Comparing Peter Berger and C. Wright Mills Essay - 1932 Words

On reading the excerpts by Peter Berger and C. Wright Mills, it is obvious that these two sociologists have very different methods as to how the practice of sociology should be conducted. While these two authors may differ in their various methods, they both have an underlying point that they are trying to make which can be made applicable in any person’s daily life. The main point behind Peter Berger’s work Introduction to Sociology is that in order to find out the truth about a person or perhaps a situation, one must take a deeper look than just looking at the deceptive superficial surface. He starts off making this point by saying that not everything is as clear as it may appear. The world that we live in has many different sides to†¦show more content†¦It is also not for those who have no curiosity about the world around them or those that lack the ability to think critically. This discipline is more for people that find human beings fascinating and want to know why they behave the way they do. The biggest point that Berger makes towards the end of this article is that one must be able to have an open mind and allow one’s self to see things in a new, unbiased light. This involves thinking outside of the box. He says that this discipline of sociology is all about seeing behind the mask and digging deeper. Berger believes that one cannot determine the true facts of a situation by simply giving it a superficial overview because that will tell one nothing. C. Wright Mills tends to take a different avenue to explain sociology in chapter one of his book The Sociological Imagination. Mills basically makes four points throughout this chapter. The first point is that it is essential for the potential sociologist is to keep a journal-like file of his or her individual private experience and of his or her work experience as well. He says that because one’s work goes with one whenever one goes home for the night, there is no separat ing the two. Personal and professional experience builds one another up, so a person must figure out how to incorporate his or her personal experience into his or her professional work. Mills believes that it is critical to have such a file so that the sociologist has something toShow MoreRelatedChristian Ethics in a Postmodern World Essay example6531 Words   |  27 Pagesdevelopments of the industrialist and capitalist expansion and domination; and modernity as the sum total of modern, modernism, and modernisation. The concept of ‘postmodern’ evolves according to different perspectives of the different scholars. C. Wright Mills (1961: 184) treats postmodern as ‘the Fourth Epoch’ following ‘the Modern Age’ when the liberalism and socialism born of the Enlightenment have both virtually collapsed as adequate explanations of the world and the ideas of freedom and ofRead MoreAlternative Learning Systems9735 Words   |  39 Pagestechnology, hostile guards, and lockdowns. The combination of these factors and the variety of life experiences that the men and women have provided a ripe environment for them (and for us) to analyze with their developing sociological imaginations (Mills 1959). At the beginning of the semester in the men’s prison, there were 17 male students enrolled, but during the course of the semester several were transferred to different camps or were released, which left 9 remaining throughout the duration ofRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesACKNOWLEDGMENTS Patricia Hewlin, Georgetown University Chad Higgins, University of Washington Kim Hinrichs, Minnesota State University Mankato Kathie Holland, University of Central Florida Elaine Hollensbe, University of Cincinnati Kristin Holmberg-Wright, University of Wisconsin at Parkside Brooks Holtom, Georgetown University Lisa Houts, California State University Fullerton Abigail Hubbard, University of Houston Paul Hudec, Milwaukee School of Engineering Stephen Humphrey, Florida State UniversityRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesE SSAYS ON TWENTIETH-C ENTURY H ISTORY In the series Critical Perspectives on the Past, edited by Susan Porter Benson, Stephen Brier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and CultureRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pageslikes of Professors Harold Edey, Bryan Carsberg, Ken Peasnell, Geoffrey Whittington, and  ´ David Tweedie as it has from the eminence grise of the profession itself. And even in auditing, significant roles have been played by Professors Peter Bird, David Flint, and Peter Moizer amongst others. Indeed it is possible to argue that the British academic accounting professoriate has played an extremely important role in mediating between the profession and the state, both bringing knowledge to bear on policy

Similarities Between Two Different Tragedies Essay

It is easy to notice a similarity on the surface of two things that look alike, but when two stories are completely different in their content, it is not easy to detect a similarity. For instance, after we read for the first time â€Å"The Necklace† by Guy De Maupassant and â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† by Mary Flannery O’Connor, we cannot connect these two tragedies together. Both were written in a different time by different authors, and they end in a different way. However, if we study deeply both stories, we can find their similarities even though their contexts are different. Although â€Å"The Necklace† and â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† are different tragedies, both of them focus on their main characters that suffer from pride, are manipulative,†¦show more content†¦In spite of all the differences between these characters, we can see that both of them suffer from pride. Mathilde wanted to be more important than anybody like th e grandmother in the other story. Mathilde wanted to look as important as she believed she was even if she did not have money. She was sure that she born to be rich. Mathilde only thought about her pain and never thought about what her husband wanted. Moreover, in the story â€Å"The Necklace† we cannot see that Mathilde when she was at the party thought if her husband was tired or was enjoying the party. She was just happy being there, and it was the only thing that she cared. We perceive the same with the grandmother in the other story â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† because the grandmother was sure that she was important, and probably she came from an important family. We can see it when she told her grandchildren that the little Negro child did not have what they have. Also, the grandmother only cared about herself. She did not care if the family wanted to go to Florida. She only thought about wanting to go to Tennessee and visiting her friends. Also, when the Mi sfit was about to kill the family, she only cared about her life. As a result of the pride, both characters became manipulative to get what they wanted. Mathilde always was sad because she did not have the money and the importance that she wanted, so her husband Mr. Loisel find invitations to an important party to see her happy;Show MoreRelatedEssay on Comedy vs. Tragedy876 Words   |  4 Pagesworks, the most popular styles were comedies and tragedies. These polar