Liberal Arts For The Christian Mind Leland Ryken - 1701 Words

There is probably no other time in our lives more formational than the college experience. So much depends on these few early years in our live as we grow socially, mentally, and (for some of us) spiritually. Therefore, the college decision may be the most important one we ever make in our lives. People often view a liberal arts college as a place for people who don’t know what they want to do with their lives. They come out knowing a little bit of everything, just enough to get you a job in what interests you once you graduate. However, this is not the case. A liberal arts education prepares us for more than just a vocation but rather all of life. In the book Liberal Arts for the Christian Mind Leland Ryken says that â€Å"A liberal education prepares people to do well in all that they may be called to do in life† (L. Ryken 19). Yet as Christians we must factor our calling to a life service into this equation. Ryken also says â€Å"Loving and serving God should be the foundation for everything else that you do at college.† The Christian liberal arts is the most effective education system to prepare for a life of service to Jesus Christ and the church. So what’s so special about the liberal arts? People tend to view it as a jack of all trades, master of none type of education. It’s commonly believed that those who attend liberal arts colleges are people with no direction in life, people who only applied because that was the logical next step after high school. I can identifyShow MoreRelatedCollege Is Like A Marriage1855 Words   |  8 Pages College is like a marriage. You can marry a Christian, a non-Christian, or no one at all. Who you marry carries influence to shape you through a meaningful relationship. That is why it is so important as a Christian to marry someone who believes in Christ, so that together you can grow in your love for Christ and as a result, for each-other. Once you marry someone, regardless of religion you have two options. To live your days intentionally committed to growing, connecting, and learning with

Effect of the Steam Engine on the Industrial Revolution

Effect of Steam Engine on Industrial Revolution The economy of England during the 18th century was one that needed rebuilding after many years of war with other countries. A breakthrough of new technology and ideas boosted the economy, creating a time known commonly as the Industrial Revolution. Specifically, there was one invention that defined the Industrial Revolution. The steam engine, a device powered by coal used to run machines at an efficient rate, was developed during the Industrial Revolution. The invention of the steam engine had a major effect on the economy of England during the Industrial Revolution through its use in mining, transportation, and factories. Thomas Savory created the very first steam engine in 1698, however it was hardly used due to its unreliability ().Savorys engine was widely advertised, however it could only be put under a certain amount of pressure before it exploded (). Industrialist Matthew Boulton brought Watt over to England to work with him on building his steam engine, providing him with the inventors and equipment needed to complete the engine ().Watt moved to the center of the Industrial Revolution in Birmingham, England, working with other inventors to build his steam engine (). Many different industrialists were able to provide their facilities and equipment to help Watt make his steam engine (). Boulton, partnering with Watt, was able to acquire a 25 year extension to Watts patent, allowing Watt to build over 500 steamShow MoreRelatedSteam Engines By Katelyn Warga 2nd Period947 Words   |  4 PagesSteam Engines By Katelyn Warga 2nd Period Being around for over 2000 years, the steam engine has proved its worth. Invented in the industrial revolution, â€Å"this heat engine performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.† Throughout its time the steam engine has had many uses, and been modified many times to change its pronounced task. This had led to the steam engine being a very important invention in the industrial revolution, changing life in social and economic ways that still impactRead MoreImpact Of Entrepreneurs On The Industrial Revolution1740 Words   |  7 PagesThe entrepreneurs had a great effect on the Industrial Revolution because they were working with inventors who had ideas to make things better and work more efficiently. They would pay inventors to keep working on ideas and that would therefore make them more money Entrepreneurs were contributing ideas to the industrialization in the areas of transportation, agriculture, and the population increase demands. Enclosures were made to increase crops. Farmers and landowners were able to try newRead MoreSteam Engines Of The Industrial Revolution1442 Words   |  6 Pagesthe industrial revolution. The factories during this era, themselves, were powered by steam engines. But where did the steam engine come from? Who invented this revolutionary invention? How does the steam engine chug-chug at 50+ miles per hour by merely using hot air, emitted by boiling water. The answer to these questions: the steam engine was not invented nor developed solely by one person, but by contributions of a multitude of people throughout this time in history. A modern, simple steam engineRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution Had A Great And Long Term Effect On Our World Essay1698 Words   |  7 PagesThe Industrial Revolution had a great, and long-term effect on our world. We the people have profited from it in numerous ways. The Industrial revolution has formed the way we live today in countless more ways than you can envision, yet it occurred so long ago. The revolution started in the United Kingdom, then binged throughout Western Europe, North America and ultimately the rest of the world. The Industrial revolution has also impacted the way us creatures live and act. Even if we don t recallRead MoreHistorical Analysis of The Industrial Revolution 1006 Words   |  5 Pages The Industrial Revolution was one of the most impactful eras in the history of the world. It changed the way we worked, lived, owned, and generally thought. With advent of economic philosophies like capitalism and communism, the way we worked and lived was written down and itemized, and western civilization was never the same. The concepts of jobs, urbanization, and credit might have allowed the world to