Second Punic War Battles

The Importance of Jean Watsons Caring Theory in Nursing

Jean Watsons Caring Theory Modern hospitals of currently are filled with a many advanced technology and equipment. A combination of this advanced scientific analysis and testing has made the nurses working environment feel more like a high-tech business. This is far-fetched from the roots of nursing, where the nurse-patient interaction was the essential and primary factor contributing to the patients recovery. With strict regulatory documentation requirements and keeping up with the latest medical advances can distraught from what has been described as the core of nursing; caring (Watson, 2009). In all definitions of nursing, the word care or caring is always used and carries root of the meaning. The study discusses Jean Watsons contribution to the nursing profession and the implications of her theory in shaping the multiple paradigms of nursing. Jean Watson is one of the leading nurses of her time re-emphasize the importance of caring in nursing. Through her research, extensive firsthand experience, and deep intellectual analysis, she developed the Caring Theory (Duffy, 2010). Her theory and concept helped nurses to nurture their role as caregivers and educators while at the same promoting a better healing environment. As a nurse, I provide an example of a firsthand patient-nurse interaction depicting how Watsons concepts can be applied in a thoughtful and skillful manner while retaining its humanistic-altruistic value. This strengths the patient-nurseShow MoreRelatedImportance Of Theory For Nursing Care1525 Words   |  7 PagesImportance of Theory Theory can have different meaning depending on the setting. Theory can be based on a hypothesis or simply a collection or thoughts and ideas. Nursing theories, provide ideas and designs that define the place of nursing in healthcare. Theories are a fundamental part of nursing and exist to improve patient care outcomes. In 2001, Jean Watson’s caring theory was adopted in the health system where I work as a registered nurse. The Nurse Governance Council adopted the Watson’s philosophyRead MoreImprortance of Theory: Jean Watson’s Caring Theory1581 Words   |  7 PagesIMPRORTANCE OF THEORY: JEAN WATSON’S CARING THEORY NR 501 Teresa Acosta Chamberlain College of Nursing IMPRORTANCE OF THEORY: Jean Watson’s Caring Theory Currently, healthcare systems all over the world are experiencing some sort of reorganization at the administration level. Things are changing, practice and healthcare policy continue to transform at aRead MoreDiscuss Jean Watson s Theory Of Human Caring1299 Words   |  6 Pagesof the nursing theories I had learned in my Bachelor’s nursing program. As years have gone by, and I am back getting my Masters, I am readdressing the importance of nursing theories. Nursing theory is fundamentally the basis for nursing practice. It is outlined as â€Å"an organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing† (Petiprin, 2015, para. 1). For this paper, I have chosen to discuss Jean Watson’s theory of human caring. â€Å"Watson’s theory of human caring promotesRead MoreJean Watson s Theory Of Care1560 Words   |  7 PagesTHEORY OF CARE 2 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine how the theory of Jean Watson improves overall health and experience in the postoperative patient. The choice and rationale why this topic was selected is because of so many patients’ experience with their hospital stay after surgery. The steps that were taken to search for evidence based research articles such as: database searched, key terms searched, limits and filters, and information relevant to topic. There wereRead MoreJean Watson s Theory Of Human Caring1361 Words   |  6 PagesJean Watson’s Theory of Caring is the model often used to guide and direct nursing care as well as to improve nursing practice through a better understanding of the role and function of the professional nurse. It is an important theory to the nursing world because it brings meaning and focus to nursing as an emerging discipline and distinct health profession that has its own unique values, knowledge, and practices. It is important to our group bec ause we read an article on infertile women in TurkeyRead MoreApplication Of Theory : Low Morale Among Staff Members1363 Words   |  6 PagesApplication of Theory: Low Morale among Staff Members Nursing theories are defined as a systematic review of a phenomenon that consist of interconnected concepts. Theories can be classified in four categories: metatheory, grand theory, middle range theory, and situation-specific theory or by purpose. They are useful tools for reasoning, critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving in nursing practice. Theory provides the framework to a nurse’s professional practice, research, and education;Read MoreNursing Theory Essay1556 Words   |  7 PagesJean Watsons Theory of Caring In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course N207-Theoretical Foundations in Nursing at University of the Philippines Open University. This blog is dedicated to fellow nurses, to our patients, to our classmates, and to Miss Jean Watson who gave us inspiration in caring. * Caring: What is it? * Caring In Action * Jean Watson * Metaparadigm * Philosophy and Science * Analysis * Acceptance * Group H Acceptance AcceptanceRead MoreNursing Theorist Grid722 Words   |  3 PagesNursing Theorist Grid 1. Theorist Selected: Jean Watson 2. Description of key points of the theory: †¢ In Watson’s philosophy of human caring she developed carative factors. She uses the word carative to classify nursing and medicine. The carative factors aim at the caring process. There are 10 carative factors each one involving a lived experience from all involved in the relationship, including the nurse. †¢ Watson described a need for transpersonal caring relationship. This is definedRead MoreJean Watson And The Science Of Caring894 Words   |  4 PagesJean Watson and the Science of Caring Jean Watson is one of the most influential nurse theorists of the 21st century. Her development of Caring Science/Human Caring Theory have put greater importance of a patient as a whole being, and a nurse’s role in care. Through her 10 caritas process, Watson has developed ways for nurses to foster a positive, caring relationship with their patients to aid in healing and development. The Watson Caring Science Institute as well as the Watson Caring Science CenterRead MoreJean Watsons Theory Of Human Caring1357 Words   |  6 PagesNursing theory provides the foundation for nursing practices and guidelines. The foundation is constructed by providing the framework for identifying and testing relationships of concepts within the nursing practice (McEwen Wills, 2014). Care is considered a core component of nursing, this core component has been the basis of nursing scholars in formulating their concepts and theories. Nursing theorists from history to the present has derived their work in conjunction with other nursing theorists