opposites appealed to many because of the way they brought the story to life. The same story written in both of these styles could have a completely different effect on the audience based on the style used. Although completely dissimilar, the two styles did have some similarities, which kept them in the Shakespearian style. Shakespeare’s more widely known comedy and tragedy, The Twelfth Night and Macbeth, respectively, areRead MoreMedea and Othello1559 Words   |  7 PagesTwo tragedies from two different tim e period, Medea and Othello show similarities and differences in their characters, story plots and settings. Euripedes’ Medea written in the classical period and Shakespeare’s Othello written in the romantic era, the two tragedies shows different feel of what tragedies are. First of all, the most obvious difference between these two play is how Medea shows unities (time, place and action) whilst Othello has none. It’s clearly shown in the first scene, as soonRead MoreThe Characters Of Foils In William Shakespeares Hamlet860 Words   |  4 Pagessimilar but tends to have key qualities that distinguish the two apart from each other. When an author uses a foil in literature they are emphasizing not only strengths and weaknesses the main character poses, but also understanding the obvious as well as hidden aspects of their lives.   In the Shakespeares tragedy, Hamlet, William Shakespeares applies foils to explore morality and social ethics and how to answer the overall question of the tragedy, what it means to be a human and what happens after deathRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Tragedy Essay1428 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Tragedy? As defined on the Literary Devices website, tragedy in literature refers to a series of unfortunate events by which one or more of the literary characters in the story undergo several misfortunes, which finally culminate into a disaster of â€Å"epic proportions†. The website also states that tragedy is generally built up in 5 stages: a) happy times, b) the introduction of a problem, c) the problem worsens to a crisis or dilemma, d) the characters are unable to prevent theRead MoreComparing Shakespeare s Oedipus The King And Death Of A Salesman 1738 Words   |  7 PagesCOMPARING TRAGEDIES THROUGHOUT TIME By Daniel Konshak What is a tragedy? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines tragedy as a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force, such as destiny, and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror. Two such examples of literary tragedies are â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles and â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller. Although written over 2000 years apart, there are many similarities betweenRead MoreComparing Oedipus Rex And Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1255 Words   |  6 Pagesa. Tragedy†¦ we all will go through this at least once in our lifetime. It is inevitable. It has been around since the beginning of time. The ancient Greek’s used it in a manner in which we still use it today in Modern times. b. Today I will be comparing the two works such as Oedipus Rex, which is a playwright written by the great Sophocles and another playwright named Death Of A Salesman written by Arthur Miller. c. Through out the years, there has been a lot of controversy on whether or not DeathRead MoreOedipus And Aristotle s Definition Of A Tragic Hero1466 Words   |  6 Pagescharacterization of a tragic hero through his ability to maintain and keep his virtue and wisdom, despite his shortcomings and situation in life. Introduction I. Tragic Hero A. Definition of a tragic hero B. Oedipus’ Character II. Tragedy A. Language of Tragedy B. Tragedy and its affects on audience III. Plot A. Aristotle’s idea of a tragic plot B. Meaning of plot IV. Virtue and Morality A. Identifying with Oedipus’ character B. Oedipus gains virtue and wisdom through bad judgment. ConclusionRead MoreComparative Analysis of the Aeneid, Odyssey, and Iliad Essay962 Words   |  4 PagesComparative Analysis of the Aeneid, Odyssey, and Iliad The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the best Greek epics written by Homer. Despite their popularity, almost nothing is known about the author beyond the existence of his masterpieces. Surprisingly enough no concrete evidence of his existence is available; not even to confirm the same person created the two works. The authorship of the Iliad and the Odyssey were debated even in the times of the ancient Greeks. Many scholars have arguedRead MoreComparison of Jim from Huckleberry Finn or Ethan Frome1540 Words   |  6 PagesJims situation from Huck FInn to Ethan Fromes situation. How are the two characters alike and how are they different. Base your answers on information regarding their genre. Which character has more of a chance of making it and why? Jim from The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn and Ethan Frome from Ethan Frome share many incidents in a indistinguishable occurrence. They also share many qualities that allow each of these two characters to have divergent and duplicate qualities. Jim is from theRead MoreOedipus The King, A Tragic Hero Story Of Fate1495 Words   |  6 Pages2015 Turabian Sophocles is one of the great ancient Greek tragedians in the history of drama. In the play â€Å"Oedipus the King,† Oedipus is an excellent example of fate happening to a tragic hero. In addition, this play has all the elements of tragedy; human weakness, powerless, suffering, and one not having control of his own destiny. As a result, â€Å"Oedipus the King† is the epitome of Aristotle definition of a tragic hero due to his superiority and high character, in spite of his flaws and outcomes

Pop Culture and Evolution - The Hunger Games

Evolution is not just a topic for a Biology class in school to cover -- it is found everywhere. There are many pop culture references and nods to the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection in todays television, books, music, and movies. With The Hunger Games movie breaking box office records, I could not help but jump on the bandwagon and read the trilogy of books written by Suzanne Collins. Beyond a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller, I saw the authors ideas of a future world from an evolution Biologists point of view. The Hunger Games trilogy is set in the future after the collapse and near complete destruction of the world. The country of Panem has arisen from the ashes of what used to be North America and it consists of a Capitol somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and 12 Districts that supply the affluent Capitol with all of the goods it needs. When the poor Districts tried to rebel, the Capitol took them down and created a yearly spectacle called The Hunger Games that is broadcast live like a reality show. As a reminder that the Capitol has all the power, each District is forced to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 that are chosen in a lottery drawing to compete to the death in the Hunger Games arena that is filled with traps and other dangerous creations made by the Capitol for their entertainment. The following paragraphs may contain spoilers if you have not read or seen The Hunger Games or its sequels, and Mockingjay. If you