progress into a veritable economical ecosystem, defining our modern definition of living, butRead MoreImpact Of The Industrial Revolution On Capitalism And The Contemporary Society Essay1625 Words   |  7 PagesThe impact of the Industrial Revolution on Capitalism and the Contemporary Society, When looking into the past during the Industrial Revolution, there were many cause and effect events that occurred, the Industrial Revolution changed the lives of many, these changes in society were caused by the innovations of the time period, and the need for a more productive environment. There was a movement from an agricultural society to a manufacturing society; these changes affected the family’s abilityRead MoreTechnology And Its Impact On Society995 Words   |  4 Pagesinnovate and revolutionize technologies that surround them in day to day life. This drive to innovate has led to technologies that have made it easier to create, manage, and exchange goods and information. Planned technological systems such as the steam powered railroad provided a widely accepted vessel which society could improve on through increased trade efficiency. On the contrary, individuals can take progress and technology too far entirely, eventually affecting people’s land, increasin g pollutionRead MoreThe Steam Engine Was Not So Much Invented As Industrialised1330 Words   |  6 PagesThe steam engine was not so much invented as industrialised. To give credit to any one person would be to steal credit away from its many rightful owners. The steam engine was evolved over a time of about a hundred years by three British inventors. The first basic steam powered engine was built by Thomas Savery in 1689. What was used before the steam engine? In the early days, one common way of removing the water was to use a series of buckets on a pulley system operated by horses and was slow andRead MoreEffects Of The Industrial Revolution On England1507 Words   |  7 PagesEffects of the Industrial Revolution on England The Industrial Revolution in England brought significant changes to the country both positive and negative. The Industrial Revolution was generally positive because of the development of technology and a better standard of living. However, some of the negative aspects were the terrible labor conditions and the mistreatment of women and children. Industrial Revolution in England started in the 1760s and went on until around 1850. Life beforeRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution in North America Essay583 Words   |  3 PagesThe Industrial Revolution in North America The industrial revolution started around 1750. It began in Britain and it spread through out the World. England was known as â€Å"the world’s workshop† because at that point in time, England was the major manufacturing center of the World.(Bailey) It took about ten years for the industrial revolution to spread to other places. It spread to America. The Industrial Revolution was favorable to the American

Electronic Health Records Free Essays

In this paper this student will discuss the national mandate of electronic health records (EHR), and how this mandate is being implemented at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Also discussed are how Cleveland Clinic is progressing to achieve EHR, and what challenges this brings to patient confidentiality and self-determination. Lastly this student will provide information on the benefits of EHR in healthcare. We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic Health Records or any similar topic only for you Order Now According to Gunter Terry (2005), â€Å"The electronic health record (EHR) is an evolving concept defined as a longitudinal collection of electronic health information about individual patients and populations. Primarily, it will be a mechanism for integrating health care information currently collected in both paper and electronic medical records (EMR) for the purpose of improving quality of care†. (p. 1). Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), and the American Health Information Community (AHIC) were created to oversee the EHR mandate that was set in place by President George Bush in 2004 (Simborg, 2008, p. 127) This goal has now transitioned to our current President, Barack Obama, who also is setting the goal for the year 2014. Electronic health records are set to take place of traditional paper records with the help of this initiative. The ability to have every healthcare organization operating with electronic health records serves numerous benefits for not only patients but healthcare providers. Some of the benefits include, additional patient safety, ability to communicate and collaborate with other healthcare providers, and the longevity of electronic health records. Patient safety is at the utmost importance to healthcare providers, and EHR enables providers to have an in-depth history of their patients, leading to better care and treatment. Due to patients receiving care from many different health care providers, this can act as a barrier when trying to maintain a collaborative process. By adopting EHR this enables all providers to participate in the care of the patient. When discussing the longevity EHR serves in our society Tang, Ash, Bates, Overhage, Sands (2006), states â€Å"The 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster exposed the fragility of America’s health information infrastructure. When confronted by a hurricane, an avian flu pandemic, or a bioterrorism attack, the public needs to be able to depend on reliable access to their health information† (p. 27). If healthcare corporations adopt EHR, there will be no threat of patient medical records disappearing. After stating the goals of EHR, and the benefits it serves, this student will now discuss how EHR is being utilized at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. One could say that the Cleveland Clinic were innovators in EHR, being one of the first institutions to adopt EHR more than eleven years ago. According to Cleveland Clinic (2012), EHR is â€Å"enabling physicians to actively collaborate and exchange information to ensure appropriate coordination of care throughout a patient’s life†. MyChart has also been a large milestone in development as part of Cleveland Clinics adoption of EHR. MyChart gives patients access to medical records, test results, and physician notes through a portal on the internet that can be accessed at home online. â€Å"MyChart, Cleveland Clinic’s secure, online