Walker Percy essays

Walker Percy essays When a tourist first comes to USA, there are many places that he is told to visit. He can go to see Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, Mountain Rushmore, Grand Canyon. These places are all interesting, informative and fun places to visit. But can the tourist really experience everything at these locations? Walker Percy in his essay, The Loss of the Creature discusses how through preconceptions and the surrender of our sovereignty, humans lose the ability to experience life, and its elements, in fresh and innovative ways. Percy begins his essay with an example of the visitor who always wanted to visit Grand Canyon and his experience by the ideas and thoughts of what it should be when he was there. The second part of his essay he discusses the differences between learning with and without the surprise of the discovery at the educational system. Humans have lost the surprise of discovery because of the preconceptions they bring to experience. Percy states, The highest point, the term of the sightseers satisfaction, is not the sovereign discovery of the thing before him; it is rather the measuring up of the thing to the preformed symbolic complex. When we are experiencing something instead of perceiving it based on its own merits, we try to see what we have already learned about that place or subject. He offers many ways to go about retrieving the loss. Percy says, It may be recovered by leaving the beaten track(566). He suggests to choose the road less traveled by. He also wants us to make a track of our own and choose our own direction. Percy recommends recovery through national disaster or a break down of symbolic machinery(567). Through a national disaster something that used to be no longer exists. That which has stood through the years becomes more powerful when destroyed. Best example for this is World Trade Center maybe after September 11 ...

10 Words That Include the Element -Cept

10 Words That Include the Element -Cept 10 Words That Include the Element â€Å"-Cept† 10 Words That Include the Element â€Å"-Cept† By Mark Nichol Words in which the element -cept appears have one thing in common: They have something to do with taking, literally or figuratively. Here are ten such words in noun form and their definitions, as well as common terms nouns, verbs, and adjectives based on them, along with meanings for the additional terms. 1. Acceptance: the act or state of agreeing or approving (related words are accept, meaning â€Å"to hold or take,† and acceptable, meaning â€Å"satisfactory†) 2. Conception: the process of producing an idea or thought or a new life, or the act of beginning, forming, or originating (related words are conceive, meaning â€Å"to bring into being,† concept, meaning â€Å"idea,† conceptual, meaning â€Å"relating to ideas,† conceptualize, meaning â€Å"to produce an idea,† misconception, meaning â€Å"misunderstanding,† and preconception, meaning â€Å"a prejudice or premature opinion†) 3. Deception: the act or an instance of being tricked (related words are deceit, synonymous with deception but also meaning â€Å"the quality of being tricky† the latter meaning is also applicable to deceitfulness deceitful, meaning â€Å"tricky,† deceive, meaning â€Å"to trick,† and deceptive, meaning â€Å"misleading†) 4. Exception: exclusion, or something that is excluded, or an objection (related words are exceptional, meaning â€Å"rare,† â€Å"superior,† or â€Å"not within the norm,† exceptionalism, meaning â€Å"an attitude or situation of superiority,† and exceptionable, meaning â€Å"objectionable†) 5. Inception: the beginning or commencement of something 6. Interception: interference that results in the taking of something intended for someone else (a related word is intercept, â€Å"to interrupt, to gain possession†) 7. Perception: appreciation or observation, or the ability to comprehend or sense (related words are perceive, meaning â€Å"to understand or become aware,† perceptiveness and perceptivity, meaning â€Å"the quality of being able to become aware,† and imperceptible, meaning â€Å"unable to be seen or understood,† as well as apperception, meaning â€Å"self-consciousness† or â€Å"perception† and especially referring to understanding based on previous experience 8. Precept: a command, order, or principle (a related word is preceptor, meaning â€Å"principal† or â€Å"teacher†) 9. Reception: acquisition or admission, whether what is received is intangible, like attention or a response, or an object; reception also denotes an event at which someone is given attention (related words are receive, meaning â€Å"to acquire, to accept from,† receptive, meaning â€Å"amenable to acquiring or accepting,† receptionist, meaning â€Å"someone who greets clients,† and recipient, meaning â€Å"one who acquires,† as well as receptacle, meaning â€Å"a container for acquiring or placing†) 10. Susceptibility: ability to submit to, or lack of resistance to, something, or responsivity or impressionability (a related word is susceptible) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowConnotations of 35 Words for Funny People1,462 Basic Plot Types