do not want to know details from these books or movies, you may not want to read the rest of this article. Otherwise, lets get into the world of Panem and explore the new species that reside there. The Mockingjay Arguably the most important new species in The Hunger Games trilogy is the mockingjay. These birds came into existence when female mockingbirds mated with the Capitol engineered male jabberjays. We are first introduced to this new species of bird in The Hunger Games book when Madge, the mayors daughter, gives heroine Katniss the gold pin with the mockingjay to wear as her token in the arena (in the movie, the pin is given to Katniss by her sister Prim). There are also mockingjays in the arena where Katniss uses their ability to repeat songs to communicate with her ally Rue. In Catching Fire we see the mockingjay become an increasingly important symbol. Plutarch Heavensbees watch shows a hologram of the bird. Also, before Katniss enters the arena for a second time, she wears a dress created by Cinna that turns her into a mockingjay after the outer layer burns away. Obviously, this new species of bird is the most important in the book entitled Mockingjay. The bird becomes a symbol of rebellion for the Districts, and Katniss finds herself becoming The Mockingjay as the symbolic leader. How did the mockingjay evolve in this fictional world of Panem? The Capitol created a species of bird through artificial selection called the jabberjay. The jabberjay could spy on enemies of the Capitol and repeat conversations word for word back to them. The Capitol could use this information to stop any rebellion attempts. After the rebels in the Districts figured out the scheme, they would feed the birds false information. Therefore the Capitol left the jabberjays, all male, to die in the wild. Instead of dying, the all male jabberjays began mating with female mockingbirds. Speciation occurred and mockingjays were born. Instead of being able to repeat entire conversations, mockingjays would repeat entire songs. These birds helped Katniss communicate with her ally inside the arena and also helped her become a symbol of hope for an entire nation. Tracker Jackers While it is never specified exactly how tracker jackers are created by the Capitol in any of the books, they are described as genetically altered wasps. Once again, the Capitol was manipulating nature and speeding up the evolution of species to do their dirty work. Tracker jackers will attack anyone who disturbs their nest and will follow them like a homing device until they have been stung with a venom that causes severe hallucinations and possibly death. Katniss uses the tracker jackers as a weapon in The Hunger Games when she is stuck in a tree because of the Career Tributes waiting to kill her below. She cuts a branch off the tree that contains a tracker jacker nest and it hits the ground near the Careers, so the tracker jackers attack and run them off, killing some in the process. While tracker jackers are not a product of natural selection, they are an evolutionary offshoot of wasps created through artificial selection. The genetic engineering of the tracker jackers caused a very swift microevolution of the species into a deadly killing machine. Muttations One last type of Capitol created killer is what Suzanne Collins called a muttation. Clearly a play on the word mutation, these can be combinations of just about anything. In the arena, Katniss and Peeta come face to face with muttations that look to be a mix of something like a wolf and their fellow dead tributes. This type of muttation tears the District 2 Tribute Cato to pieces. The book Catching Fire had a new arena that contained muttations that resembled monkeys. However, these monkeys had sharp claws and teeth that could puncture internal organs. When the Tributes make eye contact and quick movements, the monkey muttations attack and even kill the District 6 tribute. In Mockingjay, muttations appear in the form of something that seems to be a human and lizard hybrid down in the sewers of the Capitol. These deadly creatures come after the Sharp Shooter Squad as they make their way to the Presidents mansion. The talon-like claws even tear apart some of the squadron before they can make it out of the sewer alive. Again, these muttations, much like the jabberjays and tracker jackers, were made in a lab somewhere in the Capitol to continue the punishment of the districts of Panem. It isnt specified exactly how they are made, but genetic engineering that lead to microevolution is the most likely explanation. The only way to see into the future is through the eyes of a novelist. It is interesting to see where they believe evolution will take species many years down the road.

Difference Between Socialism And Communism Essay - 2269 Words

The purpose of this research paper is to explain the difference between socialism and communism as well as to look in more detailed as to what problems arose in the countries that have practiced socialism or communism. Based on the evidence found upon the research we will be able to find an answer to the question: â€Å"Can capitalism and socialism exist simultaneously?† To end the research paper we will look at some of the socialist elements that are practiced in United States. Sylvia Pankhurst states that there is no difference between socialism and communism. â€Å"The words Socialism and Communism have the same meaning. They indicate a condition of society in which the wealth of the community: the land and the means of production, distribution and transport are held in common, production being for use and not for profit.† By looking at this quote, we could easily say that the meaning of socialism is â€Å"common ownership.† According to Merriam Webster, socialism is defined as â€Å"a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.† I would say that it is safe to conclude that while communism and socialism are used interchangeable and for some they almost mean the same thing, we would have to remember, as Decker William said in his article that â€Å"communism is a political system, while socialism is primarily an economic system that can exist in various forms under a wide rang e of political systems.† â€Å"Communism† Marine Corps GazetteShow MoreRelatedCommunism Vs. Socialism : Difference Between Communism And Socialism1201 Words   |  5 PagesKinjal Shah Professor Raras Academic Communication Skills 10/26/2016 COMMUNISM VS SOCIALISM The basic idea of the paper is to highlight difference between communism and socialism. Though the concept and ideas seem to be similar there is much difference between the philosophies of two. In a way, communism is an extreme form of socialism. Many nations have dominant socialist political parties but very few are truly communist. In fact, most countries - including staunch capitalist bastions like theRead MoreThe Difference Between Socialism And Communism908 Words   |  4 PagesThe Difference between Socialism and Communism Communism and socialism have been linked throughout most of history, most of the time being confused with one another. Many people tend to think of the communist USSR and the scare in the 50’s when the idea of socialism is mentioned in conversation. And while these two tend to have similar bases, in no way are they the exact same views. The point of this paper will be to debunk the common misconception that socialism equals communism and explore theRead MoreEssay about Comparing Socialism and Communism 702 Words   |  3 Pagesliving. However, the weak point of the measures of life expectancy is of vital importance, although another factor is the unfavourable selection of risks by war, thereby making a less valuable comparison between the international and inter temporal. Another factor is the logical difference between period and the measurement of the group of people sharing a common factor such as the same age or income bracket because of population reorganization change. According to research by Dinkel R. H. subsequentRead MorePaul Nguyen. 