patient-centered recording tool, connects patients to personalized health information at any time† (Cleveland Clinic, 2010). One benefit MyChart gives to patients is the ability for them to participate in decisions and their care. While analyzing Cleveland Clinics utilization and plans for EHR, this student was able to evaluate strengths and weaknesses. Some strengths of the Cleveland Clinics plans for EHR include their development and growth of the EHR system, the innovation developed into the current plan, and the ability to incorporate patients into their healthcare. Being that Cleveland Clinic was one of the first institutions to start the process of adopting EHR, they in return have the biggest ability to grow, and develop their system. Cleveland Clinic has shown such innovation in their process that other institutions have sought help from them for development of their own system. In an article by the Plain Dealer (Kleinerman, 2013) the chief information officer at Glens Falls Hospital, Joan McFaul stated â€Å"Our relationship with Cleveland Clinic will advance information technology best practices at GFH, and we will benefit by having access to a broad base of knowledge and the expertise of one of the country’s premier health systems†. When Cleveland Clinic developed MyChart, this plays a role in the patient self-determination act, being that the patients constantly have the ability to be informed about their healthcare, and to take part in any decision making. A weakness of the EHR system in place at the Cleveland Clinic includes the risk of confidentiality. Even though the ability to access health records online has numerous benefits, the ability that such records could become hacked always poses a risk. The health records are protected by a username and password through the Cleveland Clinic website. With all of the technological advances it seems as though it is becoming easier and easier for unknown people to access personal information. This student believes that more precautions should be taken when a patient’s confidentiality is at risk. This student also believes more information should be needed to access health records online, instead of just a username and password that provides little security. After reviewing the EHR mandate, and the benefits it serves to healthcare institutions, this student believes that if more institutions adopted this system it would ultimately give better patient care. Also after further research into Cleveland Clinics development of EHR, this student feels the growth of this system in endless. While there are some flaws to this system, with time EHR at Cleveland Clinic could ultimately become one of the nation’s leaders that other institutions wish to learn from. How to cite Electronic Health Records, Papers

Big Data Opportunities and Challenges †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Big Data Opportunities and Challenges. Answer: Introduction In this paper we are going to focus on the emerging trend of big data analytics on the two case studies which are undertaken. The case study one focuses on the efficiency and effectiveness of the big data analytics in the field of health care system. The second case study describes the use of big data analytics by the semiconductor manufacturing organization. The focus of the paper is to translate the use of big data analytics by the different sector in the working curriculum of their organization. The evolution of big data analytics has completely transforms the working structure of the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The use of big data semantics by the organization in their working infrastructure helps in improving the work based environment of the company by detecting the occurrence of the fault, increasing the capabilities by using effective technology, making use of predictive maintenance program, and etc. The technological gaps of the organization can be filled by using the big data analytics environment. The working quality of the enterprise can be improved by exploring the quality of data provided for the development of the quality solution and using the fundamentals of online expertise. The need of big data analytics is for the semiconductor manufacturing industry because it helps in managing the streamlining process of supply chain in managing raw material according to the demand of the project, coordination between online and offline tools, flexibility in retrieving required information, promotion of the product through the online tools, use of real object virtually, and increasing the decision making capabilities of the manager. The five objectives of the big data which are variety, velocity, volume, value, and veracity helps in improving and adding new capabilities to the existing system. During the initial stages of transforming the working tactics with the big data, company faces many challenge and problems due to the increase of complexity in the designing process of manufacturing product (Osuszek, 2016). Traditionally, the designing of the product was done on the 2D environment but with the inclusion of 3D data analytics The big data analytics is required du e to the faster growth of internet of things, mobile device, advanced version of smart device, and inclusion of artificial intelligence system (Weilki, 2013). The capability of the manufacturing can be enhanced by transforming the working environment with the ease of handling big data efficiently. The applicability of the big data analytics in the field of manufacturing semiconductor can be followed the following road map which focuses on 5V model of the big data. It helps in managing the quality and merging of the data application to improve the level of the designing process. The semiconductor device should have the capabilities of handling data required for sensor network as the growth of the technology. The enterprise resource planning helps in updating the manufacturing execution system of the organization (Raghupathi, 2014). The capabilities of the system can be improved with the inclusion of big data analytics in advance process control system of the enterprise. Advance process control system of the organization is comprised of various terminologies which should be updated with the use of big data analytical platform (Halaweh, 2011). The terminologies of the APC system are fault detection system which is used for detecting anomalies, classification of the fault is used for determining the reason or cause, prediction of