Operations Management Free Essays

The process type McDonald’s uses is batch process because there are moderate volume and moderate variety in their products and services. McDonald’s products are semi-standardized as they are stocked pre cooked. When a customer makes an order, the product is then prepared. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now This shows high flexibility, for example, a customer orders a special order of McCracken without lettuce, the order will be processed within minutes. There is also high volume of production as McDonald’s serves thousands of customers dally. Inning a batch process means that the speed of delivery Is dependent upon the speed and experience of the Individual worker. This process supports the business of McDonald’s as they will be able to process the different types orders to cater to the different needs of customers, In the shortest time possible. To achieve that, moderate skill level of workers is required. The advantages of batch process are that it allows workers to specialist in specific lobscouse and use the specialist equipment, different batches of different production an be made. On the other hand, there are also disadvantages of batch process. Firstly, specialization means that the workers are doing repetitive jobs, which can result to boredom. Secondly, the machinery needs to be reset and cleaned in between batches. This can be time consuming which in turns slows down the production. Also, when the hamburgers are produced by batches, they would keep them for as long as possible and eventually discard them if they were not sold. This will increase the cost for McDonald’s. How to cite Operations Management, Papers Operations management Free Essays The current operations management strategies being employed by the two companies namely Ford Motors as well as Hard Rock can be characterized as an innovative way of putting quality and profitability in sheer balance. Both companies operate in an international setting and employ a diverse workforce with mixed cultures. Even if these factors hold for both companies, it is a operational wonder how both manage to have sizeable amounts of profit. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations management or any similar topic only for you Order Now For instance, Ford Motors established an automobile park wherein various factories dedicated to specific assembly lines have been established side by side. The factories lie close to the existing 80-year old facility in Southern Chicago. Each facility in this complex puts the assembly line in the various Ford automobiles closer. This strategy copied from low-cost vehicle assembly plants in Latin American countries saves the company up to $15 million annually in lost transportation costs. Before, it takes about a day in order to transport automobile parts from Ford’s component suppliers to the main assembly plant in Southern Chicago. Although initial costs are up to $250-million, the automobile company prioritized the quality of their supplier parts that would now take only 15-minutes in transport from one factory to the other within the park. According to Brown, â€Å"operations have been promising within the park† since it opened in early 2004. On the other hand, operations management innovations in Hard Rock have been similar to that of other companies such as Starbucks. This time though, Hard Rock has been successful in benchmarking itself as a fashionable and trendy bar restaurant serving great food, updated music as well as sold-out events. Hard Rock also became known in recent years by breaking into new territories by opening new Hard Rock Hotels in Bali, Indonesia, Pattaya, Thailand, Las Vegas, Nevada, among others. This has proven that the company amidst stiff competition. In general, Ford and Hard Rock have been perfect examples of how operations management principles can still improve quality even under profit maximizing measures. How to cite Operations management, Essays Operations management Free Essays Introduction Strategic Focus, one amongst the most important step in the design and development of a product, enables companies to discover and explicitly commit themselves to important considerations (Ahoy, 2008). In the current case studies of Ready Materials and Zara, efficient and effective strategic focus assisted in expanding and extending the business into the narrow market or industry segment. More specifically, the super-responsive supply chain developed by Zara permitted the company in designing, producing and delivering new garments for marketing worldwide (Gattorna 1998). We will write a custom essay sample on Operations management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ready Materials, on the other hand, possessed no clear strategic focus and witnessed complexities in meeting the volatile demand pattern. This characteristic absence of strategic focus caused a demand uncertainty, which eventually led to the emergence of buffering mechanisms (forward load, inventory and capacity). Owing to the fluctuating nature of daily demand, most of the purchasers of Ready Materials have aligned their orders with respect to a day per day operation and waited for the dispatch for an average time of 24 hours. Use of capacity buffering system in the form of annualised hours helped in managing Ready Materials at times of demand fluctuations, enabling adjustments to the working day by up to two hours, either way, without any intimation (Gattorna, 2009). Though these buffering mechanisms caused the company to witness low levels of staff morale and retention, in recent years, this has gained immense attention with the work force finishing the task early more often than late. Buffering mechanisms undertake the forms of order backlogs link with a variable extension to lead time. Inventory buffering mechanism, used by Ready Materials, compressed the customer response time by committing capacity in the advance of demand. Reducing the capital or, in other words, operating at the negative working capital helps in aligning with offsetting the investment in additional capacity. Thus, managing buffering mechanisms through resource alerts and effective prioritisation of resource attention assists projects in taking an advantage. It minimises the impact of Parkinson’s Law, and prevents unnecessary distraction alongside facilitating recovery planning when required, yet at a time in advance when the project or company is in trouble. Presence of high demand uncertainty necessitates the need of project and strategic management (Lake, 2010). As indicated earlier, the use of buffering and alignment mechanisms, allow the resources and companies to gain a st rategic focus of resource attention besides enabling the advantage of good morale and early task finish. Much focus can be levied on time schedule management, and this automatically decreases unnecessary distraction, further enabling for the recovery planning to prevail, when needed. However, this is only necessary whenever the company witnesses extreme difficulty (Ahoy, 2008). Managing of uncertainty remained at the core of improvement of project performance for Ready Materials. Making use of highly sophisticated just in time systems could help in adjusting to the alignment and this automatically offers an efficient strategic focus. At such times, the company is required to get the projects completed both ahead of schedule and with efficient reliability of stock delivery dates that were promised. This specific approach to alignment offers mechanisms which allow a â€Å"complete system† view of projects. The mechanism of alignment recognises and safeguards the uncertainty and thereby avoids the Parkinson’s Law at the task level whilst considering Murphy’s Law at the project stage. All of these implications suggest an intimate interrelationship between strategic focus, buffering and alignment. Effective and efficient management of these three segments of operational management helps each of the companies in driving towards success (Vital e, 2002). It is the duty of project managers to shift their attention from assuring the achievement of strategic focus, task estimates and intermediate milestones. All of these are vital from the date it is required to the final promised due date. But, a grasping of the whole implication of this approach is an immense challenge. Running factories for only a single shift, sending half empty loads to other countries, which were followed by Zara, could help in focusing local efficiency at the expense of international responsiveness. Investing in the overall capital assets can eventually enhance the strategic focus and organisational flexibility (Stratton, 2008). Owing production assets can offer the company a level of control over its schedules and the companies no matter what they intend to do. Besides manufacturing of complicated products, it can enhance strategic focus and thereby minimise the incorporation of buffering mechanisms and alignment patterns. References Ahoy, K. (2008). Customer Driven Operations Management: Aligning Businesses, Processes and Systems, London: Hoffmann Publishers, pp. 90-100. Gattorna, J. (1998). Strategic Supply Chain Alignment: Best Practices in Supply Chain. London: SAGE Publishers, pp. 451-460. Gattorna, V. (2009). Dynamic Supply Chain Alignment. London: Heinemann Publishers, pp. 341-390. Lake, H. (2010). Operational Management and Control. London: Routledge Publishers, pp. 34-90. Stratton, R. (2008). Theory Building: Relating Variation, Uncertainty, Buffering Mechanisms and Trade-offs, Proceedings of the 3rd World Conference on Production and Operations Management. Tokyo: Japan. Vitale, B. (2002). Business to Business Marketing. London: Routledge Publishers, pp. 34-89. How to cite Operations management, Essay examples Operations Management Free Essays Operation management is the activity of managing the resources, such as capital, facilities, raw materials, technology, and so on, which create and deliver services and products. ( Slack et al, 2011 ) No organization could survive in long term if it cannot manage operations management effectively. The importance of operations management is that it affects an organization’s costs. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are three activities of operations management, which is directing the overall strategy of the operation, designing the operation’s services, products, and processes, delivering to customer, and developing process performance. IKEA’s History and its Operations Management IKEA was founded in 1943 in Sweden, and it is a successful international retailer with 276 stores in 36 countries. IKEA offers a large variety of well designed furnishing products with low costs, which has contributed to its success. IKEA also contributes a lot to the environment. It cares about the safety of raw materials and production. For example, IKEA stopping selling plastic bags, and it encourage customers to bring their own bags. To support â€Å"less plastic bags† action, IKEA reduced 30 cents each of its own recycle bags. Supply Network Design and Supply Chain Management Most IKEA stores locate outside city centers in order to reduce transportation costs and capital costs. For example, there are two IKEA stores in Singapore, one is in Queenstown, the other one is in Tampines. These two places is not in the city center. Besides, Singapore is a small country that allows IKEA to save more delivery costs comparing with those big countries, such as America. In order to keep the price low, IKEA transports products by truck, rail, and ship. Flat packs and stackable products allows IKEA to handle more of them during delivering. Process Design and Layout Firstly, IKEA’s biggest symbol is its large blue building with yellow shop sign. Secondly, its showroom design is similar to ‘one way’ layout, which makes customers wanna visit the whole store. Thirdly, IKEA provides convenience to customer from free parking, large and clear notice board. IKEA not only offers functional furnishing products, but also restaurant, grocery stores which has majority of Swedish food, and children play area. ( IKEA ‘s Official Website ) Product Design IKEA designs stylish products that can be flat-packed efficiently. ( Slack et al, 2011 ) And it makes products with low costs that are affordable to customers. Customers have to collect the flat-packed goods from the store and assemble those products by themselves. (IKEA also provides delivery service ) In this way, IKEA could reduce labor costs ,storage costs, and shipping costs in order to support its high efficiency. In fact, both customer and IKEA benefit from this concept. IKEA’s has built good relationship with its suppliers. It has suppliers from more than 50 countries and Its purchasing teams are located all over the world and work with them. IKEA insists to work environmental friendly. ( ICMR, 2006 ) IKEA only accept woods from qualified forest which is verified as responsibly managed. According to IKEA’s introduction, it provides collection points for customers to return waste. During manufacturing process, it tries to minimize wastes. IKEA would use the waste to produce other items if possible. In a word, IKEA makes a great effort to use and produce remanufactured and renewable goods. IKEA does a great number of tests of productions every year, and it also has third-party auditors to do the tests also. Since IKEA purchase raw materials in large volume, it enables IKEA to reduce costs. With all these effort, IKEA is able to produce sustainable goods with high quality and low costs. In a way, IKEA does not only save direct costs, but also gain intangible costs, such as good reputation and trustworthiness. Quality Management From operation’s perspective, quality is to meet customers’ expectation. In the customers’ perspective, quality is what they think the product should be. IKEA offers delivery service, assembly service, kitchen installation, sewing service, children service, interest free, gift cards, and return policy. ( IKEA Official Website ) People love IKEA’s products, but dislike the shopping experience because there is always crowded and a long queue in the store. IKEA provides catalogue and brochures to customers, and it creates mobile Apps so that customers could download and read it. Customers can see new products and discount products with price. IKEA creates planning tools for customers, which allow customers plan before they shopping. Customer can do their planning online, and they can also check the stock availability. There is a code with every product, customer can check its availability via its official website. It is not easy to create such visibility to customers. It did help people to understand their need, and avoid crowd. Most important, it saved customers’ time and cost since they do not need to go to the store in person first. Nowadays, people rely on internet more than ever, IKEA should try to make itself and the system more approachable and complete. Effective operations management can bring an organization competitive advantage and profit. IKEA has presented a great example. Only each process can interact effectively, can the organization run smoothly. Reference: 1. Slack, N, Brandon-Jones, A, Johnston, R, (2011): Essentials of Operations Management, Pearson Education Limited. 2. IKEA Official Website. Online ]. Available http://www. ikea. com/sg/en/ 3. 2006. IBS Center for Management Research: IKEA’s Environmental Practices: Making Good Business Sense. [ Online ]. Available http://www. icmrindia. org/casestudies/catalogue/Business%20Ethics/IKEA%20Environmental%20Practices%20-%20Making%20Good%20Business%20Sense%20-%20Business%20Ethics. htm [pic]Confirmation Certificate Congratulatio ns! You have successfully completed the Library Plagiarism Quiz. Student Name: Chen Zixin Student Number: 11300175 Date: 21 Mar 2013 THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT (signature)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ HAS COMPLETED THE PLAGIARISM QUIZ Remember that the confirmation certificate is a statement by you that you understand plagiarism and know how to avoid it. If you think that you do not understand plagiarism and how to avoid it after working through this tutorial, you should confer with your module coordinator, no matter what score you have obtained on the test. Please print out this page and attach a copy of the certificate to the final page in all assignments you submit on each module as part of your programme (It is your responsibility to print the certificate, complete the information, sign it, and keep a copy of it for your records) ———————– 3 3 How to cite Operations Management, Essay examples Operations Management Free Essays 03-498 -89-1 SAADIA ROLLING MILLS In January 1989, Asim Noor, General Manager Saadia Rolling Mills (SRM), Badami Bagh, Lahore, Pakistan, was contemplating several recent developments in the iron billet market. Asim was concerned because in its production of iron reinforcement rods SRM used about 20 tonnes of iron billets every month. Iron billets were being produced in only two locations in Pakistan, Lahore and Karachi. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now For several years SRM had bought iron billets from the supplier in Lahore. Purchases were made on a weekly basis, and the expediting and clerical cost per requisition were Rs1 50 and Rs 33 respectively. Cost of unloading the iron billets into SRM was Rs 8. 30 per tonne 2 of iron billets. The storage space for iron billets at SRM was enough for two months demand with extra leased storage space available at Rs 199. 20/tonne/year. A few months back, Asim had been informed by his purchasing agent that the local supplier had followed his Karachi competitor in announcing a new price structure: 2 US $ 1. 00 = Pak Rs 19. 1. The six metre billets used by SRM weighed about 250 kg each. This case was written by Research Associate, Arif I Rana, under the supervision of Visiting Professor James A Erskine, to serve as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Some information has been disguised for purposes of confidentiality. This material should not be quoted, photocopied or reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the Lahore University of Management Sciences.  © 1989 Lahore University of Management Sciences 03-498-89-1 Order (in tonnes) First 20 Next 20 All over 40 Unit Price/tonne Rs 8,300 Rs 8,134 Rs 7,885 SRM’s local supplier had just increased its rolling mill capacity and would now supply iron billets only to a select group of customers. SRM now had to deal with the Karachi supplier whose prices were the same as the local supplier, except that they did not include the transportation costs from Karachi. Asim contacted a few transporters in Lahore and found that transportation cost of iron billets from Karachi was Rs 830 per tonne. However, large trucks with 20 tonne capacity were also available at Rs 10,000 per truck. It normally took one week for consignment from Pakistan Steel to reach their destinations in Lahore. Asim wondered what effects these new developments would have on his cost structure. 2 How to cite Operations Management, Essay examples Operations Management Free Essays OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT: as a competitive weapon mks mks@mdi. ac. in http://mks507. We will write a custom essay sample on Operations Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now vistapanel. net Prof. (Dr. ) Manoj K Srivastava Operations Management Area 1. The Systems Approach C O N T E N T S 2. 3. OM Definition Ten Critical Decisions 4. 5. The Cases 4V Typology of Operations 6. 7. Productivity Competitiveness 8. 9. Manufacturing Vs. Service? The History 10. The Future 1 Systems Approach Systems Approach Reduce waste†¦or enhance output†¦ 2 OM Definition What is Operations Management? What is Operations? a function or system that transforms inputs into outputs of greater value Operations management (OM) is the set of activities that creates value in the form of goods and services by transforming inputs into outputs TYPES OF TRANSFORMATIONS †¢ †¢ Physical: Locational: as in manufacturing operations as in transportation operations What is a Transformation Process? a series of activities along a value chain extending from supplier to customer. activities that do not add value are superfluous and should be eliminated †¢ †¢ Exchange: Physiological: as in retail operations as in health care What is Operations Management? esign, operation, and improvement of productive systems †¢ †¢ Psychological: Informational: as in entertainment as in communication Value Engineering / Value Analysis ? Use ? Esteem ? Time ? Place 3 What Operations Managers do? ? Service, product design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ? Quality management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ? Process, capacity design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ? Location †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Ten Critical Decisions ? Layout design †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ? Human resources, job design†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ? Supply-chain management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ? Inventory management †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ? Scheduling †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ? Maintenance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 The Cases Britannica Story Invite your enemy onto the roof, then remove the ladder Sun tzu The Art of War 36 Stratagems 1988 1988-93 Britannica (Leader, 230 years experience, 1768), $1000 Microsoft encyclopedia from funk Wagnall’s encyclopedia Searchability, Multimedia, Graphics, Timeline (20 feet), cross-links, updating 1993 1995 Price $300 (cost of CD:$1) (in-fact you can purchase encarta encyclopedia + a PC in Britannica price) Britannica has to jump in a business which was not its strength, Price still $1000 1997 Reduced to $125, later on free online, crashed twice Innovation in Operations McDonald’s Corp Olympic Flame ? ? ? Facing Increased Competition Smarter and More Demanding Customers Less Brand Loyal Switched to hamburger bun that does not require toasting. ? Customers prefer taste of new bun ? Saves time and money, QSVC Model ? ? ? ? 10,000 runners 15,000 miles through 42 states in 84 days Two years of planning Must plan for no-show runners and rush hour traffic ? Cost of this operati on in the neighbourhood of $20 million Innovation in Operations Ginger Hotel BillDesk No-frills, June 2004 No room service, travel desk, swimming pool Wi-fi, Two type of room: Rs. 999 and Rs. 1199, Prabhat Pani, CEO, Roots Corporation BillDesk, a property of IndiaIdeas. com Ltd. , 2000 Three Arthur Anderson Executives Third-party bill collection 25 Banks, 100 companies Just apply today. It only takes a few minutes. Once you’re approved, you get your very own Zipcard. Reserve one of our cars – for a couple hours or the entire Day. Do it online or use a phone. We’re easy. Walk to the car, then just hold your Zipcard to the windshield. The doors will unlock, and it’s all yours! Drive away†¦ and return to the same reserved parking spot at the end of your reservation. It’s that simple. And remember, gas and insurance are included too. 5 Operations typology: 4V Approach Differences within sectors are often greater than the differences between sectors Financial services An account management centre at a large retail bank Financial analyst advising a client at an investment bank Furniture manufacturing Mass production of kitchen units Craft production of reproduction ‘antique’ furniture Hotels Value-for-money hotel Lobby of an international luxury hotel A Typology of Operations: 4 V’s Low Volume High High how many products or services are made by the operation? how many different types of products or services are made by the operation? High Variety Low High Variation in demand Low how much does the level of demand change over time? how much of the operation’s internal working are ‘exposed’ to its customers? High Visibility Low Implications Low repetition Each staff member performs more of job Less systemization High unit costs Flexible Complex Match customer needs High unit costs Changing capacity Anticipation Flexibility In touch with demand High unit costs Short waiting tolerance Satisfaction governed by customer perception Customer contact skills needed Received variety is high High unit costs A Typology of Operations Implications High repeatability Specialization Capital intensive Low unit costs Well defined Routine Standardized Regular Low unit costs Stable Routine Predictable High utilization Low unit costs Time lag between production and consumption Standardization Low contact skills High staff utilization Centralization Low unit costs Low Volume High High High Variety Low High Variation in demand Low High Visibility Low 6 Productivity Effectiveness Efficiency Productivity Types of Productivity Single Factor Productivity Output Labor Output Materials Output is of quality nature Output Capital Multifactor Productivity Output Labor + Materials + Overheads Output Labor + Energy + Capital Total Factor Productivity Goods and Services Produced All inputs used to produce them America West’s Reverse Pyramid system This is in contrast to the approach used by many airlines of just boarding all seats starting from the back of the plane and working forward. 7 Competitiveness Competitiveness The degree to which a nation can produce goods and services that meet the test of international markets while simultaneously maintaining or expanding the real incomes of its citizens. A firm is competitive if it can produce products [†¦ of superior quality or lower costs than its domestic and international competitors. (US-President`s Commission on Industrial Competitiveness 1985, S. 6) Global Competitiveness Ranking 1. Switzerland 2. Sweden 3. Singapore 4. United States 5. Germany 6. Japan 7. Finland 8. Netherlands 9. Denmark India 51 10. Canada China 27 Competition Within Industries Increases When ? Firms ar e relatively equal in size and resources ? Products and services are standardized ? Industry growth is slow or exponential Barriers to Entry ? ? Economies of scale Learning curves Capital investment Access to supply and distribution channels 8 Manufacturing vs. services Degree of Servitization Manufacturing and Service Employment Manufacturing Employment and Production Services as % of GDP Tangibility Spectrum Economic Offerings can determine prior to purchasing can only be discerned after purchase or during consumption or use customer must believe in, but cannot personally evaluate even after purchase consumption Differences Between Goods and Services Intangibility Heterogeneity Simultaneous Perishability Production Consumption 9 History of OM Five Eras of Operations Management Journey of Operations Management Adam Smith uge increases in productivity obtainable from technology or technological progress are possible match human and physical capital, Division of labor Eli Whitney à ¢â‚¬ ¢ †¢ In 1798, received government contract to make 10,000 muskets Showed that machine tools could make standardized parts to exact specifications – Musket parts could be used in any musket Significant events in operations management ? ? ? ? Division of labor Standardized parts Scientific management Coordinated assembly line (Smith (Whitney (Taylor (Ford 1776) 1800) 1881) 1913) ? ? ? Gantt charts Motion study Quality control (Gantt (Gilbreths (Shewhart 1916) 1922) 1924) 10 Where are we going? Exciting New Challenges in Operations Management Changing Challenges Past Local or national focus Batch (large) shipments Causes Low-cost, reliable worldwide communication and transportation networks Cost of capital puts pressure on reducing investment in inventory Global Focus Future Just-in-time shipments Low-bid purchasing Quality emphasis requires that suppliers be engaged in product improvement Shorter life cycles, rapid international communication, computer-aided design, and international collaboration Affluence and worldwide markets; increasingly flexible production processes Changing sociocultural milieu. Increasingly a knowledge and information society. Environmental issues, ISO 14000, increasing disposal costs Supply-chain partners Rapid product development, alliances, collaborative designs Mass customization Empowered employees, teams, and lean production Environmentally sensitive production, Green manufacturing, recycled materials, remanufacturing Lengthy product development Standardized products Job specialization Low cost focus How to cite Operations Management, Papers