DS proposal Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

DS proposal - Dissertation Example However, some situations have led to lack of the information getting to the target due to lack on internet connection in different places on the earth which are difficult to contain. The proposal targets to be an alternative to the flawy systems of data transmission that have caused delays, loss and less efficiency of the data getting to the target at the right time. In some cases, people have failed to access the digital data that is sent through a VOIP system and therefore, the data they sent remain irrelevant because it does not get the immediate attention from the target receiver. This creates a necessity to come up with system that will ease the transmission of data across the system and ensure that the target receive can get it quickly and be in a position to respond to it to rescue the life of patients. The purpose of the proposal is to develop a system that will help people to transmit data from one point to another and ensure that it will be accessed by the target population at the earliest opportunity by developing a signal system that will help people to receive the information immediately it is sent. To accomplish the requirement of this, the proposal will develop a model that will demonstrate the workability of a signal that will inform the receiver of the data they expect to get immediately they receive. The model will include an system of electronic device that will transmit an electromagnetic waves to the devices they use or mobile devices connected to configured to receive the signal. Project Outline: Assessment of the technology of used in communication I will carry out out a careful analysis of the existing systems in the medical care communication and point out the various areas that have weaknesses which cause them to be inefficient in communication. Seeking the approval to carry out the project from relevant authorities At this level I will visit the ministry of health and elaborate the different challenges they get to communicate and pres ent the project proposal about how the inefficiencies can be reduced and therefore, I will seek their approval to develop a system of communicating effectively. Seeking for funds To accomplish the goals for the project, financial resources will be required to procure the different materials that are required in the implementation and to cater for transport and to pay for some labour at different stages of the implementation. I will look for a sponsor to fund the things that I will require to be able to easily achieve the project. Assembling At this stage, I will assemble different pieces of the system to come up with software, install it in the model devices and configure the devices to ensure transmission of the information is attained. Presentation and demonstration After assembling, I will seek a chance to demonstrate the workability of the system to my supervisor and have his feedback about the system and I will note his recommendations. Improvement of the system After presentat ion to the different groups, I will note their recommendation on the ways to increase effectiveness of the system and

Organisational Transformation in Practice Essay

Organisational Transformation in Practice - Essay Example My role in this acquisition and change process has provided immense learning experience in terms of organisational change process and people’s psychology. A patchwork of this experience combined with learning from the module will be elaborated in this discussion. Literature findings will be confined to organisational change and its psychological implications on employees. Attempt will be made to provide a few probable and implementable suggestions for situations that did not conform to the need, as identified in literature. Background of the company: Armen Technologies (AT) is a multinational company that provides information technology enabled business services in four regions of the world including Europe, North Africa and South East Asia. Headquartered in Beijing, AT has more than 5000 employees. Its business volume and spread were enriched when AT acquired the IT Company VTL Solutions. This acquisition process resulted in overall growth of AT, but after much struggle. Cont ext: At the outset, this acquisition process was absolutely strategic and involved many negotiations during long period. From HR perspective, this acquisition seemed extremely lengthy and complex process. The acquisition process that began with various types of negotiations followed into aligning the acquired company’s businesses, clients, customers and employees with the acquiring company’s systems. One of the most significant parts of this acquisition was reinstating the confidence of both companies’ employees at all locations. This task required a strategically planned approach and to be executed by highly experienced personnel. While the general transformation process during and after the acquisition itself was complex and multidimensional event, transformation with respect to processes and systems in the human resources perspective was equally challenging. On a broader note, the HR aspect involved activities such as integration and alignment and corporate c ommunication along with assistance in implementation of change strategies. Corresponding literature findings: Mergers and acquisitions act as change agents in corporate restructuring (DePamphillis, 2011; p.4). Organisational changes that follow mergers and acquisitions are usually uneven and face numerous obstacles. According to Marks and Mirvis (2010), the fervor of success after acquisition usually infuses equally faster in the acquired company but in a retrospective manner, usually in the form of patronizing attitudes of its employees. To add further, unilateral integration of organisational systems and policies leads to greater turbulence in the acquired company. Culture-fit is a core ingredient of organisational sustenance post acquisition (DiGeorgio, 2002). Studies related to organisational change and mergers and acquisitions provide vast and diverse views that are mostly practically implementable and have been successfully implemented in many situations. For instance, various change implementation models that have been proposed include McKinsey’s 7-S framework, Kotter’s (1996) eight-step model, Lewin’s 3-phase model of change ADKAR model etc (Hiatt & Creasey, 2003; Cameron & Green, 2004). All these models provide comprehensive and systematic methods to implement change. Several other models are suggested to diagnose change, such as, Kurt Lewin’s force field analysis model (Cameron & Green, 2