the fault is used for the monitoring of the process for analysing the anomalies in the system, deployment of the run to run control for improving the processing power of the system, statistical process control is used for achieving the control on the process, equipment health monitoring tools is used for analysing the working condition of the equipment used for processing, predictive maintenance program helps in providing proactive maintenance, scheduling procedure can be effectively impr oved with the use of predictive maintenance program, virtual memory is used for handling the sensor data information, and prediction of product manufacturing. The processing scheme of the organization can be effectively managed with the use of big data because it helps in providing dynamic environment to the manufacturing process for improving the functional operation of the organization (Mishra, 2015). The quality issues of the data can be resolved with the implementation of the big data analytics procedure. The quality of the data is affected due to the inclusion of internal and external factor such as competition in the industries, following of rules and standards, analytical solution, requirement, and etc. These challenges can be effectively resolved by improving the 3D dimension of working. The working capabilities of the semiconductor manufacturing organization can be improved by improving the supervision level, prediction level, correlation in the parameters, incorporation for resolving complexity, and many more (MCKinsey, 2014). The level of supervision can be improved by managing the correlation between dataset and the parameters required for processing, level of prediction helps in forecasting the output of the process undertaken, measuring the functional dependency among the data set helps in resolving the correlation issues which exist in the data set, and others. The st udy of the given dimensions helps in increasing the capabilities of the different section. The inclusion of principle component analysis helps in analysing the application. The coordination between the big data analytics and APC application helps in focusing on the false of the processes during the supervision of the data, managing correlation between different processes, resetting of the dynamic model, and setting of the time required for the completion of the process. The detection of the anomalies can be effectively done with the help of big data analytics in the process control block of the semiconductor manufacturing industries. Smart manufacturing of the semiconductor devices can be effectively done by the inclusion of big data analytics in the manufacturing process of the organization (EY Advisory Service, 2014). The effectiveness of big data helps in development of integration policies between the processes related to the supply chain management system, optimizing flexibility in the manufacturing operations, and traceability of the processing program. The inclusion of cyber physical system in the manufacturing processes of the semiconductor devices helps in bringing coordination among the physical resources with the help of computation processes. The virtual environment of the business processes focuses on predicting the faults and the outcome in the process driven program undertaken by the company. The infrastructure of data processing should be completely changed from 2D environment to 3D environment. The capability of the manufacturing can be enhanced by transforming the working environment with the ea se of handling big data efficiently (Hajli, 2017). The applicability of the big data analytics in the field of manufacturing semiconductor can be followed the following road map which focuses on 5V model of the big data. The use of big data semantics by the organization in their working infrastructure helps in improving the work based environment of the company by detecting the occurrence of the fault, increasing the capabilities by using effective technology, making use of predictive maintenance program, and etc. From the study of the given case study on the semiconductor manufacturing industry we are able to highlight the effectiveness of big data environment for handling the business process for predicting the fault and the outcome of the process proactively so that the gaps of the business processes undertaken should be removed before implementation which helps in retrieving the prescribed output without any distraction (Fuzitsu, 2014). The use of dynamic equipment in the virtual environment helps in improving the quality, accuracy, availability, and reliability of the data used in the completion of the manufacturing process. The fault detection and the predictive maintenance features of the big data analytics helps in creating the robust maintenance solution for the company to provide best manufacturing practices. It helps in managing the quality and merging of the data application to improve the level of the designing process. The case study two focuses on the use of big data analytics in the field of health care centre. The objective of this study is to look on the operational capabilities of the big data to handle the functionality of the health care system with ease and effectiveness. The health care industry is having large volume of data in the form of patient record which has to be kept synchronously so that it can be retrieved by the user at any time and at any corner of the global world. The new technology is required providing the quality output with minimum cost to increase the capability of decision making and helps in providing instantaneous health service to the patient on demand. The complexity of the health care system can be resolved with the implementation of the big data analytics for handling the scheduling of the patient record on the online portal of the application so that it can be fetched by the doctor or the patient according to the requirement. The big data analytics helps in mana ging the records of the data in the scheduled and the synchronous order. The electronic patient records include the details of previous prescription, including laboratory details, pharmacy, and data related to the insurance policy. This newer technology is helpful in saving millions of life by providing accurate information of the patient at the time of need without wasting a moment of second which is crucial for the life of the patient at the time of emergency. The expert doctors can also participate through videoconferencing to resolve