20Th Literature. Mrs. Hildebrand. 2/20/2017.1254 Words   |  6 PagesNguyen 20th Literature Mrs. Hildebrand 2/20/2017 The failure of Socialism and Communism In Animal Farm, George Orwell portrays a picture of a farm that is controlled by the animals. He describes how the pigs control and lead their farm and how they relate to the Russian Revolution. George Orwell views his opinion in this story about the way they rule their farm and how it parallels to Socialism and Communism. Socialism and Communism are the idealistic, fantasy economic structures – both ensure theRead MoreKarl Marx And Friedrich Engels1626 Words   |  7 Pagessociety as a whole will take control of their own destines. This involves the battles between the proletarians and bourgeoisie, communism and democracy, and final capitalism and socialism. However, since the times of Marx and Engel communism has been slowly dying. With the rise of capitalism and democracy has come the fall of communism and socialism. Why is that? Well when most people hear the term communism and socialism they quickly assume that it’s a system based on sharing and giving up one†™s completeRead MoreMarian Claro . Ms. Catena . English 9, Period 1 . January1044 Words   |  5 PagesMarian Claro   Ms. Catena   English 9, Period 1   January 5, 2016  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Communism Socialism:   Communism and Socialism are interchangeably used a lot, it s mostly because they are similar. They both want to promote equality to remove social classes from society. They also, have the same ideology. Communism and Socialism at first can sound very appealing with everyone in the community doing their duty and completing their responsibilities toward the same communalRead MorePublic Services Funded By Taxpayer Money908 Words   |  4 PagesThrough my online class, I got the chance to learn about socialism, communism and capitalism. They are all different from each other even though there are some similar stuff between them there is a little thing that distinguishes each one from each other. In this paper, I will go through each term and how each and everyone is different from each other. First of all Socialism is a system of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state. It mostly relies on governmentalRead MoreThe Between Socialism And Communism908 Words   |  4 Pagesfuture of the United States and in which direction it will shift, towards European liberal fascism and equality based Human Rights, alternatively, a return to the constitution. Not understanding leads to an inability to explain the difference between socialism and communism, or equality as an abstract. The well-fed social justice warriors of today have replaced the poverty class revolutionaries of yesteryear, with cultural Marxism, explained in an American context. The aims remain radical and utopicRead MoreModern Political Ideas and Doctrines Essay1670 Words   |  7 PagesPolitical Ideas and Doctrines a) How did Marx conceive the transition from capitalism to communism? Karl Marx is considered to be a historian, a philosopher, a political thinker, and an economist amongst other things. There is a standard misconception that Marx had no idea of economics, by contrast he was quite the economist, and was able to layout the transition of capitalism to communism in a very logical and understanding way. The transition of capitalism arises throughRead MorePreventing The Increase Of Socialism912 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Increase of Socialism in the American Economy He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the L-rd require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your G-d? (Micah 6:8). Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore of evade it, said Thomas Sowell, and economist. History repeats itself. Socialism does, too. Though many refuse to believe it, America s economy is being invaded by socialism. Therefore, it s

Psychological And Emotional Effects Of Brain Injury

Lasting Psychosocial, Psychological and Emotional Effects of Brain Injury in Individuals Suffering From Traumatic and Nontraumatic Acquired Brain Injury Medical and technological advances have led to greater survival rates in individuals suffering from various illness and injury throughout history. This includes individuals who suffer traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries. Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States sustain a brain injury each year with the survival rate of over 90 percent making brain injury the leading cause for disability in the United States. (Mysiw, Bogner, Corrigan, Fugate, Clinchot, Kadyan 2006). Cognitive, physical, sensory and behavioral changes are widely noted in individuals in the months and years following a brain injury. However, the psychosocial, psychological and emotional effects of these injuries are less discussed and therefore these aspects can be overlooked when anticipating a course of treatment. Individuals who sustain acquired brain injuries experience significant, lasting impairment in the psychosocial, psychological and emotional aspects of their lives and better unders tanding of these issues can lead to better treatment and coping skills for these individuals. Background Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a general term that includes any type of injury to the brain that is either traumatic or nontraumatic. A nontraumatic brain injury results from internal events including injuries sustained from reduced oxygenShow MoreRelatedEssay about Post Concussion Syndrome860 Words   |  4 Pagesdizziness, fatigue, and irritability that can last as little as a week and up to months after a head injury. The causes can be a traumatic blow to the head or neck injuries in which the patient does not have to lose consciousness. The effect of being injured can do permanent damaged to the brain and nervous system. Dealing with Post-concussion syndrome not only can have a physical effect, but a psychological one as well (Mayo clinic page 2). The cause of Post-concussion is still a mystery. Doctors sometimesRead MoreA Traumatic Brain Injury 1708 Words   |  7 PagesA traumatic brain injury (â€Å"TBI†) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influencesRead MoreWhat Are Invisible Wounds Of War?1411 Words   |  6 PagesDiscuss treatment for these two injuries, including the role of social workers. Ann Lee California State University, Sacramento Social work 191 Professor Lial March 12, 2016 Invisible wounds of war Invisible wounds of war are psychological and cognitive injuries; a deep scar that others