Hewlett-Packard Case Study Essay Example for Free

Hewlett-Packard Case Study Essay Carly Fiorina was hired in Hewlett-Packard as Chairwoman, CEO and President of Hewlett-Packard in 1999 but before that, she earned recognition being one of the most powerful women in America.   Her career in H-P was a combination of ups and down leaving the company with a lot more controversy. Carly Fiorina’s performance at HP caught the attentions of the people in America and the world. Was CEO Carly Fiorina an example of internal or external succession at H-P and why? Carly Fiorina’s appointment in Hewlett-Packard is an example of external succession because she was not a former H-P employee or member of the board; her expertise and renowned popularity made the H-P Board to hire her service.   Specifically, her achievements at Lucent and ATT impressed the executives of H-P, which at that time was at a point of â€Å"downslide† (Boldman Deal, p. 111), who thought that Fiorina could bring â€Å"drastic action and new leadership to shake things up† (ibid). Describe the changes made at Hewlett-Packard under CEO Fiorina. Carly Fiorina obviously was really smart and an innovator as evident in her achievements in her former companies.   However, her true ability was tested in Hewlett-Packard that left her torn-apart caused by the consequences of the massive scale she imposed on H-P.   She succeeded in some ways and failed in some aspects. Nevertheless, Fiorina made three changes in HP in her six-year term that greatly affected the HP culture according to Craig (2008).   First, she redirected the spending of the company from â€Å"nurturing employees to financial performance† (Craig) that resulted to growth in earnings and revenues during her term.   Secondly, she changed the reward system given to employees from profit-sharing to an incentive program.   The last change she made was restructuring the whole company by merging similar units to one resulting to having only four units from the original 84 units.   Reduction of smaller independent businesses of HP resulted to job losses of many employees but improved the communication and internal transaction of the company. Likewise, the merging of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq caused Fiorina’s strategy brought more negative consequences than positive ones.   Though she got what she expected, but the fact that people were hurt by her aggressive action they all retaliated against her.   Unbelievably, only during her term that HP experienced so many job losses and employee apprehensions. These changes damaged the company as employee dissatisfaction grew further until 2005 and the stock reduced by half while its competitors such as Dell and IBM continued soaring high. What is your opinion of what ultimately happened to her at HP, as illustrated by the second article? Fiorina lost her credibility at HP which was contrary to her previous achievements she made prior to her appointment at HP.   I think she was overwhelmed by the shining glory of her achievements during that time that she promoted herself rather than the company’s future.   She failed to understand what the company really needed; instead she went on her way without fully analyzing what correct actions to take. Basically, she relied to herself totally that she never noticed the cultural forces that raged against her.   She lost her focus as many turned into opposition to her plans; in the first place, she never got to the heart of the problem of HP that she misunderstood many of the remarks and words of expectation she received at the time she was appointed at HP. How would you describe the most recent succession that occurred at H-P? External succession with Fiorina was the first attempt made by the company and I think that experience gave them a great lesson to ponder on because the succession brought chaos to the company, which was opposite to what they expected.   HP was quite stable though some downslides occurred already when Fiorina was hired in 1999.   Fiorina was appointed as chairwoman in order to enhance further its competitiveness in the market but her leadership style did not meet the expected changes that she promised to them. In the first place, HP became irrational by associating the success of Fiorina at ATT and Lucent to Hewlett-Packard.   It failed to see competent and able leaders within the company who could replace the parting person.   Getting the right person for a very sensitive position must be done with care. Monk and Wagner suggested that in line with succession, it is important that a company create a succession plan that â€Å"incorporates every level of the organization† (2008, p. 174). The succession plan will guide the company in cases like Fiorina. Conclusion In the case of Carly Fiorina in HP, it is appropriate to assume that succession must be according to the plan and besides the company must set a ruling regarding succession.   Fiorina could be the right person in HP but the lack of clear vision and orientation of the culture and expectation of the company; she developed her own approaches that only harmed the people in the company.

are expeaectation about childs development related to different cultures? :: essays research papers