the serious condition of the patient by studying all the previous reports and prescription of the patient. The need of big data analytics arises for the management of online patients health records to handle the situation of emergency by the experts sitting at their respective places and the provided with the immediate treatment which helps in saving the life of the patient. The digitization of the health record helps in managing integration between various hospitals. The early detection of the disease can be possible due to the sharing of experience by the various experts. The records of the patient is managed over the portal throughout the life of the patient so whenever there is a need of older records than it is easy to retrieve through the concept of big data analytics. The consultation from the various doctors can be taken by sharing the reports of the patient by them. The deployment of the big data an alytics in the working curriculum of the health care system helps in minimizing the cost spend by the patient on his treatment by managing all the previous records of test and simultaneously consultation from various experts at a time. The availability of statistical data of the patient records open the door for exploring the research area to diagnose the symptoms of the disease predicted in the patient. The knowledge of possible causes helps in taking action to take preventive measures of that particular disease. The research study on the big data is come up with possible solution to resolve the health issue related to the disease. The fraud with the patient records can be easily detected (Accenture report, 2014). The real time analysis of the large volume helps in knowing the case of emergency and the quick first aid can be provided according to the need of the patient at the destination place. The 4 Vs characteristics of the big data are applied on the health care system. The Volume characteristic helps in managing the large data of record of the patient for easy retrieval. The velocity is applied for providing the data on the demand of the user and maintaining the flow of data between the sender and receiver. The variety is applied for accumulated various types of information of the patient at one place. The real time monitoring of the portal provides the information related to the person who is in need of quick treatment. The matching of the old data and the new data can be effectively done with the use of big data analytics. The reliable and accurate information is provided to the user end (CGMA Report, 2011). The visualization techniques can be easily applied for measuring the statistica l data. The warehousing of the data can be effectively done with the use of newer technology. The coordination in the management of data helps in avoiding faults in the presentation of the data. The decision making capabilities of the doctors and experts can be increased by the online retrieval of the information. The distributed processing is applied on the data available on different warehouses to get the accurate information of the patient from various sources. The map-reduce technology is applied on the data available on the Hadoop file system for managing big data of the health care system. The implementation of the map-reduce algorithm helps in eliminating the complexity from the data management statistical support. The open source tools are utilized for making the user-friendly environment for the data driven policies. There are various sources of big data in the health care system which are categorised as internal sources, external sources, multiple geographical location, and multiple distributed application environment. The transformation of the big data into the useful information can be possible with the implementation of data warehouse. Various tools are applied to the transformations of data into useful information such as map reduce protocol in the Hadoop file system environment, zookeeper, avro, hive, and many others (Peristeris, 2011). The accessing of the big data can be done through various applications like in the form of queries, data mining techniques, OLAP system, and generation of reports. The decision support system of the health care depends on the availability of the digital health records of the patient. There are some negative consequences of using big data analytics in the health industry. The success of the big data handling depends on the accurate and reliable retrieval of i nformation from various sources. Privacy is the main concern on managing digital health records of the patient on the network (Rankin, 2015) .The attacker has the possibility to retrieve confidential information of the patient from the digital records (Alam, 2014). The security and the cryptographic approach should be used for securing the private information of the user from data leakages. The lack of using technological equipment in collecting information can cause the problem of accuracy in the data uploaded in the health record of the patient. The accuracy of the information posted on the electronic record of the patient should be verified so that no chance of fraud can occur. The government standards should be followed for managing the ethical laws on the platform of big data analytics associated with the health care centre. Conclusion From the analysis of the case studies, it is concluded that big data analytics helps in managing the large volume of data on the network with accuracy and reliability. During the course of action plan, the security concern should be taken under consideration. The cryptographic approach should be used for securing the data on the network to be leaked by the third party. The confidential information of the user should be remaining private. The security procedure should be laid down for the successful implementation of the big data analytics in the working curriculum of the enterprise. Reference: Accenture report. (2014). Big success with big data. Retrieved https://www.accenture.com/sa-en/_acnmedia/Accenture/Conversion-Assets/DotCom/Documents/Global/PDF/Industries_14/Accenture-Big-Data-POV.pdf Alam, J. (2014). A review on the role of big data in business. Retrieved https://www.ijcsmc.com/docs/papers/April2014/V3I4201480.pdf CGMA report. (2011). From insight to impact: unlocking opportunity in big data. Retrieved https://www.cgma.org/content/dam/cgma/resources/reports/downloadabledocuments/from-insight-to-impact-unlocking-the-opportunities-in-big-data.pdf EY Advisory Service. (2014). Big