Types of Price Elasticity of Demand-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: 1.As a producer, why is it important to consider the Price Elasticity of Demand of your Product when setting the price you are going to charge? 2.Explain the difference between Comparative Advantage an Absolute Advantage. Answers: 1.Price elasticity refers to the change in quantity demanded to the change in price. When the demand for the good is inelastic, an increase in the price level will result increase in the revenue. On the other hand, in case of elastic demand the price level will lead to a decrease in the revenue. The producers will set higher price for the products having inelastic demand. On the other hand, the producers will charge lower price for the products with elastic demand. It is important to know the price elasticity of demand upon which a producer can decide its optimum price level to meet the desired revenue (Baumol Blinder, 2015). It will help the producer to specify what amount of increase in the price level will be optimal for the firm. Price elasticity of demand will also help the producer in setting the marketing strategies and setting the targeted segment. Thus, it is important for the producers to have a proper knowledge of price elasticity before setting the price of the product ( Thimmapuram Kim, 2013). Fig 1- Different types of price elasticity of demand Source-Authors Creation In figure A, in case of perfectly elastic demand, it is seen that the price remains constant for different quantities of the good. In fig B, it is seen that the consumers are ready to pay any price for the same quantity of product. This is the case of perfectly inelastic demand. 2.The theory of absolute advantage by Adam Smith and comparative advantage by David Ricardo are the two important theories of international trade. The theory of absolute advantage states the capacity of a country to produce per unit of the goods at a cheaper cost. On the other hand, the theory of comparative advantage analyses the capacity of the country to produce the goods at low opportunity cost. The theory of absolute advantage highlights the country that is specialized in the production of that particular good will only be benefited. However, the theory of comparative advantage states that trade is beneficial for both countries. They measure the efficiency in production in terms of relative magnitude. Moreover, with the required amount of resources, the theory of absolute advantage allows the country for the production of higher volume of goods. On the other hand, the theory of comparative advantage with the same amount of resources allows the country to produce goods that are better than the other country (Krugman, Obstfeld Melitz, 2015). Country Wheat(in kg) Cloth(in metre) Poland 6 1 Australia 4 3 Total(excluding trade) 10 4 Fig 2 -Absolute Advantage Theory Source-Authors Creation Poland has absolute advantage in the production of wheat (64). On the other hand, it has comparative advantage in the production of wheat as it can give 1/6 meters of cloth in comparison with Australia giving up meter of cloth. On the other hand, Australia has absolute advantage in the production of cloth (31). It also has comparative advantage in the production of cloth as it gives up 1.33 kg of wheat by producing cloth where Poland gives up 6 kg (Laursen, 2015). This is shown in figure 4 and 5 respectively. Country Wheat(in kg) Cloth(in metres) Poland 12 0 Australia 0 6 Total with specialization and trade 12 6 Fig 3- Absolute Advantage (Gains from Specialization) Source-Authors Creation Fig 4- Absolute Advantage Theory Fig 5 -Comparative Advantage Theory Source-Authors Creation Source-Authors Creation Reference List Baumol, W. J., Blinder, A. S. (2015).Microeconomics: Principles and policy. Cengage Learning. Krugman, P., Obstfeld, M., Melitz, M. (2015).International Trade: Theory and Policy: Global Edition. Pearson Higher Ed. Laursen, K. (2015). Revealed comparative advantage and the alternatives as measures of international specialization.Eurasian Business Review,5(1), 99-115. Thimmapuram, P. R., Kim, J. (2013). Consumers' price elasticity of demand modeling with economic effects on electricity markets using an agent-based model.IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid,4(1), 390-397.