cannot see or feel their pain. According to Pryce, Pryce, and Shackelford (2012), War produces undetectable injuries, and the present wars bear this out. The mark undetectable injuries connected with the presentRead MoreSports Injuries : Is It Worth The Hit?982 Words   |  4 PagesAthletes everywhere suffer from some kind of injury at some point of their athletic career. There are a variety of injuries and they can range from minor to severe. In many circumstances the recovering process can take a toll on the body. In severe cases, usually those pertaining to the head, the results from such injuries can be not only physically but psychologically. The 2 main injuries that will be covered throughout this paper will touch the surface of a few problems an athlete can endureRead MoreThe Case of Phineas Gage1088 Words   |  5 Pagesabout the relationship between brain and behaviour from this a nd similar cases and describe techniques used by biological psychologists that can supplement our knowledge of this relationship. This essay explains what can be learnt about the relationship between brain and behaviour using the case of Phineas Gage and imaging techniques. It starts by briefly describing neurons. It then goes on to look at what can be learnt by studying accidental brain damages and the effect they can have on behaviourRead More Causes of Sexual Dysfunctions Essay1399 Words   |  6 PagesCauses of Sexual Dysfunctions Sexual dysfunctions are an important public health concern, to which general health and emotional problems contribute (10). What is a sexual dysfunction? A sexual dysfunction is any condition that inhibits someones ability to enjoy sex. Some common sexual dysfunctions are: hypoactive desire disorder (low sex drive), hyperactive sexual disorder (high sex drive), sexual aversion disorder, lack of lubrication (females), impotence (male erectile disorder), prematureRead MorePain, Acute Pain And Chronic Pain1627 Words   |  7 PagesPain is an experience that involves both the mind and the body. It is an uncomfortable feeling that signals your brain that there may be something wrong with your body. Pain is an irritating and unpleasant sensory and emotional experience which may be caused by a damage in the tissues, one s beliefs or thoughts, or environmental stressors such as one s job or traffic. Pain is a significant stress both physically and emotionally. It may cause discomfort, distr ess or agony. It may be steady or throbbingRead MoreConcussions Or Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries958 Words   |  4 Pagestraumatic brain injuries (MTBI) are the most common forms of traumatic brain injury. There are between 1.6 and 3.8 million concussions a year that occur due to sports and recreation accidents alone (CDC). Mild concussions and MTBIs were once thought to be insignificant in terms of consequences. However, there now is significant evidence that neurological even with what is thought to be a mild injury, physiological, and cognitive changes can occur. Individuals sustaining mild brain injuries often reportRead MorePhineas Gage Suffers a Traumatic Brain Injury1289 Words   |  6 Pagestraumatic brain injury. While working at a railroad site, an iron tamping rod (43 inches long, 1.25 diameter) went through his left cheek, through his brain, and out the skull. He surprisingly ended up surviving this traumatic injury. After a month in the hospital, he was back out on th e street. Once a nice, caring person, Phineas turned into an aggressive man who could not even keep a job. Just like Phineas Gage, a TBI can potentially change everything. Brain studies on traumatic brain injuries are increasingRead MoreEmotional And Psychological Pain Exhibited1739 Words   |  7 Pages Emotional/Psychological Pain Exhibiting Itself in a Physical Manifestation Henry E. Reese Jr University of Houston â€Æ' Emotional/Psychological Pain Exhibiting Itself in a Physical Manifestation Pain is a controversial topic, and is understood as a comprehensive, relative experience. In the healthcare field, practitioners and clinicians are sometimes skeptic of patients whom experience pain when there is no physical evidence or history of medical procedures. No one alike experiences pain the

Working from Home †Yahoo! and Marissa free essay sample

In the recent effort to improve its standings amongst its competitors, they brought on Marissa Mayer, a former Google executive. Mayer understood the challenge that this position would be accompanied with, and dove in head first. In recent weeks, the media has swarmed about her announcement to revoke telecommunication privileges from Yahoo! staff. This has an caused uproar in the industry causing Mayer’s decision, as well as her delivery to be under attack. Mayer sent out a memo to employees in late February 2013 announcing this decision—to revoke telecommunication privileges. The announcement was immediately leaked to the media causing competitors to offer positions to the Yahoo! staff. Yahoo! currently has a workforce of roughly 12,000, in 25 countries (Yahoo! , 2013). Problem Statement Delivering the news has had a large impact on so many Yahoo! ’s employees. We feel the delivery should have been handled with delicacy. Mayer’s, tactic of sending out a memo to reveal her plans left employees in shock. How could Myer’s have better managed the revoking of telecommuting at Yahoo!? Mayer’s decision to revoke telecommunications was a planned change. In situations where you can see the change coming, there is a great opportunity to plan it in a way that allows the transition to go smoothly. The text discusses the technical planning that goes into managing these changes, such as making sure the technology is in place and the job designs are updated for individual and groups; it also discusses the emotional aspects of the change that must be addressed, such as clarifying and creating core benefits and values of its people and the organization as a whole (Schermerhorn, Jr. , Osborn, Uhi-Bien, amp; Hunt, 2012). Fact is the majority of individuals fear change. This fear can be detrimental to an organization because if its employees are not on-board supporting the change, it can cause more than a few road blocks. Literary Review DOES WORKING FROM HOME WORK? EVIDENCE FROM A CHINESE EXPERIMENT In order to fully analyze the challenge that Mayer faced, we found it important to investigate the research that is working against her. In the same week that the announcement was made regarding the removal of telecommuting privileges from Yahoo! s employees, Stanford released their own study regarding their experiments on telecommunication. Bloom, Liang, Roberts and Ying found from their experiment using a Chinese based call center, that working from home led to a 13% increase in performance. 