data: Changing the way business compete and operate. Retrieved https://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY_-_Big_data:_changing_the_way_businesses_operate/%24FILE/EY-Insights-on-GRC-Big-data.pdf Fuzitsu, F. (2014). Technology and service vision: Case studies service, product, and solution. https://www.fujitsu.com/us/Images/fujitsu-technology-and-service-vision-en-separate.pdf Hajli, N. (2017). Exploring the path to big data analytics success in health care. Retrieved https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306128586_Exploring_the_path_to_big_data_analytics_success_in_healthcare Halaweh, M. (2011). Conceptual model for successful implementation of big data in organization. Retrieved https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/27a3/da3c859571f23256e4f5d686f2a880570160.pdf MCKinsey, M. (2014). The age of analytics: competing in the data driven world. Retrieved https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/McKinsey%20Analytics/Our%20Insights/The%20age%20of%20analytics%20Competing%20in%20a%20data%20driven%20world/MGI-The-Age-of-Analytics-Full-report.ashx Mishra, R. (2015). Big data opportunities and challenges. Retrieved https://www.ijcsmc.com/docs/papers/June2015/V4I6201508.pdf Osuszek, L. (2016). Leverage big data analytics for dynamic informed decision with the advanced case management. Retrieved https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/12460125.2016.1187401 Peristeris, T. (2011). Big data driven innovation. Retrieved https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/39873/1/gupea_2077_39873_1.pdf Raghupathi, W. (2014). Big data analytics in health care: Promise and potential. Retrieved https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4341817/ Rankin, J. (2015). Research on implementing big data. Retrieved https https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED555544.pdf Weilki, J. (2013). Implementation of the big data concept in organization-possibilities, impediments, and challenges. Retrieved https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/31dd/beb275cb2505fff9f606e00f6137599de2e1.pdf

Introduction to Different Types of Mental Training free essay sample

Task: B1 Introduction to Different Types of Mental Training An athlete qualifying for an Olympic Final competes against athletes who are fit, strong, flexible, powerful and skilful. All the competitors have devoted time and energy to becoming top-class athletes. However, there is only one champion and two medal winners. Often the difference between a medal and eighth place is a fraction of a second or a few centimetres. Interviews with athletes who succeed at this highest level often focus on which aspect of their preparation made them different from everyone else.Nine times out of ten these great athletes refer to a mental edge or psychological toughness. An athlete who wants to compete against other talented athletes needs to think carefully about mental preparation. It is not enough for them to expect to win simply because they have coved more mileage then the next athlete, or because they have lifted heavier weights. We will write a custom essay sample on Introduction to Different Types of Mental Training or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the final analysis it is often more important to keep the mind in the pressurized environment of competition. In this essay I will be covering different forms of mental training employed by the sport psychologist.Imagery Imagery and mental rehearsal are techniques that are frequently used in sport and exercise psychology because of the verity of applications they have in different settings. Imagery Imagery is a polysensorial and emotional creation or recreation of an experience that takes place in the mind. It should involve as many senses as possible as well as trying to recreate emotions experienced through the activity the athlete takes part in. The post effective imagery uses kinaesthetic, visual, tactile, auditory and olfactory senses.An example of imagery that anyone could take part in is to think about a favourite athlete in any sport. Then think about when you have watched that sports person performing. Consider when you have thought about what that athlete has done during their performance, (e. g. how they kick a ball) tried to see your self doing that in a future competition, and then copied what they did during your performance. This is just one example of how our mind allows us to remember different events and then attempt to recreate them. It is imagery in one of many forms.There are two main types of imagery in port and exercise: internal and external. †¢ Internal imagery is imagining yourself doing something and concentrating on how the activity feels †¢ External imagery is imagining yourself doing something as tough you are watching it on a film so that you can develop an awareness of how the activity looks Uses of imagery Imagery has a number of uses in different areas of performance including relaxation, goal setting, concentration, developing confidence, controlling emotions and handling pressure, and diction making. Goal settingImagery can be useful to highlight specific faults in performance which can then be used to set goals to improve performance . Concentration A key aspect to concentration is being able to focus on relevant cues in the environment (e. g. things that directly affect sports performance) and being able to close out factors that don’t directly affect the sport performance (e. g. crowd noise and banners). By imagining what you want to achieve and what you need to be able to do to achieve it you can prevent your attention from focusing on irreverent aspects and focus on relevant aspects instead. Decision MakingDecision making skills are benefited greatly by imagery because the use of imagery allows individuals to look at a number of options in different situations and the consequences of making different decisions. The benefits of imagery in the area tend to be greater for experienced performers rather than novices, because it helps them to refine skills and make the necessary dictions quickly. Controlling Emotions and Handling Pressure One of the benefits of using imagery is that you can imagine things that have gone wrong in previous performances (such as missing penalties, being bowled out and experience poor officiating).Then you’re able to imagine yourself coping with these negative influences in a number of ways and being able to