AP American History Essays - Irish Diaspora, Irish Genealogy

AP American History Early American Nationalism and Reform The rise of immigration in the mid 17th century lead to a spirit of national reform in the United States. Many Europeans, particularly the Irish and the German, immigrated to America during the 1800s. There were many different reasons for their immigration, and when they came they influenced American culture greatly. The United States changed religiously, because of the German and Irish, politically because of the German and Irish, and economically/socially by virtue of the conflicts between the Irish and the blacks and the influence of the Germans on education. When the Germans and the Irish immigrated to America, they greatly affected us religiously. With the enormous inflow of the Irish and the Germans in the 1840s and 1850s, the Roman Catholics became the powerful religious group. Seeking to protect their children form Protestant education in the public schools, these Roman Catholics began to construct a separate Catholic educational system. This was enormously expensive for the poor immigrant community, but revealed the strength of its religious commitment. ?Native? Americans were concerned that this ?alien riffraff? would establish the Catholic Church at the expense of Protestantism. The Americans formed a party known as the ?Know-Nothing? party, given its name because it was so secretive. This party wanted rigid restrictions on naturalization and immigration and laws allowing the deportation of aliens. This group also caused occasional mob violence against the Catholic schools and churches. This lead to national reform because the Iri sh and the Germans had, in a way, created a new dominant religion, and helped create more religious diversity. The Irish and the Germans were extremely influential in American politics. The Irish possessed an extreme hatred for the British. As the Irish increased their population in the United States to nearly two million, politicians often found it politically beneficial to insult and ridicule England. Most Germans who came to America came because America was one of the brightest hopes of democracy. German liberals with their ideas about slavery and public corruption contributed to the uplift of American political life. Like the Irish, the Germans were influential voters whom the American politicians took great advantage of. However, the Germans were less influential because their strength was more widely scattered. The Irish also affected the United States economically and socially. The Irish came to America because of the horrible potato famine in Ireland. They came to America too poor to move west to buy land, equipment and livestock. Forced to live in poverty they worsened the already poor slum conditions. As competitors for jobs, the Irish fiercely hated the blacks. The Irish, along with the blacks, were at the bottom of the social ladder and competed for menial, low-income jobs. However in some cases, the Irish began to gain control of city machines, most notably, New York's Tammany Hall. Before long Irishmen dominated police departments in a considerable amount of the larger cities. This modified the American economy because now the southern plantation owners could be less reliant on slaves. Later on, this helped the southern economy because when they made the slave trade illegal, the southern plantation owners had already become less dependent on their slaves, because now they also had c heap Irish labor. The Germans helped shape American education when they emigrated form Germany. The Germans came to America better educated them the ?Native? Americans. They supported public schooling, and introduced us into one of their ideas known as kindergarten. The Germans also did many things to stimulate the learning and knowledge of arts and music. This influenced America socially by improving our education with new ideas, and better knowledge. America was greatly influenced in the 1800's by the rise of immigration, principally the Irish and the Germans. Immigration led to a spirit of national reform by affecting America politically, economically/socially, and religiously.

The Step-by-Step Guide to Engineering Term Paper Writing

The Step-by-Step Guide to Engineering Term Paper Writing Writing a term paper is an irreplaceable element of the learning process. As a compulsory writing activity, term papers refer to the end of the term when students sum up their knowledge acquired during the half year. It is important to write a term paper as: It provides a student with an opportunity to demonstrate the ability to develop and further defend their logical arguments, yet demonstrate the knowledge on the subject to the professor. It allows the educator to assess the ability to express what is learned during a term. Besides showing the knowledge and assessing it, term paper writing is aimed at improving the writing skills, the ability to think clearly and concisely. In regards to the range of topics, term papers require a specific issue in the studied discipline to be analyzed by the student. Meanwhile, term papers are written once in a term. They are accounted for the biggest part of the grade, that is why writing a term paper becomes a highly important process. Top Writing Difficulties to Avoid in a Term Paper on Engineering The foremost explanation for the student’s dislike of writing term papers or any other kinds of academic assignments is the need for significant research to be done. The second reason for antipathy towards term papers is the need for meeting the deadlines. All that is not so difficult if you organize your engineering term paper writing properly by dividing it into simple parts. Imagine you have only two days to write your term paper on Engineering. Usually, it is a common factor that makes most students worry about this assignment. Stop worrying! Everything is achievable if you know what to face and in what way. First of all, remember that the research part is the hardest part of the whole term paper writing process. That is why the first day is the time which you may devote to research for the relevant sources of information from where you can take some useful information for your term paper. Then, you make an outline which will considerably make your process of writing easy. With that in mind, the second day is the time of actual writing. The last reason why students don’t like writing a term paper is the lack of knowledge regarding what the academic paper should look like. The next passage will explain all the peculiarities associated with good term paper writing and all difficulties you may find while writing your term paper. 7 Stages of Writing a Term Paper: How Our Writers Do The main elements involved in the writing process are known to everyone, but not everyone includes them in the term paper writing. Choose another way of dealing with this issue: Choose a topic; Doing extensive research; Create an outline and a thesis statement; Write a term paper; Create a list of sources used in the paper; Check the term paper for possible grammar mistakes and plagiarism; Read the paper out to follow the logic of writing. A Topic Choice Is Careful When You Write a Good Term Paper on Engineering The first part of any academic assignment is choosing a meaningful topic which will allow you to demonstrate your knowledge on the subject as much as possible. Nonetheless, choosing a deliberate topic is not enough as anyway, you will have to develop a persuasive, logical argument. With that in mind, think about whether you will be able to reveal the knowledge on the topic appropriately. It is common that professors offer students a list of topics and it, of course, makes the process of searching the topic for your term paper easier and faster. In contrast to this assumption, some professors believe that students are creative enough to invent the most interesting topics if given an opportunity to choose the topic by themselves. In this case, choosing a topic may seem challenging, but believe, this is even better as you can take any topic you want to write about. Just remember that your topic should resemble the class materials as any term paper aims to summarize your knowledge on the studied subject. However, if you cannot think of the topic quickly brainstorm! This is the best option to find what inspires you. Take a pencil and a piece of paper. Imagine you are drawing a sun with rays. In the circle, write the main concept associated with your topic. For instance, it can be only â€Å"engineering.† Further, write your associations regarding engineering. It can be â€Å"biomechanics,† â€Å"electric cars,† â€Å"solar energy,† â€Å"robots,† etc. In case you still struggle on the search for the topic in the engineering discipline, there is a list of topics to consider. Certainly, you may change a topic from the list and alter it in accordance with your ideas and wishes. So, try out the following topics: System Engineering Management: How to Plan a Project to Get the Desired Results? How Can Electric Cars Be Modified to Get Rid of Gas Cars Forever? The Development of the Solar Energy Panels with the Suggestions for Their Further Improvement Human Labor Vs. Machines: Will the Battle for Jobs Affect Engineers? The Future Possible Inventions by Engineers: Pros and Cons Engineering Design Tools and Their Limitation of Using Does Today’s Coastal and Waterway Engineering Prevent All Catastrophes? Genetic Engineering: Its Future Development and Significance for the Humankind. Your First Steps of a Good Term Paper Writing After you choose a topic for your term paper, don’t hesitate to research into the background information. Remember that your professor expects to see only credible sources. That is why the search for information on your topic should be conducted in the database which offers you academic sources. The best databases of such kind are JSTOR, ProQuest, and EBSCO. Additionally, Oxford Academic is a perfect database for searching the specific academic journals. Now that you have done a lot of research based on the sources that you consider the most credible (by the way, know how to examine every particular source? Follow the link â€Å"Is my source credible?†), you are ready to persuade the reader of your opinion about the engineering issue. What is the issue of your paper? What are you going to persuade your reader of? The point is that you should write your thesis statement which is your actual argument you are going to prove. For instance, if you choose to write about electric cars and defend their advantage, then your thesis may sound like the following (just an example): â€Å"In comparison to gas cars, electric cars offer a healthy future to the humankind as they do not contribute to the environmental pollution due to reduced level of emissions.† However, be ready to present controversial ideas in your paper in regards to your thesis statement as the term paper is not simply a research paper but an academic assignment wh ere you have to offer the contrary opinion. There are readers who will ask you â€Å"What if†¦?† You must be ready for answers. So, prepare your persuading arguments. When you are ready with your thesis statement, create an outline for your paper that will allow you not to lose your track of thought and provide a logical scheme of arguments for your thesis statement. First of all, think about the parts which your paper requires. For instance, the compulsory parts of any term paper are Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. However, some term papers require such additional part as Abstract. In this part, you should mention the issue you explore and the results you come to. In other words, an abstract is a part which contains a brief description of your paper. Our Experts Advise: 3 Paper Centerpieces to Pay Attention to When your outline and abstract (if needed) are ready, start writing your term paper according to the main term paper structure: The first main section is an introduction where you should familiarize the reader with your topic by providing some essential details and a kind of basic information which describes the premises for the issue you are going to explore. For instance, if you decided to write about the electric cars, then your introductory paragraph may explain to the reader why the electric cars appeared and why they are so special nowadays. Your thesis statement usually goes as the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. The second part of the term paper is usually the body which may contain a lot of sections depending on the research you have done and the way you want to organize your explanation. For instance, the topic â€Å"How Can Electric Cars Be Modified to Get Rid of Gas Cars Forever?† may contain such points as â€Å"history of electric cars†, â€Å"why electric cars are beneficial†, and â€Å"suggestions for the future of electric cars† and so on. The number of the main points also depends on the variety of aspects concerning the topic you want to enlighten in your paper. Just remember that the information which you present in your paper should be well-structured and logically connected. The last part of the paper is the conclusion which usually contains the results you come to in your research and generally summarizes the parts of your paper. In conclusion, you should mention what you aim to persuade your reader of and how you come to the results. The concluding part does not contain any new information not to confuse the reader. Post-Writing Is the Final Stage of Term Paper Writing The last points that you should pay attention to in your term paper are a list of references and checking your paper for plagiarism and all possible mistakes in grammar, syntax, punctuation, formatting, etc. While organizing a list of sources used in your term paper, follow the citation rules depending on the formatting style needed to use. The Internet will offer you a lot of literature devoted to writing academic papers. It is advisable that you use the rules from the book and other instructions which may improve your academic writing. The books will provide you with some useful information about writing a term paper and other academic assignments. Here is the list of the additional sources which will help while writing your term paper and which will properly explain all the issues associated with the writing process: Creme, P. and M. Lea. 2008. Writing at University: A guide for students. Open University Press. Oshima, A. Hogue, A. 2005. Writing Academic English, Addison-Wesley, New York. Craswell, G. 2004. Writing for Academic Success. Sage Publications. Murray, N. 2012. Writing Essays in English Language and Linguistics, Cambridge University Press. Hamp-Lyons, L. and Heasley, B. 2006. Study Writing. Cambridge University Press. Simple Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism issues in Your Term Papers Remember that the proper organization of all in-text citations and all the used materials will allow you to follow the rules of the academic integrity. The academic experience proves that unintentional plagiarism happens, and sometimes it does only because of the student’s neglect in regards to the citation rules. In case you do not want to buy a guidebook on academic writing, you may ask the writing center for help. All universities have writing centers which help with the writing process. Additionally, they will surely give you advice on how to avoid plagiarism. However, if you decide not to visit the writing center, then here are some tips on how to avoid plagiarism. As it was already mentioned, knowing the citation rules is obligatory for any student. The second step is using the anti-plagiarism software. There is a variety of anti-plagiarism programs starting from the best one which is Turnitin (it is extremely effective, however, not free) and finishing with Grammarly. The latter is an amazing option for writers as it detects plagiarism and checks your grammar at the same time. Additionally, it is free and easy-to-use! After you use the grammar/spelling checkers and anti-plagiarism software, be sure to reread the paper to detect all possible mistakes. Like any computer program, Grammarly is not ideal, and it sometimes considers some forms of words or prepositions as mistakes. That is why checking your text one more time is advisable. Certainly, your grammar knowledge should be appropriate to check the academic language on your own. Here is a list of books which will help you improve your English grammar based on the language level you have or want to have: Advanced Grammar in Use with Answers: A Self-Study Reference and Practice Book for Advanced Learners of English (By Martin Hewings). Practice Makes Perfect Advanced English Grammar for ESL Learners: Advanced ESL Grammar (By Mark Lester). English Grammar in Use: A Self-study Reference and Practice Book for Intermediate Students of English With Answers (By Raymond Murphy). After reading this guide, you have more chances to start writing a term paper and finish it as required by your strict professor. Good luck!