Parental expectations of their children's development can be influenced bymany factors. factors like media, family beliefs, personal experience. Expectations come from several sources- from parents, teachers, family, peers and ourselves. All these factors relate to social and culture beliefs. Piaget stressed the importance of the environment in children's learningm seeing children as active builders of their own knowledge. The social constructive perspective on child development places main emphasis on the importance of the social environment on child development. Lev Vygotsky's findings showed that children had a great deal to learn from each other through interaction and communication. Unlike piaget, Vygotsky thought that childrem's ability should not be judged only on what they can do alone, but on what they are capable of with help. So the child may be provided with a more challenging and stimulating environment. Constructivist propose that children have qualitatively distinct w ays of thinking, feeling and behaving at different stages of development. Whiting and Edwards ( 1992) discuss the importance of cultural values and their influence on what is perceived as appropriate social behaviour.Hess et al.(1980) carried out cross-culturalstudy into the expectations of American and Japanese mothers about their children's development. He design a developmental expectation procedure to study mother's expectations. The study produced some interesting dara into the cultural differences in the two group's expectations.It showed that the Japanese mother's expectations for early achievement fell into categories of compliance, independence and emotional maturity. In contrast the American mothers expected social skills and verbal assertiveness to be ascertained at a younger age. Whiting and Edwards (1992) discussed the importance of cultural values and their influence on what is seen as an appropriate social behaviour. they explain different expectations of children's development in various cultures and why different cultures expect different things of their children. For example in a more complex society literacy would seen as the most important skills to learn. Whereas in a simple society it is likely that children will learn the physical world. It can be said that cultural needs of society strongly influence parent's expectations of their own children's development.