perform the task successfully. Developing Confidence A football player has been taking penalties for his team on a regular basis but keeps missing them which have knocked his confidence in his ability to score penalties. The sport psychologist could work with the player asking him to remember having a strong support foot placement, striking the ball hard and true, thinking about where exactly he wants the ball to go, seeing the ball hit the back of the net and thinking about the elation experienced at successfully scouring a goal.The sport psychologist would do this because seeing yourself perform well in your mind is a good way of in creasing a sense of mastery. It increases your belief in your ability to perform a task. Relaxation A sprinter is in the start position in the final of the men’s 100m hurdles at the Olympics Games. In this example the athlete would imagine emotions associated with relaxation and together with other techniques such as breathing exercises, could try to control anxiety, arousal and stress levels Mental Rehearsal Mental rehearsal is one aspect of imagery.It is a strategy for practicing something in your mind before actually performing the task. The difference between mental rehearsal and imagery is that mental rehearsal does not take into account how the skill is rehearsed or what senses and emotions are used throughout the skill. It is the cognitive rehearsal of a skill without any physical movement. Uses of Mental Rehearsal There are a number of ways in which mental rehearsal is used including skills practice and rehearsal, practicing ‘what if’ scenarios, replaying performance and performance routines.Mental rehearsal can also be linked to pre-performance routines, as mental rehearsal can allow the performer to rehearse how they want to complete an activity before t hey actually start the performance. The use of mental rehearsal of future performance ensures that athletes take time to review physical, technical and mental aspects of the activity and produce strategies that will help individuals to meet its demands. Practice for Events Using mental rehearsal in the lead p to competition as well as in practice settings has been shown to benefit skill practice and developmentSkills Practice and Rehearsal Although it is not as effective as physically practicing a skill mental rehearsal is more beneficial then not practicing the skill at all. It actually helps to develop neuromuscular patterns associated with different movements. It is important for the performer to rehearse both good and bad movement patterns so that they can get to know the difference between the two to develop the appropriate neuromuscular responses. Practice ‘what if scenarios’ Mental rehearsal gives the performer the opportunity to practice ‘what if scenarios’ (e. . what would happen if I did it this way’). Then to assess whether something different would work in the same scenario. In Competition Practice Mental rehearsal gives the athlete the opportunity to practice their skills during an event without having to expend any energy or perform any movements. This is a useful way of concentrating on a particular aspect of skill and further developing it. Performance Routines Mental rehearsal forms an important part of performance routines. Think about when you have seen a rugby player take a kick at goal from the ground.They place the ball then look up at the posts, take a few steps back and to the side, take a stance, look at the ball then up to the posts, sometime close there eyes then take a deep breath and go to kick the ball. This is all part of a performance routine. During this routine the player is mentally rehearsing the kick of the ball before actually performing the movement. Replay Performance ‘What if’ are often combined with replaying performance in your mind, where you go thorough previous performances and detect errors in performance using the mental rehearsal.Arousal Arousal is an important aspect of sport and exercise because it can affect performance either positively or negatively depending on how you perceive the arousal. Therefore it is important to understand ways of regulating arousal and how this can benefit performance. Arousal Reduction Over-arousal is often experienced by athletes for reasons such as lack of confidence or seeing competition as a threat. The effects of over-arousal are generally the same regardless of the performer: physical and psychological discomfort that leads to reduced performance.The role of the sport psychologist would be to help the athlete to understand the causes of over-arousal to recognise the symptoms of over-arousal and then to help athletes to apply appropriate arousal management strategies to reduce levels to an optimal point. Common arousal reduction techniques include progressive muscular relaxation, breathing control, biofeedback, mind to muscle techniques and imagery. Progressive Muscular Relaxation Muscle tension is one of the most uncomfortable and devastating symptoms of an over-aroused state and can severely hinder performance due to losses in coordination (and therefore disrupt technique).It can also lead to an increased risk of injury due to vastly decreased flexibility. Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR) is an easy to use technique that can help to reduce muscular tension. It is a useful technique because it increases an individual’s awareness of their levels of muscle tension and through the relaxation phase helps the individual to distinguish between what is a state of tension and relaxation. Breathing Control When you start to experience increased pressure in sport situations an automatic tendency is to hold your breath a little.Unfortunately when you do this it increases factors that can be negative to performance (like muscle tension). The best time to use breathing control is when you are in a sporting situation that allows you to take a brake. Controlled breathing is one of the easiest techniques for reducing anxiety symptoms and it has a range of physiological and psychological benefits. The physiological benefits include oxygen transport, carbon dioxide removal, reduced muscle fatigue and reduced chances of injuries such as cramp. However the psychological benefits are also important.One of the biggest problems with over-arousal is the reduced concentration levels that accompany it such as (focusing on the negative aspects) muscle tension, increased heart rate and (in some cases) the nausea that can be symptoms of over-arousal. Using