King Lear by Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

King Lear by Shakespeare - Essay Example Lance Baker is an excellent actor as the daughter to Regan’s husband. Steve and Jesse, acting as Gloucester’s sons were also strong characters who were influential in the act. The acts of the three actors who played the role of Lear’s daughters had substantial stage impact. Their performances depicted lack of experience in Shakespearean work. One could easily realize the lack of vocal and dramatic power in the rest of the play. The director’s simple scenic design synchronized with the modern-dress Lear. Geno’s lighting design, which is rather dramatic, highlighted the performances of the actors. The moment that had the biggest impression was in the first act when Lear had a hilarious exchange with Oswald. The part is impressive because it gives relief to me in preparation of facing the terrible suffering that the play dramatizes. When Lear asks who he was, Oswald replies, â€Å"My Lady’s father.’ Lear gets surprised on hearing the reply and repeats it. He calls Oswald names such as dog and slave. Oswald in a satirical tone declines that he is none of the names that Lear uses on him and begs for a pardon. The folly in the exchange continues and makes the portion of the act a memorable theatrical performance. The staging of the scene where Edgar pretends to show Gloucester the edge of a Dover cliff from was performed convincingly. The actor playing the part of Edgar perfectly did his portion of the play. On the stage, the two actors acting as Edgar and Gloucester walked at a rather raised platform with the one acting as Edgar breathing hard to convince Gloucester that the ground was steep. When they reached the end section of the platform, they stopped and â€Å"Edgar† points at the wall that had the image of scenery of the sea. His description of the sea and the corresponding scenery captured the mind of the reader before â€Å"Edgar† walks away leaving the old man to fall approximately two feet down to the normal

How does Machiavelli reflect the values and idea of humanism and Research Paper

How does Machiavelli reflect the values and idea of humanism and religion in The Prince - Research Paper Example The ‘Powerful Chairs’ (Kings, politicians, top bureaucrats etc) are always there to outsmart the ‘Chair--less Powers.’ (The common people) Machiavelli did advise the princes on how to hold on to power but he also advised the citizens seeking to maintain their liberty and how to go about it. He showed a new path for them and cautioned how his native Florence was getting engulfed in tyranny. He explained how ancient Rome preserved its freedom better, as the ordinary citizens there were more responsible and were able to checkmate the power of the elite. As a state employee Machiavelli led by example. His public life was spotless and free from corrupt practices. He was investigated for embezzlement and he came out with a clean slate and he was reimbursed the amount that was due to him. He would often say about him, â€Å"my poverty is evidence of my honesty†. Machiavelli articulated for a free city, where the citizens lived freely without any restrictions , without being absolutely controlled by a particular individual or group. A tyrant who emerges from within the political system is as dangerous for the country like the external invader. In the absence of constant vigil by the citizen body as a whole, and without their being organized properly, tyrannical individuals are bound to take over the reins of power. In essence, this proves the humanism in the approach of Machiavelli to the societal issues of his era. What a destructive weapon corruption is from the societal point of view, how adversely it affects the free-life—understand the advice of Machiavelli. In such a corrupt system, public interest is sacrificed at the altar of private or factional interests. Arbitrary interference does the maximum damage to the mass of people, according to him. The rulers must consider themselves to be the servants of public interest, not masters. Machiavelli is prophetic when he asserts that the resources of the elite combined with extensi ve discretion enjoyed by political office holders is the principal threat to the society and the nation. The expectations of the ordinary citizens are simple and straightforward. They are neither like power-hungry politicians nor like the ambitious elites. They have no desire for power to rule over others. At the same time, they have self-respect and essential dignity and do not desire to be dominated and would not like the arbitrary power to subjugate them. They are perpetually fearful of such societal developments. The sterling qualities of Machiavelli’s humanism are revealed in his opinion that the key to the resilience of Rome was its system and institutions—how they ensured the participation of ordinary citizens. They were the final guardians of freedom, not the grandi. He paid hearty compliments for the â€Å"tribunes of the plebs† (an institution of only the lower class) for exercising check and control over the power-grabbing craze of the grandi. Machiav elli goes a step further. The tribunes are vested with powers to frame charges against the members of the senate and indict them for corruption publicly and the private citizens will be punished accordingly if they try to exert pressure on the politics of the republic. That was a model system of punishment where

Minority Corporate Leader Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Minority Corporate Leader - Assignment Example The paper further draws clarity from the way a leader deals with situations and various outcomes. Upon keen exploration of Sage, it is clear that leaders have to enhance teamwork and approach every situation with a clear and innovative mind. Minority Corporate Leader Leadership is an indulging role in any sector. Leaders have to be assertive and make decisions depending on prevailing situations. Apparently, many decisions are made depending on the situation at hand. Some decisions require harnessing information and discussing with relevant stakeholders parties. With such an approach, a leader is definitely going to arrive at the right decision (Armstrong, 2011). However, neglecting some of these aspects could lead to poor decision making. For example, when making a decision in the nursing sector, there is the need to incorporate all the concerned parties. This will ensure that decision implementation is smooth and all inclusive. Ola Sage is 45 years old and exhibits the desirable cha racteristics of a leader. She is married and lives in Silver Spring. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Strayer University and a master’s degree from George Mason University. She is currently the CEO of E-management, which is a federal Information Technology company. Since its inception, Sage has been skeptical about improving the performance of the company to greater heights. In the initial stages, the company was struggling to stay put in the market since it was not attracting a large number of people in demand for its services. She has struggled to develop the company to reach out to a larger market in offering its services. Previously, Sage had dreams of becoming a concert pianist. However, she decided to concentrate on offering IT services. This was a successful idea as she is currently one of the most respected IT experts. The first aspect that should be considered in a leader is the way a leader overcomes barriers. In any sector, there is a high probability that there will be barriers, challenges and setbacks. Ola Sage is a leader that accepts challenges while managing other people. She states that a challenge in a work place strengthens a leader. As such, she is decisive and makes the appropriate changes when there are challenges. For example, the technology sector is changing and improving with each passing day. As such, there is a need for a leader that will give a positive approach to these enhancements (Reese, 2003). This includes purchase of better and improved technology. This ensures the organization is prepared to face all the other challenges in the sector. Similarly, Sage ensures all the other workers are incorporated into finding solutions for the barriers of success. Apparently, she states that a leader has to be on the forefront in overcoming barriers. Such a leader is destined for greatness as all the barriers and challenges will be solved in the meanest time. As such, the organization will be on a gradual improvement. Team building is an important aspect in an organization. An organization that ensures the workers are working as a team is on the verge of making positive accrual with time. For example, all the leaders should work in unison with the other workers. Sage acknowledges that all leaders should enhance team work each and every time in an organization. She states that people should accept that they are not able to make accomplishments on their own. As such, they should decipher that every person