9% of this increase was attributed to working more minutes per shift due to the tendency of the employees to take fewer breaks and fewer sick days. 4% of the increase was from more calls per minute, which the resear chers attributed to a quieter working environment (Bloom, Liang, Roberts, amp; Zhichun, 2013). Yahoo! lso faces criticism from the public as the concern for work-life balance increases. Bloom, Liang, Roberts and Ying note that the number of households in the United States with both parents working has increased from 25% in 1968 to 48% in 2008 (Bloom, Liang, Roberts, amp; Zhichun, 2013). At the end of the experiment, the firm found that they saved $2,000 per year per employee working from home. They then offered telecommuting to the entire firm. While there are several benefits from working from home, there is also a negative. This negative being a decrease chance in promotions. While doing this study and comparing the performance with all individuals, the study found that the promotion rate to decrease 50% for those employees working from home. At the end of the study however, two thirds of the control group wished to remain at the workplace due to concerns of loneliness and the lower rates of promotion. Over half of the employees that were selected to work from home in the experiment (treatment group) wished to return to the office; however, these employees were typically the ones that performed relatively poorly at home. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR -12TH EDITION Schermerhorn, Orborn, Uhi-Bien amp; Hunt discuss the management of change in chapter 14 of our text. They discuss how transformational change radically shifts the fundamental character of an organization. In particular, these shifts can be caused by a change in CEO, such as in the case of Yahoo!. These authors recognize the sensitive nature of changes in the organization and give examples on how to properly manage the process, such as celebrating short term wins, building on accomplishment, institutionalize results, develop a sense of urgency, communicate the vision and empowering others to act (Schermerhorn, Jr. Osborn, Uhi-Bien, amp; Hunt, 2012). STREETWISE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Streetwise Human Resource Management is one of our other resources for the literature review. This text gives leaders, enterprisers and HR representatives the knowledge to manage many aspects of company-employee relations. Patricia Buhler divides the text into essentially five sections. The main section that we used for this project was Part III’s Maximizing Employee Performance, chapter 11 Job Design. In this chapter we reviewed items pertaining to flexible job design and telecommuting. After reading the applicable sections we had a better insight into maximizing performance by crafting suitable work environments. AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL CONSULTING PRACTICE An Insider’s Guide to Building a Successful Consulting Practice was used as an additional resource for this analysis. Bruce Katcher provides detailed information on being one’s own boss. This text explores the benefits of being able to control a person’s work time, work space and work activities. We used ideas from the Control of Workspace section to strengthen our position on allowing employees to work remote. GOOGLE: TEN GOLDEN RULES This article was used to supplement areas where we compared Mayer’s past at Google to her actions of today. Written by Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, this speaks to each of the golden rules; explained by the author of the rules. This Newsweek article dives deeply into these rules and how they have played a successful part in the maturation of the company. Other issues talked about in this resource are â€Å"techno arrogance†, the changing workforce and managing creativity. THE HR ANSWER BOOK: AN INDISPENSABLE GUIDE FOR MANAGERS AND HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS The last resource that was part of this project was a Human Resources text book. This text deals with worker decision making from the stand point of the employer. Looking to increase employee satisfaction, productivity and retention; Smith and Hazin use over 200 questions to address these broad areas. We used this scholarly source to justify the pro telecommuting argument. Sections pertaining to the content of this project fell in the Employee Relations and Retention. The author feels that telecommuting is used to create a flexible work arrangement to help maintain a positive work-life balance. Analysis Mayer’s main issue is that she felt her Yahoo! mployees were not being collaboratively productive. There were claims that employees were not logging into the company VPN, a method of telecommuting, as well as claims that some were starting their own startups. Her perception of the existing work-from-home policies, or lack thereof, caused HR to make a new policy that all employees working remote must come back into the office; to work as one company. Mayerâ €™s reaction to Yahoo! ’s declining market share, lead her to believe that an underlining productivity issue was caused by those few employees on a work-from-home status. Her decision, sent out via memo, forced all employees to return to work in an attempt to increase collaborative efforts. In her eyes, her actions, a change in organizational behavior, should have had a positive effect on teamwork, but it was not been well received by all. We feel that Marissa’s leadership style is partly at fault when she made her decision. She chose to use a Directive Leadership approach when she ordered all remote employees back to the office; spelling out the subordinates’ tasks (Schermerhorn, Jr. Osborn, Uhi-Bien, amp; Hunt, 2012). Instead, as a new CEO to an established company she should have employed a more Supportive Leadership style; focusing on the needs of subordinates. In our class text we also found agreement; that â€Å"telecommuters report increase productivity (Schermerhorn, Jr. , Osborn, Uhi-Bien, amp; Hunt, 2012). † We believe that the increases in job satisfaction from telecommuting have a connection to overall increased produc tivity. Telecommuters enjoy the flexibility of matching their work style to their lifestyle (Buhler, 2012). We completely agree with the Stanford study and theses examples in that employees, when given the opportunity to choose their work environment, tend to excel. A 2007 study showed that 62% of respondents who cannot work off-site said they would like to (Katcher amp; Snyder, 2010). From this majority response we can see that they are many professionals that secretly yearn, if only given the opportunity, to work off site. One of the main attractions to working from home is avoiding the â€Å"time, aggravation and expense† of commuting (Buhler, 2012). We have all had to sit in traffic jams both coming and leaving work; most find these times quiet annoying. As stated by Smith and Mazin telecommuting can boost productivity when employees spend less time commuting and suffering the frequent interruptions of an office setting. Inclement weather and other unsafe driving conditions can add stress to an employee’s day even before entering his or her workspace. During Hurricane Sandy of 2012 many professionals on the East Coast worked remotely to avoid harsh winds, rain, flooding and debris. To negate these issues office workers have found it convenient to work remotely. One can imagine the amount of man hours that commuters can save by working remotely only a few days each week Additionally, long commutes from homes requires vast amounts of fuel; a direct cost to commuters that only increases as gas prices rise. When regular employees work remotely, â€Å"organizations enjoy cost savings on office space (Buhler, 2012). † This cost as an expense is always a major