decisions can be, how the role of the USG will need to be tailored to the problems, and how much further we have to go in order to Walk and Run. Example #1 Modernizing Infrastructure: In 2012, the IC recognized how it was consuming and delivering IT hardware, software, and services in ways that were unnecessarily inferior to the private sector. They awoke to the fact that the Governments acquisition approach was handcuffing every aspect of National Security. The Congress, the IC, and the Administration supported the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in taking the lead in this initiative. They all deserve credit for the joint effort. The CIA reoriented its office of the CIO. It created a Commercial Cloud Services (C2S) contract to end CIA reliance on internal, outmoded expenditures and shift to purchasing infrastructure services as a utility. And it put the CIO under a new Directorate of Digital Innovation (DDI) to better link it with Mission functions. The contract enables a new, market-based model for acquiring enterprise-level software. C2S-based applications are licensed with fees to software vendors paid on the basis of the utilization of their products. This marketplace allows competing products to be evaluated and adopted by users in their day-to-day decisions as to how best meet the requirements of a specific problem. In the rapidly evolving data craft of the Internet, this method is far more adaptive and effective than a pre-determined, one size fits all solution imposed by a centralized bureaucracy. In technical terms, the IC is shifting much of its infrastructure costs from CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) to OPEX (Operational Expenditure), eliminating recurring CAPEX, paying only for services as needed, and arranging to stay current with hardware and software innovation in ways that were impossible in the old business model. The success of the CIAs C2S initiative results from the Agencys recognition that the effective use of commercial market investments, technologies, and business processes can result in highly effective application of all too precious tax-payer capital, avoiding ineffective, costly duplication. The result of the Agencys strategy has been improved mission effectiveness while freeing scarce technology development funds to meet those needs that are truly unique to the Agencys mission. Example #2 Modernizing Knowledge Management (KM): In marked contrast to Infrastructure, the management of information within Federal systems was recognized by the IC as an inherently Governmental function, a core competence that should not be outsourced. Accepting that responsibility, the National Security Agency (NSA) took the lead in the Smart Data Initiative to identify what standardized labeling of packets of information are necessary in a modern digital environment. The first results, an Enterprise Data Header (EDH), was a signal achievement, admittedly and intentionally minimalist, but sufficient to enable the IC Cloud in its Crawl phase. In both these examples, Infrastructure and KM, success was achieved only because the organizations involved, specifically the Congress, the Administration, ODNI, CIA, and NSA all aligned their three Mission-Critical Teams in the service of a new strategic direction. But Can We Walk Run? à In order to achieve mission benefits well need to stop mistaking Easy for Hard and Complex for Simple. We have selected these two specific Crawl success stories because they also illustrate the executive decisions that need to be made today if we are going to Walk and Run tomorrow. In the case of infrastructure-which can best be thought of as plumbing-something relatively straightforward is being made unnecessarily complex within the DoD acquisition and planning apparatus. In the case of KM, many USG Departments Agencies-including the IC DoD-are mistaking KM as a simple issue. The USG is failing to come to grips with something inherently difficult by, in some cases, inaccurately imagining it is easy: if we just build the plumbing, everything else will take care of itself. It is only by effectively structuring and managing information (KM) that the USG will induce the digital dimension to yield its mission benefits. In both cases (Infrastructure and KM) necessary but insufficient actions have been taken. Creating Cloud repositories for data and minimal metadata standards are achievements, but, in themselves, they cannot produce the Mission Benefits that are needed and that have been promised. Sadly, many executives have bought into an automagic fallacy that these Crawl phase activities would automagically produce Walk and Run results. Figure 5: What is a Responsible Executive to Do? Source: DMI Lower level Government employees are left holding the bag. They are forced to describe classic Quick Wins and low-hanging fruit because it is only their boss bosses who are empowered to make the tough choices and substantial investments that will be required to produce the promised Mission Benefits. In the Agile development environment, where development of software continues apace as long as lower level Government product owners approve incremental progress, mission-critical decisions and investments are often postponed indefinitely. The impediments to the High Road are so formidable that thousands of National Security employees and contractors have adopted the Low Road. The distinction depicted in Figure 5. has actually been rejected by USG employees because it disparages the Low Road. That is the strategy weve adopted, and we need to promote it. Example #1 Enterprise Infrastructure: Private Sector Best Practices Leading the Way for Government Action Due to the disconnect between the DoD and the IC, Infrastructure Modernization is currently being held back at the National Security Enterprise level. Private sector solutions will need to drive this partnership. The DoD and its Armed Services are resisting the massive budgetary/acquisition changes needed to implement the CIA-led strategy. Only the Commanders Intent will be strong enough to clear this impediment. POTUS does not need to wait for a catastrophe to prompt this solution. Example #2 Enterprise Knowledge Management (KM): Government Active Management of a Modularized, Multi-Vendor Competitive Environment for Innovation At the same time that a sound foundation for KM was being laid through the establishment of IC data standards in the EDH, two basic strategies for the acquisition of knowledge exploitation technology were utilized. Weve termed the first approach The Hedgehog and the second The Fox in honor of Berlins 1953 essay on Tolstoy and the philosophy of history, which begins quoting the ancient Greek poet, Archilochus, who wrote The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. The Hedgehog. The hedgehog strategy entailed the acquisition of an all-inclusive solution from a single vendor, what we can think of as a highly-advanced knowledge appliance[9], a comprehensive solution that combined hardware, software, and a particular way of thinking about knowledge, problems, questions, and answers. This approach outsourced all to a single supplier. It fit the existing procurement system well because it focused on a single, big procurement decision. The Fox. The fox strategy entailed the acquisition of a collection of modularized[10], best of breed, highly-advanced devices, each of which solved parts of problems and in combination formed a system capable of solving a particular problem. Hardware, software, and way of thinking about knowledge, problems, questions, and answers could be quickly re-configured as better technologies came along or needs changed a critical capability given the ferment of Internet technologies and applications. This approach limited the amount of hardwa
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