Premises Of Cognitive Development Theory Psychology Essay

Premises Of Cognitive Development Theory Psychology Essay Fruitful practical work of the outstanding Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and theoretical work of the famous Russian scientist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) awaken our scientific interest to the cognitive-psychological researches which cover the whole human life. It is necessary to discuss cognitive development theory and forms of cognitive knowledge in the body of this essay. Also we will compare and contrast the stages of cognitive development and intelligence from the perspective of above mentioned theorists for children and adolescents. In this part of the essay it is necessary to define the term cognitive development and describe the basic premises of cognitive development theory. Lets begin our discussion from the theoretical facts presentation. It is well-known fact that cognitive development is a base area of study within developmental psychology. Oakley (2004) defined developmental psychology as the study of the psychological changes that take place between birth and old age. Thus, the purpose of developmental psychology is to describe and explain the changes in human mind from the birth to adulthood. Cognitive development is the study that explains how psychological processes and activities involved in knowing and thinking develop children and adolescents world. Adults thinking greatly differs from children thinking and cognitive development deeply studies these developments and changes. Piaget was the first person who noted that the childs mind is arranged quite differently than the adult psyche and children were not just small copies of adults, but in fact children were different in their ways of surrounding reality cognition and interpretation. Piaget proved his idea that knowledge in adult mind and in child mind has different structure and it doesnt mean that adults simply know more than children. For example, children believe that if the object moves, then it is alive, and the name of the object is sitting inside it. Childrens question why? is associated with the confidence that every thing has its purpose. Writing a scientific answer to the childs question: Why do stars shine? means its absolutely misunderstanding by adult person. Lack of social orientation is noticeable in the childrens conversations: children rather speak for other people than with others. In contrast to the self-centered adults who become such people on their own will, self-centered childre n show such behavior because they are almost incapable to put themselves on others place, or take someone elses point of view. Comparing and contrasting views of Vygotsky and Piaget on cognitive development and in continuation of the topic we see the next: Vygotsky considered Piagets work revolutionary, but at the same time he stressed that its pioneering quality suffered on dualism, that is, uncertainty about the materialist and idealist positions. Since the psychology of intellectual development has been studied in the tradition of scientific materialism, inevitably there was a conflict between the actual essence of this method and idealistic theories of human intelligence. It was a serious debate, especially between 1920 and 1930, when the development of experimental psychology became a serious threat to the idealistic, nonmaterialistic and philosophical trends in psychology. Neisser (1967) stated that there were three main principles in the base of Peagets theory of cognitive development: assimilation (the process of putting a new experience into already existing mental structure), accommodation (the revising of an existing schema due to a new experience) and equilibrium (the process of seeking to achieve  cognitive  stability through assimilation and accommodation). And Oakley (2004) stated that Vygotskys theory focused upon three key factors. These were culture, language and the zone of proximal development. According to Wertsch (1985), Vygotsky agreed with Piaget that a child does not sit back and somehow passively absorb knowledge but instead actively constructs knowledge. This idea was in direct contrast to the view of Pavlov that learning was essentially a passive activity. However, Vygotskys theory differs in key principles from Piaget. He stated that childrens complex thinking was acquired through social interactions between children and the adults around them. The child will interact with others peers, parents and teachers and these interactions will result in learning. Contrasting two theorists points of views we see that Piaget considers that the childs thinking develops from autistic form through egocentric to a socialized. Vygotsky agrees with the general periodization of Piaget, but rejects the genetic predetermination of the sequence. In other words, Piaget believed that development precedes learning, and Vygotsky believed that learning precedes development. Other point of disagreement between these two theorists was the nature and function of speech. Piaget considers that egocentric childs speech, addressed to itself during the thinking aloud, paving the way for social speech, and allows child to learn experience patterns and begin to use speech for communication. Vygotsky considers that the mind of the child from the birth has the social nature and egocentric speech has also social origins and social objectives: children learn egocentric speech of others, and use it to communicate with others. This premise is the main point of the theory of Vygotsky and the main aspect of differences between the positions of these two theorists. Analyzing stages of cognitive development Wertsch (1985) shows four Piagets stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor stage  (infancy) motor activity without symbols use is necessary for intelligence demonstration; pre-operational stage  (toddler and early childhood) symbols are used, memory and imagination are developed, language use matures, but egocentric thinking predominates; concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence) egocentric thinking diminishes, systematic and logical symbols manipulation related to concrete objects; formal operational stage  (adolescence and adulthood) abstract concepts used in thinking process. While Piagets cognitive development theory has four concrete stages, Vygotsky said that there are no set stages at all, but put our attention on affiliation, play, learning, peer, work. For the last part of the paper I want to use Slavins (2003) words who said that a possible classroom application of Vygotskys cognitive theory could take place in a first grade classroom. First grade students are often on varying levels of knowledge. Some children may already know how to read while others are still trying to master this concept. A good way to help the children who are not reading as well as the others may be to give these children help sounding out a word when they get stuck while reading a story. Thus, basing on above observed information we could conclude that according to both theorists formal operational thinking marks the end of intellectual growth. The child went a long way from simple reflexes to complex thoughts newborn adolescents and adults. And Piaget came to the conclusion that reality is not the thing that an individual reaches the outside, but inside, through his own logic, depending on the structure of the psyche.

Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart :: essays research papers

"[Trembles] with hate, unable to utter a word... in a flash Okonkwo drew his machete. The messenger crouched to avoid the blow. It was useless. Okonkwo's machete descended twice and the man's head lay beside his uniformed body." (204) This is a graphic illustration of Okonkwo?s desperate last attempt to reassert his manhood and to make a statement to the tribe. Regrettably for Okonkwo though it was a failure, and Okonkwo knew that the tribe would never stand up and fight, like he wanted them to. This incident is directly related to Okonkwo?s obsession with not looking weak like his father. Some people might say that Okonkwo was just trying to protect the tradition and cultural of his tribal village but in actuality this is far from the truth. When Okonkwo cut down the guard, he made the swift assumption that his clansmen were as passionate about fighting colonialism as him and would follow him into war. When he found otherwise, he could not understand what had happened to his village. The next place he was seen was hanging from a noose in a selfish show of hypocrisy. In the end, Okonkwo's status among his tribe counted for nothing because his own despair over the colonization of his village led him to kill himself. His whole life Okonkwo strived to not to look weak like his father, but in the end he took the cowards way out, suicide. Suicide was a great sin against the Earth. Because he took his own life, Okonkwo, a great leader of Umuofia, had to be buried by strangers. All of his work and perseverance amounted to nothing because of what he had done. Another claim that people might make is that he is justified because he was just finishing what the white people had started by imprisoning him and his fellow villagers. This may be true, but is revenge a very good justification for murder suicide? Though the corrupt court messengers were in the wrong for what they had done, Okonkwo had no right to do what he did either. Okonkwo failed to realize that two wrongs don?t equal a right, he thought that he could solve every thing with brute violence and war but he paid for his mistake with his life. Okonkwo made a fatal mistake by being so quick to war and to diplomacy. Okonkwo?s life mission was to be every thing his father wasn?

Progress of Agriculture Before and After Independence of India Essay

Agriculture has been the backbone of the Indian economy and it will continue to remain so for a long time. It has to support almost 17 per cent of world population from 2. 3 per cent of world geographical area and 4. 2 per cent of world’s water resources. The economic reforms, initiated in the country during the early 1990s, have put the economy on a higher growth trajectory. Annual growth rate in GDP has accelerated from below 6 percent during the initial years of reforms to more than 8 percent in recent years. This happened mainly due to rapid growth in non-agriculture sector. The workforce engaged in agriculture between 1980-81 and 2006-07 witnessed a very small decline; from 60. 5 percent to 52 percent. The present cropping intensity of 137 per cent has registered an increase of only 26 per cent since 1950-51. The net sown area is 142 Mha. The net irrigated area was 58. 87 Mha in 2004-05. Presently, the total net irrigated area covers 45. 5 per cent of the net sown area, the remaining 54. 5 per cent is rainfed. The degradation of land and surface as well as ground water resources results in fast deterioration of soil health. Losses due to biotic (insect-pests, diseases, weeds) and abiotic (drought, salinity, heat, cold, etc. ) stresses account for about one-fourth of the value of agricultural produce. The storage, transportation, processing, value addition and marketing of farm produce need to be improved to enhance household food, nutrition and livelihood security. Indian agriculture is characterized by agro-ecological diversities in soil, rainfall, temperature, and cropping system. Besides favorable solar energy, the country receives about 3 trillion m3 of rainwater, 14 major, 44 medium and 55 minor rivers hare about 83 per cent of the drainage basin. About 210 billion m3 water is estimated to be available as ground water. Irrigation water is becoming a scarce commodity. Thus proper harvesting and efficient utilization of water is of great importance. Intensive cultivation as a result of introduction of high yielding varieties in the mid 1960’s required higher energy inputs and better management practices. Land preparation, harvesting, threshing and irrigation are the operations, which utilize most of the energy used in agriculture. The share of animate power in agriculture decreased from 92 er cent in 1950-51 to 20 per cent in 2000-01. For desired cropping intensity with timeliness in field operations, animate energy sources alone were no longer adequate. Farmers opted for mechanical power sources to supplement animate power. Average size of farm holdings gradually reduced from 2. 58 ha to 1. 57 ha (Table 1). Small and marginal farmers have limited resources especially in rain-fed regions where only animate power is used resulting in low productivity. Though agricultural production is high, the per hectare productivity is much lower than world average. There is an urgent need to increase productivity.