factor to employers. Companies must rent or lease space for cubicle farms, conference rooms and closed door offices. Once secured, they need to be furnished with items usable by all employees able and disabled. Often special furnishing such as wheeler chair lifts and ergonomic chairs can become expensive. These spaces must be maintained, cleaned and secure from liability. These rented and leased work areas are at a loss as they do not provide a return. Most employees communicate with e-mail, phone or conference calls; especially in teams that are geographically separate. Buhler states that â€Å"†¦most employees typically communicate with each other via e-mail rather than face-to-face†. We are certain that with open lines of communication co-workers can collaborate as if in the office together. Recently, advances in technologies have seen the inception of free communication tools such as Skype and Google Gmail with video chat. These tools can be used to hold real time group or one-on-one meetings. â€Å"At IBM, up to $100 million have been committed to sessions such as the Innovation Jam, where employees in more than 160 countries and their clients, business partners—and even family members—engage in online moderated discussions to glean insights that will transform industries, improve human health, and help protect the environment over the course of the coming decades (Schermerhorn, Jr. Osborn, Uhi-Bien, amp; Hunt, 2012). This excerpt is evidence that high level companies are relying on collaborative technologies to facilitate innovations in their business. From a leadership perspective we strongly believe Marissa is underestimating the level of discipline of those employees that work remote. Her all-encompassing decision, we feel, was a knee jerk reaction t o the free fall state of Yahoo! ’s market share. Her attempt to change her company is closely related to the Force-Coercion change strategy. This strategy uses authority as one of the primary inducements to change. This use of fear is the main reason why this strategy is effective (Schermerhorn, Jr. , Osborn, Uhi-Bien, amp; Hunt, 2012). Instead of this approach, using the Shared-Power strategy would have actively involved the Yahoo! employees who were at risk of losing work from home privileges. We could find no instance where Marissa involved or empowered her employees to help make this change possible. The results of a Shared-Power strategy would lead to a longer-lasting and internalized change (Schermerhorn, Jr. , Osborn, Uhi-Bien, amp; Hunt, 2012). The employees at Yahoo! re highly motivated intelligent professionals and should be treated as such. Using this style may have allowed Marissa to introduce her work philosophy without as much negative feedback. Her past as a programmer, a structured repetitive position, could be at play in her feelings towards the work attendance of Yahoo! employees. Programmers often spend long hours in front of computer screens tolling away at lines of codes or commands. We must not overlook her past at Google. The 13 years spent in the Google environment can be seen as manifesting itself in her need for Yahoo! o emulate their culture. Google employees enjoy on campus luxuries not seen at any other company. The Mountain View, CA Internet giant encourages its highly intelligent professionals to become part the company; both in mind and body. Mayer seems to lean heavily on the third of Google’s 10 Golden Rules; Pack them In (Schmidt amp; Varian, 2005). This practice of filling rooms with team members within a few feet of each other is a form of forced collaboration. Instead, Mayer should sway towards the second Golden Rule of Cater to Their Every Need (Schmidt amp; Varian, 2005). Taking this point of view would give those employees who need to work remote the freedom to make their own choice. Solutions Our primary solution to managing the change at Yahoo! is to have a mandatory in-house companywide meeting to discuss the success that has happened, will happen and is hoped to happen, at Yahoo!. From our research, we found that it is important for all of the people of the organization to see what the change is trying to accomplish and motivate them to support it. Yahoo! could teleconference offices around the world into the meeting and allow the employees to grasp the magnitude of the team that they are a part of. Marissa Mayer should make her announcement to revoke telecommunication privileges at this meeting. Delivering this news this way may cause people to stir in their seats, but it would be direct. Her actual delivery that occurred in late February was cowardly and impersonal to the hundreds of people’s lives that were being affected. Myer’s need to keep the announcement clear and concise always reminding people of the bigger goal that is attempting to be accomplished—the successful revamp of Yahoo!. Our secondary solution would be to change the atmosphere at the offices to encourage people to want to come to work. Other companies in the industry use tools, such as yoga, video games, indoor pools, etc. to lure their workforce into the office. I once had a client that had an in-house cafeteria with free food, Apple computers and ping pong to encourage their sales force to report to the office when not in the field. This has shown to be an effective tool. I believe Myer’s should have first introduced these perks before deciding to make in office work mandatory. If these offerings did not display the results that she desired, it would be an appropriate time to revoke telecommuting privileges. However, the delivery of this news would still need to be properly managed, such as in solution one. Solution three stems off of solution two by expanding further and maintaining a gym facility on-site. Research has found that not only does allowing employees to telecommute save the business money, but it also saves the individual. A major complaint that these former telecommuters will have is the added time and expense of driving to work each day. By putting a gym on premises, it will make people feel that their commuting time is worthwhile by allowing them to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Reflection We now have a deeper appreciation for the various aspects of the work from home culture. Most in the team feel that they will be able to work remote in the future as this assignment is full of reasons to validate this decision. Academically we were able to connect leadership and change concepts that we learned during class to our analysis and solutions. Professionally we will benefit from the work environment, work design and telecommuting research if applied during our everyday workplace situations. From a managerial learning perspective we can use the ideas put forth in this project to mold our future teams. Certainly we will come to point in our careers where we will be faced with productivity and collaboration issue spawning from work design. References Bloom, N. , Liang, J. , Roberts, J. , amp; Zhichun, J. Y. (2013). Does Working From Home Work? Stanford: Stanford. Buhler, P. (2012). Human Resource Management. Adams Media. Katcher, B. L. amp; Snyder, A. (2010). An Insiders Guider to Building a Successful Consulting Practice. AMACOM. Schermerhorn, Jr. , J. R. , Osborn, R. N. , Uhi-Bien, M. , amp; Hunt, J. G. (2012). Organizational Behavior 12th Edition. Hoboken: John Wiley amp; Sons, Inc. Schmidt, E. , amp; Varian, H. (2005, December 2). Google: Ten Golden Rules. Newsweek. Smith, S. , amp; Mazin, R. (2011). The HR Answer Book: A n Indespensable Guide for Managers and Humna Resources Professionals. AMACOM. Yahoo! (2013). News Center. Retrieved 03 11, 2013, from Yahoo! : http://pressroom. Yahoo!. net/pr/ycorp/overview. aspx