Intro to Marketing Essay

It is important that McDonalds Corporation makes sure that any of their widely attractive and competitive marketing activities are produced within the constraints of the law. Consumer protection involves defending consumers by giving them a way to get reparations for damage cause because of faulty products. Therefore, McDonalds should keep up with changes in the law and landmark rulings to make sure any marketing in which they are developing won’t be illegal. Sales of Goods Act 1979 This act requires traders to sell goods whether that is written, verbal or graphical descriptions, they should be correctly and accurately described as well as being a satisfactory quality. This means that the condition of the product should include how long it lasts and being fit for purpose is key. This directly affects marketing activity as it means that any marketing should describe the product as accurately and truthful information. the product must be able to be used for purpose and if not, the customer is entitled to a full refund or exchange as a result of their concerns. If it is stated, it has to be guaranteed and false information given when advertising can be illegal. For example, McDonalds is one of the biggest fast food industries known globally. The products that they sell cannot be falsely advertised stating they are very healthy as by law, the amount of calories, fat, carbohydrates and sugar are all ingredients must be state on the packaging. It must be shown to potential customers exactly what products they sell and the quality must meet the standards as they are advertised. If not, this could lead to fines and imprisonment. Also, if a customer has a dispute of a member of McDonalds about the calories of a burger, the customer would then be informed exactly how many calories are in a burger as they are stated on every bit of packaging for exactly what is in the burger. Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 This act entitles all customers to fair treatment and honesty from businesses they deal with. This relatively recent piece of legislation should not have affected most businesses, but was targeted at organisations that do not always treat their customers well. Under this act, businesses cannot use aggressive sale tactics, or use dishonest promotional campaigns such as false advertising. For example, if McDonalds advertised their burgers on sale and they weren’t, this would result in mislead customers and giving false impressions to their target audiences which could possibly affect their reputation. EBay is a good example of this act. If an item is bought from a seller that is not as described or to an unsatisfactory quality, the buyer in entitled to a refund. If the seller fights their corner and claims that the buyer’s comments are untrue, the buyer can then open a case in the resolution centre in order to resolve this problem. Under the buyer protection policy, eBay has the right to fight the corner of the buyer so that the right solution is made. Consumer Credit Acts 1974 and 2006 This act protects consumer’s rights when they buy goods on credit or companies lending money to consumers. Traders who offend this law must have an OFT (Office of Fair Trading) licence and any complaints that arise with the customer regarding the organisation is dealt with by the FOS (Financial Ombudsman Service). For example, if you buy an Apple Mac computer, when this good has been paid for using a form of credit whether it be a credit card or credit agreement arranged by the trader, you may have an equal liability claim against the credit firm providing the contracted amount is over  £100 but no more than  £30,000. Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 Distance selling is any form of selling where there is no face to face communications between the customer and seller. the regulations require the business to provide clear information so customers can make more informed decisions regarding their purchases. An example of this regulation would be EBay. The business will give the consumer information such as goods they are selling, clear description, condition, location, payment options, delivery arrangements and returns policy. Data Protection Act 1998 This act means that any information stored by marketers must only be used for the stated purpose, must be accurately up to date and obtained fairly as well as lawfully. The act focuses on all businesses holding any confidential customer information on a database. As well as this, it should be no longer kept more than it is needed for a processed in line with your rights. It must be kept up to date as if someone passes away, you should not call asking for them. Also, if your information is protected from unauthorised use, it cannot be passed on to other companies without permission. The information which is stored is available for your inspection and correction upon request. It should also be protected from transfer to an area outside of the EEA (European Economic Area) unless adequate. McDonalds only gather personal information when voluntary submitted on their website to give feedback and they have online prize promotions. Sometimes, they change their private policies but only if a pressure group acts against them which is brought to the organisations attention. Trade Descriptions Act 1968 The act was introduced in order to protect consumers when purchasing products and services. It stipulates numerous different regulations that traders must adhere when carrying out their marketing activities. Sellers therefore must not mislead customers in any way as well as making descriptive yet accurate. This act not only refers to written descriptions but includes discussions, interactive exchanges and written documents. For example, within this act the trader must not indicate that a price is lower than it actually is as this is giving customers false information and misguiding them. McDonalds could not advertise that the price of a meal is  £3.00 is it is more than that because people will get the wrong idea and be displeased by the service and description of their products being false. Code of Advertising Practise and Advertising Standards Authority Marketing activities for a organisation are policed by the independent ASA. It is an industry body rather than a legal framework, and it promotes and maintains the UK code of advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing. The rules are to keep within the legal framework, protect customers from misleading claims, create an even footing for advertising. Principals for this include regulations such as the advertising a business produces should be in lines with the following rules: should be legal, decent, honest, truthful and have a sense of responsibility. Their advertising should not also be misleading or offensive. For example, McDonalds should not create slogans or include graphical advertising methods offending certain animal welfare groups or vegetarians as this is disregarded and taken seriously as well as being odious which they could potential lose customers because of. Ethical consideration A pressure group is an organised group that seeks to influence government policy or to protect a particular cause of interest. They don’t fight elections but may promote specific issues and may have more political objectives to aim for whilst enduring their campaign. they are undergone quietly on issues which most citizens wouldn’t full understand or recognise. For example, policies such as a medical association wanting to persuade the government to close down tobacco companies would affect their business and would also result in many convenience stores that would sell cigarettes. For example, in May 2011, more than 500 health professionals signed a petition to ask the makers of happy meals to stop marketing junk food to children so this had an impact on McDonalds in order to fulfil the needs to protesters so now healthier options such as fruit bags and fruit juices were introduced as a substitute to these ‘junk’ foods. Another example includes the animal rights pressure group; PETA launched a global campaign again McDonalds regarding animal rights issues and have created a billboard campaign disregarding McDonald’s non guilty claims which tried to make the fast-food giants listen to their views against animal welfare and rights. Consumerism is the organised efforts by individuals, groups and governments to help protect consumers from policies and practises that infringe the rights of consumers to fair business practises. It identifies the rights for consumers to be safe, to be informed, to choose and be heard. The Office of Fair Trading plays an active role in implement consumer legislation and to take action against traders who are seen as ‘unfair’. The packaging is an example of this as McDonalds used to use boxes that weren’t biodegradable but now they are being more environmentally friendly by using plastic boxes that won’t wear away and the resource is cheaper and will last longer. Advertising is mean to attract customers in but sometimes comments made can be acted upon and made subjective if the viewers don’t like what they see or hear. The language chosen for advertising needs to be accessible to the audience and put in a way that everyone can understand to widen the market of the product or service. The Advertising Standards Authority have acknowledged and acted upon the key areas which are when adverts refer to sex, involve strong language, religions and belief are fought against and also offensive grounds such as prejudgement or racism. In McDonalds case, critical issues that arose as a result of their advertising were there was claims that the organisation ‘exploits children’ with its advertising; the company was blamed for misleading children by using attractive advertisement as the use of fun character Ronald McDonald to encourage young people and attracting them to kid’s meals. Bibliography John Bevan, H. C.-S. (2010). BTEC Level 3 National Business, Book 1. Harlow, Essex, GBR : Pearson Education. http://www.tradedescriptionsact.co.uk/content/trade-descriptions-act-1968-28. html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/bbc_parliament/2443603.stm http://www.asa.org.uk/ http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/46508929/P2-Limitations-and-Constraints http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/474136.stm http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703509104576329610340358394.html