Intro to The Romantic Period Essay

At the turn of the century, fired by ideas of personal and political liberty and of the energy and sublimity of the natural world, artists and intellectuals sought to break the bonds of 18th-century convention. Although the works of Jean Jacques Rousseau and William Godwin had great influence, the French Revolution and its aftermath had the strongest impact of all. In England initial support for the Revolution was primarily utopian and idealist, and when the French failed to live up to expectations, most English intellectuals renounced the Revolution. However, the romantic vision had taken forms other than political, and these developed apace. In Lyrical Ballads (1798 and 1800), a watershed in literary history, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge presented and illustrated a beneficial visual: poetry should express, in genuine language, experience as filtered through personal emotion and imagination; the truest experience was to be found in nature. The concept of the Sublime strengthened this turn to nature, because in wild countrysides the power of the sublime could be felt most immediately. Wordsworth’s romanticism is probably most fully realized in his great autobiographical poem, â€Å"The Prelude† (1805–50). In search of sublime moments, romantic poets wrote about the marvelous and supernatural, the exotic, and the medieval. But they also found beauty in the lives of simple rural people and aspects of the everyday world. The second generation of romantic poets included John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron. In Keats’s great odes, intellectual and emotional sensibility merge in language of great power and beauty. Shelley, who combined soaring lyricism with an apocalyptic political vision, sought more extreme effects and occasionally achieved them, as in his great drama Prometheus Unbound (1820). Lord Byron was the prototypical romantic hero, the envy and scandal of the age. He has been continually identified with his own characters, particularly the rebellious, irreverent, erotically inclined Don Juan. Byron invested the romantic lyric with a rationalist irony. The romantic era was also rich in literary criticism and other nonfictional prose. Coleridge proposed an influential theory of literature in his Biographia Literaria (1817). William Godwin and his wife, Mary Wollstonecraft, wrote ground–breaking books on human, and women’s, rights. William Hazlitt, who never forsook political radicalism, wrote brilliant and astute literary  criticism. The master of the personal essay was Charles Lamb, whereas Thomas De Quincey was master of the personal confession. The periodicals Edinburgh Review and Blackwood’s Magazine, in which leading writers were published throughout the century, were major forums of controversy, political as well as literary. ————————————————- Although the great novelist Jane Austen wrote during the romantic era, her work defies classification. With insight, grace, and irony she delineated human relationships within the context of English country life. Sir Walter Scott, Scottish nationalist and romantic, made the genre of the historical novel widely popular. Other novelists of the period were Maria Edgeworth, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and Thomas Love Peacock, the latter noted for his eccentric novels satirizing the romantics. The Romantic period The nature of Romanticism As a term to cover the most distinctive writers who flourished in the last years of the 18th century and the first decades of the 19th, â€Å"Romantic† is indispensable but also a little misleading: there was no self-styled â€Å"Romantic movement† at the time, and the great writers of the period did not call themselves Romantics. Not until August Wilhelm von Schlegel’s Vienna lectures of 1808–09 was a clear distinction established between the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"organic,† â€Å"plastic† qualities of Romantic art and the â€Å"mechanical† character of Classicism. Many of the age’s foremost writers thought that something new was happening in the world’s affairs, nevertheless. William Blake’s affirmation in 1793 that â€Å"a new heaven is begun† was matched a generation later by Percy Bysshe Shelley’s â€Å"The world’s great age begins anew.† â€Å"These, these will give the world another heart, / A nd other pulses,† wrote John Keats, referring to Leigh Hunt andWilliam Wordsworth. Fresh ideals came to the fore; in particular, the ideal of freedom, long cherished in England, was being extended to every range of human endeavour. As that ideal swept through Europe, it became natural to believe that the age of tyrants might soon end. The most notable feature of the poetry of the time is the new role of individual thought and personal feeling. Where the main trend of 18th-century poetics had been to praise the general, to see the poet as a spokesman of society addressing a cultivated and homogeneous audience and having as his end the conveyance of â€Å"truth,† the Romantics found the source of poetry in the particular, unique experience. Blake’s marginal comment on Sir Joshua Reynolds’s Discourses expresses the position with characteristic vehemence: â€Å"To Generalize is to be an Idiot. To Particularize is the alone Distinction of Merit.† The poet was seen as an individual distinguished from his fellows by the intensity of his perceptions, taking as his basic subject matter the workings of his own mind. Poetry was regarded as conveying its own truth; sincerity was the criterion by which it was to be judged. The emphasis on feeling—seen perhaps at its finest in the poems of Robert Burns—was in some ways a continuation of the earlier â€Å"cult of sensibility†; and it is worth remembering that Alexander Pope praised his father as having known no language but the language of the heart. But feeling had begun to receive particular emphasis and is found in most of the Romantic definitions of poetry. Wordsworth called poetry â€Å"the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling,† and in 1833 John Stuart Mill defined poetry as â€Å"feeling itself, employing thought only as the medium of its utterance.† It followed that the best poetry was that in which the greatest intensity of feeling was expressed, and hence a new importance was attached to the lyric. Another key quality of Romantic writing was its shift from the mimetic, or imitative, assumptions of the Neoclassical era to a new stress onimagination. Samuel Taylor Coleridge saw  the imagination as the supre me poetic quality, a quasi-divine creative force that made the poet a godlike being. Samuel Johnson had seen the components of poetry as â€Å"invention, imagination and judgement,† but Blake wrote: â€Å"One Power alone makes a Poet: Imagination, the Divine Vision.† The poets of this period accordingly placed great emphasis on the workings of the unconscious mind, on dreams and reveries, on the supernatural, and on the childlike or primitive view of the world, this last being regarded as valuable because its clarity and intensity had not been overlaid by the restrictions of civilized â€Å"reason.† Rousseau’s sentimental conception of the â€Å"noble savage† was often invoked, and often by those who were ignorant that the phrase is Dryden’s or that the type was adumbrated in the â€Å"poor Indian† of Pope’s An Essay on Man. A further sign of the diminished stress placed on judgment is the Romantic attitude to form: if poetry must be spontaneous, sincere, intense, it should be fashioned primarily according to th e dictates of the creative imagination. Wordsworth advised a young poet, â€Å"You feel strongly; trust to those feelings, and your poem will take its shape and proportions as a tree does from the vital principle that actuates it.† This organic view of poetry is opposed to the classical theory of â€Å"genres,† each with its own linguistic decorum; and it led to the feeling that poetic sublimity was unattainable except in short passages. Hand in hand with the new conception of poetry and the insistence on a new subject matter went a demand for new ways of writing. Wordsworth and his followers, particularly Keats, found the prevailing poetic diction of the late 18th century stale and stilted, or â€Å"gaudy and inane,† and totally unsuited to the expression of their perceptions. It could not be, for them, the language of feeling, and Wordsworth accordingly sought to bring the language of poetry back to that of common speech. Wordsworth’s own diction, however, often differs from his theory. Nevertheless, when he published his preface to Lyrical Ballads in 1800, the time was ripe for a change: the flexible diction of earlier 18th-century poetry had hardened into a merely conventional language. Poetry BLAKE, WORDSWORTH, AND COLERIDGE Useful as it is to trace the common elements in Romantic poetry, there was little conformity among the poets themselves. It is misleading to read the poetry of the first Romantics as if it had been written primarily to express  their feelings. Their concern was rather to change the intellectual climate of the age. William Blake had been dissatisfied since boyhood with the current state of poetry and what he considered the irreligious drabness of contemporary thought. His early development of a protective shield of mocking humour with which to face a world in which science had become trifling and art inconsequential is visible in the satirical An Island in the Moon (written c. 1784–85); he then took the bolder step of setting aside sophistication in the visionary Songs of Innocence (1789). His desire for renewal encouraged him to view the outbreak of the French Revolution as a momentous event. In works such as The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790–93) and Songs of Expe rience (1794), he attacked the hypocrisies of the age and the impersonal cruelties resulting from the dominance of analytic reason in contemporary thought. As it became clear that the ideals of the Revolution were not likely to be realized in his time, he renewed his efforts to revise his contemporaries’ view of the universe and to construct a new mythology centred not in the God of the Bible but in Urizen, a repressive figure of reason and law whom he believed to be the deity actually worshipped by his contemporaries. The story of Urizen’s rise was set out in The First Book of Urizen (1794) and then, more ambitiously, in the unfinished manuscript Vala (later redrafted as The Four Zoas), written from about 1796 to about 1807. Blake developed these ideas in the visionary narratives of Milton (1804–08) and Jerusalem (1804–20). Here, still using his own mythological characters, he portrayed the imaginative artist as the hero of society and suggested the possibility of redemption from the fallen (or Urizenic) condition. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, meanwhile, were also exploring the implication s of the French Revolution. Wordsworth, who lived in France in 1791–92 and fathered an illegitimate child there, was distressed when, soon after his return, Britain declared war on the republic, dividing his allegiance. For the rest of his career, he was to brood on those events, trying to develop a view of humanity that would be faithful to his twin sense of the pathos of individual human fates and the unrealized potentialities in humanity as a whole. The first factor emerges in his early manuscript poems â€Å"The Ruined Cottage† and â€Å"The Pedlar† (both to form part of the later Excursion); the second was developed from 1797, when he and his sister, Dorothy, with whom he was living in the west  of England, were in close contact with Coleridge. Stirred simultaneously by Dorothy’s immediacy of feeling, manifested everywhere in her Journals (written 1798–1803, published 1897), and by Coleridge’s imaginative and speculative genius, he produced the poems collected in Lyrical Ballads(1798). The volume began with Coleridge’s â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,† continued with poems displaying delight in the powers of nature and the humane instincts of ordinary people, and concluded with the meditative â€Å"Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey,† Wordsworth’s attempt to set out his mature faith in nature and humanity. His investigation of the relationship between nature and the human mind continued in the long autobiographical poem addressed to Coleridge and later titled The Prelude (1798–99 in two books; 1804 in five books; 1805 in 13 books; revised continuously and published posthumously, 1850). Here he traced the value for a poet of having been a child â€Å"fostered alike by beauty and by fear† by an upbringing in sublime surroundings. The Prelude constitutes the most significant English expression of the Romantic discovery of the self as a topic for art and literature. The poem also makes much of the work of memory, a theme explored as well in the â€Å"Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.† In poems such as â€Å"Michael† and â€Å"The Brothers,† by contrast, written for the second volume of Lyrical Ballads (1800), Wordsworth dwelt on the pathos and potentialities of ordinary lives. Coleridge’s poetic development during these years paralleled Wordsworth’s. Having briefly brought together images of nature and the mind in â€Å"The Eolian Harp† (1796), he devoted himself to more-public concerns in poems of political and social prophecy, such as â€Å"Religious Musings† and â€Å"The Destiny of Nations.† Becoming disillusioned in 1798 with his earlier politics, however, and encouraged by Wordsworth, he turned back to the relatio nship between nature and the human mind. Poems such as â€Å"This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison,† â€Å"The Nightingale,† and â€Å"Frost at Midnight† (now sometimes called the â€Å"conversation poems† but collected by Coleridge himself as â€Å"Meditative Poems in Blank Verse†) combine sensitive descriptions of nature with subtlety of psychological comment. â€Å"Kubla Khan† (1797 or 1798, published 1816), a poem that Coleridge said came to him in â€Å"a kind of Reverie,† represented a new kind of exotic writing, which he also exploited in the supernaturalism of â€Å"The Ancient Mariner† and the unfinished  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Christabel.† After his visit to Germany in 1798–99, he renewed attention to the links between the subtler forces in nature and the human psyche; this attention bore fruit in letters, notebooks, literary criticism, theology, and philosophy. Simultaneously, his poetic output became sporadic. â€Å"Dejection: An Ode† (1802), another meditat ive poem, which first took shape as a verse letter to Sara Hutchinson, Wordsworth’s sister-in-law, memorably describes the suspension of his â€Å"shaping spirit of Imagination.