The tale of Organisational Culture

Concepts of culture Organizational culture is amalgamation and a perfect blend of various prominent theories and studies carried out. Is is a mix of ideas, beliefs, values, structure, notion, norms of the organization scenario and basically it is the face of the organization. There are various theories defining and redefining the culture of the company as the operating system or the oxygen for the survival of the organization. It is the shared belief of employees and epitome of how things are done. It is a method of workplace civilization and the immune system to sustain the life of the organization. They are dynamic in nature, shaped by the employees and leaders, crafted by social control system. The best of the possible definitions is by Richard Perrin that organizational culture is sum of values which act as a glue to integrate employees of the organization. This best illustrates the concepts of culture and is epitome of strength and cohesiveness of the organization. The picture of culture The organizational culture takes up various forms and faces with different orientations and bends. Clan oriented culture is a cooperative society of workforce teaming up to perform tasks. Such culture is prevalent in the company Pixar, which makes animated movies and regard its culture as the trigger of success. Adhocratic culture is a storehouse of innovation and creativity and hence forms the platform for success and progress. Google is one of the companies following such culture. Market oriented culture is aligned towards quality of goods and services anticipating profits and success. The Phillips electronics company, Xerox and Southwest Airlines are few examples. Hierarchy oriented culture is strict in terms of distribution of power with Mc Donald or Ford Motor company being famous examples. The strength and health of culture and structure of the organization have a direct proportion with the effectiveness of the strategies proposed and implemented. Culture based companies Organizational culture of a company is the face and voice of its success stories. And for the companies based over the concepts of customer satisfaction, the organizational culture determines the hospitality towards the customers to a greater extent. An open, friendly, fun loving culture of the organization promotes healthy and happy employees who in turn go beyond the companys policies sometimes to make their customers happy and hence to win their level of trust and confidence on the brand. The customer serving agencies like Zappos has a culture which best acknowledges its customer base and treats them at the priority. People at work are humble and answerable to the demands of their customers and respect their decisions and feedback regarding the product. Customer satisfaction calls for a corporate culture which is well intertwined into the human resource practices of the organization and forms a part and parcel of the daily routine of the company. The open culture, parties, celebrations motivate employees to serve the best for the customers. Companies ensure that the employees working are a fit for the organizational culture. The recruitment process itself is a screening test for filter out and soak in the best suited employees. For example, the interview of Google consists of logical questions like how can a person make giraffe fit into a refrigerator. Another company Zappos let their employees undergo a training to seamlessly integrate into the culture of the call center but even then if an employee seems to be a misfit, some amount of allowance is given to them to leave the job for mutual benefit of the individual and organizational culture. The organizational culture web of Toyota The cultural web of organizations are intrinsically self motivated and self sustained with attributes of dimensions of culture. The Toyotas culture is self sustained in going to the deep roots of the problem and to understand the core concepts by working together as a team and to make the safety and demands of the customers as the topmost priority and the responsibility. It is an outcome of cultural values and principles inherent in the employees who fit the culture. Toyota as a company promotes corporate culture by dissolving the geographical boundaries and their impacts over the culture in the company. The dimensions of culture can be applied well over the case study of Toyota. The culture of the company is inspired by communitarianism which regards the society above all and pledges to service it. The culture is motivated by catering to specific tasks and looking deep into the problems and resolving them internally. The culture is inner directed and therefore can control the enviro nment with the right guidance. The status of the company is well achieved and that too rapidly with time by a right culture steering in a better direction. The cultural transformation To instill a change, there is a dire need for a leader who is self motivated and have the ability to paint the picture of change. The two models for change can be closely examined with one being a geometrical model with attributes like achievement, avoidance or reactionary and is a model specifying typology and the second one being intensely descriptive about the corporate culture. Though pictures speak a lot more than words but a clear, complete and correct description of the picture is essential for deep understanding and execution for the same. The theoretical cultural web woven for the successful corporate culture describes the six basic elements of the principles and paradigms of culture. The elements are symbols, control system for culture, stories or myths, organizational structure, power structure, and rituals and routines. The views of the author is based on strong evidence supported by describing impactful arguments regarding the effectiveness of the theoretical model. To t rigger a change, various small modular changes need to be put into practice and by well understanding of the model, changes can be well crafted, executed and sustained. For example, the culture of a call center was once negative myths or stories showcasing low morale, poor management and blunders happening in there. A lack of leadership was the most demotivating factor for the culture of the type of organization. But leaders brought out a complete change over in the culture and lead to a clear, transparent, open, goal oriented, trained, responsible, accountable, positive culture of the workplace. This was possible because of direct implementation of the cultural web model by the leaders by becoming able to plan, implement and analyze the changes in the culture without any external help. The typology type on the other hand is illustrative and have deep impact over the memory and effective application of it by the people. The typology triangle is one of the most suited examples of the organizational cultural change.