† The work of both poets was directed back to national affairs during these years by the rise ofNapoleon. In 1802 Wordsworth dedicated a number of sonnets to the patriotic cause. The death in 1805 of his brother John, who was a captain in the merchant navy, was a grim reminder that, while he had been living in retirement as a poet, others had been willing to sacrifice themselves. From this time the theme of duty was to be prominent in his poetry. His political essay Concerning the Relations of Great Britain, Spain and Portugal†¦as Affected by the Convention of Cintra (1809) agreed with Coleridge’s periodical The Friend (1809–10) in deploring the decline of principle among statesmen. When The Excursion appeared in 1814 (the time of Napoleon’s first exile), Wordsworth announced the poem as the central section of a longer projected work, The Recluse, â€Å"a philosophical Poem, containing views of Man, Nature, and Society.† The plan was not fulfilled, however, and The Excursion was left to stand in its own right as a poem of moral and religious consolation for those who had been disappointed by the failure of French revolutionary ideals. Both Wordsworth and Coleridge benefited from the advent in 1811 of the Regency, which brought a renewed interest in the arts. Coleridge’s lectures on Shakespeare became fashionable, his playRemorse was briefly produced, and his volume of poems Christabel; Kubla Khan: A Vision; The Pains of Sleep was published in 1816. Biographia Literaria (1817), an account of his own development, combined philosophy and literary criticism in a new way and made an enduring and important contribution to literary theory. Coleridge settled at Highgate in 1816, and he was sought there as â€Å"the most impressive talker of his age† (in the words of the essayist William Hazlitt). His later religious writings made a considerable impact on Victorian readers. No other period in English literature displays more variety in style, theme, and content than the Romantic Movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Furthermore, no period has been the topic of so much disagreement and confusion over its defining principles and aesthetics. Romanticism, then, can best be described as a large network of sometimes competing philosophies, agendas, and points of interest. In England, Romanticism had its greatest influence from the end of the eighteenth century up through about 1870. Its primary vehicle of expression was in poetry, although novelists adopted many of the same themes. In America, the Romantic Movement was slightly delayed and modulated, holding sway over arts and letters from roughly 1830 up to the Civil War. Contrary to the English example, American literature championed the novel as the most fitting genre for Romanticism’s exposition. In a broader sense, Romanticism can be conceived as an adjective which is applicable to the literature of virtually any time period. With that in mind, anything from the Homeric epics to modern dime novels can be said to bear the stamp of Romanticism. In spite of such general disagreements over usage, there are some definitive and universal statements one can make regarding the nature of the Romantic Movement in both England and America. First and foremost, Romanticism is concerned with the individual more than with society. The individual consciousness and especially the individual imagination are especially fascinating for the Romantics. â€Å"Melancholy† was quite the buzzword for the Romantic poets, and altered states of consciousness were often sought after in order to enhance one’s creative potential. There was a coincident downgrading of the importance and power of reason, clearly a reaction against the Enlightenment mode of thinking. Nevertheless, writers became gradually more invested in social causes as the period moved forward. Thanks largely to the Industrial Revolution, English society was undergoing the most severe paradigm shifts it had seen in living memory. The response of many early Romantics was to yearn for an idealized, simpler past. In particular, English Romantic poets had a strong connection with medievalism and mythology. The tales of King Arthur were especially resonant to their imaginations. On top of this, there was a clearly mystical quality to Romantic writing that sets it apart from other literary periods. Of course, not every Romantic poet or novelist displayed all, or even most of these traits all the time. On the formal  level, Romanticism witnessed a steady loosening of the rules of artistic expression that were pervasive during earlier times. The Neoclassical Period of the eighteenth century included very strict expectations regarding the structure and content of poetry. By the dawn of the nineteenth century, experimentation with new styles and subjects became much more acceptable. The high-flown language of the previous generation’s poets was replaced with more natural cadences and verbiage. In terms of poetic form, rhymed stanzas were slowly giving way to blank verse, an unrhymed but still rhythmic style of poetry. The purpose of blank verse was to heighten conversational speech to the level of austere beauty. Some criticized the new style as mundane, yet the innovation soon became the preferred style. One of the most popular themes of Romantic poetry was country life, otherwise known as pastoral poetry. Mythological and fantastic settings were also employed to great effect by many of the Romantic poets. Though struggling and unknown for the bulk of his life, poet and artist William Blake was certainly one of the most creative minds of his generation. He was well ahead of his time, predating the high point of English Romanticism by several decades. His greatest work was composed during the 1790s, in the shadow of the French Revolution, and that confrontation informed much of his creative process. Throughout his artistic career, Blake gradually built up a sort of personal mythology of creation and imagination. The Old and New Testaments were his source material, but his own sensibilities transfigured the Biblical stories and led to something entirely original and completely misunderstood by contemporaries. He attempted to woo patrons to his side, yet his unstable temper made him rather difficult to work with professionally. Some considered him mad. In addition to writing poetry of the first order, Blake was also a master engraver. His greatest contributions to Romantic literature were his self-published, quasi-mythological illustrated poetry collections. Gloriously colored and painstaking in their design, few of these were produced and fewer still survive to the present day. However, the craft and genius behind a work like The Marriage of Heaven and Hell cannot be ignored. If one could identify a single voice as the standard-bearer of Romantic sensibilities, that voice would belong to William Wordsworth. His publication of Lyrical Ballads in 1798 is identified by many as the opening act of the Romantic Period in English literature. It was a hugely successful  work, requiring several reprinting over the years. The dominant theme of Lyrical Ballads was Nature, specifically the power of Nature to create strong impressions in the mind and imagination. The voice in Wordsworth’s poetry is observant, meditative and aware of the connection between living things and objects. There is the sense that past, present, and future all mix together in the human consciousness. One feels as though the poet and the landscape are in communion, each a partner in an act of creative production. Wordsworth quite deliberately turned his back on the Enlightenment traditions of poetry, specifically the work of Alexander Pope. He instead looked more to the Renaissance and the Classics of Greek and Latin epic poetry for inspiration. His work was noted for its accessibility. The undeniable commercial success of LyricalBallads does not diminish the profound effect it had on an entire generation of aspiring writers. In the United State, Romanticism found its voice in the poets and novelists of the American Renaissance. The beginnings of American Romanticism went back to the New England Transcendental Movement. The concentration on the individual mind gradually shifted from an optimistic brand of spiritualism into a more modern, cynical study of the underside of humanity. The political unrest in mid-nineteenth century America undoubtedly played a role in the development of a darker aesthetic. At the same time, strongly individualist religious traditions played a large part in the development of artistic creations. The Protestant work ethic, along with the popularity and fervor of American religious leaders, fed a literary output that was undergird with fire and brimstone. The middle of the nineteenth century has only in retrospect earned the label of the American Renaissance in literature. No one alive in the 1850s quite realized the flowering of creativity that was underway. In fact, the novelists who today are regarded as classic were virtually unknown during their lifetimes. The novelists working during this period, particularly Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, were crafting dens ely symbolic and original pieces of literature that nonetheless relied heavily upon the example of English Romanticism. However, there work was in other respects a clean break with any permutation of Romanticism that had come before. There was a darkness to American Romanticism that was clearly distinct from the English examples of earlier in the century. Herman Melville died penniless and unknown, a failed writer who recognized his own  brilliance even when others did not. It would take the Modernists and their reappraisal of American arts and letters to resuscitate Melville’s literary corpus. In novels like Benito Cereno and Moby Dick, Melville employed a dense fabric of hinted meanings and symbols that required close reading and patience. Being well-read himself, Melville’s writing betrays a deep understanding of history, mythology, and religion. With Moby Dick, Melville displays his research acumen, as in the course of the novel the reader learns more than they thought possible about whales and whaling. The novel itself is dark, mysterious, and hints at the supernatural. Superficia lly, the novel is a revenge tale, but over and above the narrative are meditations of madness, power, and the nature of being human. Interestingly, the narrator in the first few chapters of the novel more or less disappears for most of the book. He is in a sense swallowed up by the mania of Captain Ahab and the crew. Although the novel most certainly held sway, poetry was not utterly silent during the flowering of American Romanticism. Arguably the greatest poet in American literary history was Walt Whitman, and he took his inspiration from many of the same sources as his fellows working in the novel. His publication of Leaves of Grass in 1855 marked a critical moment in the history of poetry. Whitman’s voice in his poetry was infused with the spirit of democracy. He attempted to include all people in all corners of the Earth within the sweep of his poetic vision. Like Blake, Whitman’s brand of poetics was cosmological and entirely unlike anything else being produced at the time. Like the rest of the poets in the Romantic tradition, Whitman coined new words, and brought a diction and rhythmic style t o verse that ran counter to the aesthetics of the last century. Walt Whitman got his start as a writer in journalism, and that documentary style of seeing the world permeated all his creative endeavors. In somewhat of a counterpoint to Whitman’s democratic optimism stands Edgar Allen Poe, today recognized as the most purely Romantic poet and short story writer of his generation. Poe crafted fiction and poetry that explored the strange side of human nature. The English Romantics had a fascination with the grotesque and of â€Å"strange† beauty, and Poe adopted this aesthetic perspective willingly. His sing-song rhythms and dreary settings earned him criticism on multiple fronts, but his creativity earned him a place in the first rank of American artists. He is credited as the inventor of detective fiction, and was likewise one of the  original masters of horror. A sometimes overlooked contribution, Poe’s theories on literature are often required reading for students of the art form. The master of symbolism in American litera ture was Nathaniel Hawthorne. Each of his novels represents worlds imbued with the power of suggestion and imagination. The Scarlet Letter is often placed alongside Moby Dick as one of the greatest novels in the English language. Not a single word is out of place, and the dense symbolism opens the work up to multiple interpretations. There are discussions of guilt, family, honor, politics, and society. There is also Hawthorne’s deep sense of history. Modern readers often believe that The Scarlet Letter was written during the age of the Puritans, but in fact Hawthorne wrote a story that was in the distant past even in his own time. Another trademark of the novel is its dabbling in the supernatural, even the grotesque. One gets the sense, for example, that maybe something is not quite right with Hester’s daughter Pearl. Nothing is what it appears to be in The Scarlet Letter, and that is the essence of Hawthorne’s particular Romanticism. Separate from his literary production, Hawthorne wrote expansively on literary theory and criticism. His theories exemplify the Romantic spirit in American letters at mid-century. He espoused the conviction that objects can hold significance deeper than their apparent meaning, and that the symbolic nature of reality was the most fertile ground for literature. In his short stories especially, Hawthorne explored the complex system of meanings and sensations that shift in and out of a person’s consciousness. Throughout his writings, one gets a sense of darkness, if not outright pessimism. There is the sense of not fully understanding the world, of not getting the entire picture no matter how hard one tries. In a story like â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† neither the reader nor the protagonist can distinguish reality from fantasy with any sureness. As has been argued, Romanticism as a literary sensibility never completely disappeared. It was overtaken by other aesthetic paradigms like Realism and Modernism, but Romanticism was always lurking under the surface. Many great poets and novelists of the twentieth century cite the Romantics as their greatest inspirational voices. The primary reason that Romanticism fell out of the limelight is because many writers felt the need to express themselves in a more immediate way. The Romantic poets were regarded as innovators, but a bit lost in their own imaginations. The real problems of  life in the world seemed to be pushed aside. As modernization continued unchecked, a more earthy kind of literature was demanded, and the Romantics simply did not fit that bill.