breathing control techniques can be beneficial in reducing arousal in two main ways: †¢ It reduces the physiological symptoms of arousal and anxiety †¢ It focuses the athlete’s attention away from the negative aspects, because they have to concentrate on getting the breathing techniques correct.As a result of these different aspects, the athlete will benefit throu gh increased concentration, confidence, control and well-being. Biofeedback Biofeedback involves the use of different equipment to detect physiological responses to arousal. This helps the athlete to learn how to control those responses. The technique generally uses either visual or auditory feedback of different physiological responses. The common physiological responses that biofeedback is used with are heart rate, breathing, skin temperature and muscle tension.It has not always been shown to improve performance but it is effective in helping the athlete to detect and reduce physiological symptoms of arousal and anxiety. Mind to Muscle Techniques The aim of mind to muscle relaxation is to train the athletes muscle to be able to recognise tension so that it can be released and a relaxed state can occur. Common examples of mind to muscle relaxation techniques include imagery, PMR and autogenic training. Imagery Imagery is one of the most common psychological skills techniques because it can be used to reduce arousal symptoms before, during and after competition. The process by which imagery reduces anxiety is a relatively simple one. If the athlete can use calming, tranquil and relaxing images this will reduce the symptoms of arousal and anxiety to a level that will not hamper performance. Arousal Increasing Just as over-arousal can be detrimental to performance under-arousal can also be as damaging. It is generally based on the interaction between the situation in which the individual finds them in and their psychological appraisal of that situation. Under-arousal is nowhere near as common in a sporting situation as over-arousal.However when an athlete is virtually guaranteed success this phenomenon is quite understandable. The sports psychologists’ role would be to consult with athletes and teams to develop ways of increasing arousal levels again. Some common ways of increasing arousal levels in a sport or exercise setting include: use of music, using energising imagery, increasing breathing rate, affirmations and acting energised (some know it as a pep talk or high energy body language). Use of Music Music is more widely researched in the exercise domain than in the sports domain, but it is often used in both areas to increase arousal levels.It has been shown to be effective at increasing arousal levels by eliciting both emotional and physiological responses in different individuals. The use of music increases arousal in a number of ways. By narrowing a performers attention music can divert their focus away from sensations of fatigue. The benefit of this is that the performer will have an elevated mood state through avoidance of negative thoughts. Another benefit of music is that the music which people consider to be exciting can increase body temperature, heart rate and breathing rate all of which will improve sports perfor mance. Energising Imagery In the same way that imagery can be used to reduce arousal and anxiety it can be also used to increase arousal. This can be achieved through the use of high-energy images of competition e. g. a hard tackle in rugby. Increasing Breathing Rate Just before a high jumper in competition attempts to jump the next height up they take a series of short, sharp breaths then take the run up. This is a way of increasing arousal levels; you take a series of sharp short breaths until you feel energised.This technique is also used in other sports such as weightlifting. Affirmations An affirmation is a positive statement that is designed to confirm gaol achievement. It is often used alongside other forms of arousal-increasing techniques such as imagery or acting energised to increase arousal levels. When you use affirmations it is important to review them on a regular basis. Good practice would be to change affirmations when you change the goals you set. It is important to do this so that further progress can be made. Acting EnergisedActing energised increases arousal levels in a number of ways that can benefit performance. It can heighten concentration levels, reprioritise goal achievement, increase motivation levels and make the athlete excited about competing again. In an elite sport setting, the use of this type of body language can also increase arousal levels in athletes. It increases the arousal levels of the crowd (often displayed through cheering on the team more) which further benefits the athlete. Goal Setting Goal setting is one of the best ways of increasing motivation in sport and xercise. In sport and exercise psychology it’s essential to be specific about what a goal is and what the different types of goal are. Types of Goal There are two main types of goal: †¢ a subjective goal is a general statement of intent such as ‘I want to have fun’ †¢ an objective goal is a measurable statement that relates to the achievement of some form of standard normally within a designated period of time Outcome goals, process goals and performance goals are all types of objective goal. Outcome Goal Outcome goals relate to the outcome on an event.They tend to be unpredictable because they depend on the performance of others as well as the one setting it. For example you could play the best frame of tennis you have ever played yet still fail to achieve your goal because your opponent plays a little bit better than you. Process Goals Process goals look at the process the athlete must go through to achieve a desired level of performance. They relate to skills and technique they could be required to perform at a high level. Performance Goals Performance goals look at achieving a certain standard of performance without comparison with other individuals.

How to Say and Write I in Chinese

How to Say and Write I in Chinese The Chinese symbol for I or me is 我 (wÇ’). Easily remember how to write 我 by understanding the Chinese characters radicals and interesting etymology. Me Versus I While the English language has separate terms that differentiate between me and I, Chinese is simpler. One character, 我, represents both me and I in the Chinese language.   For example,  Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã© ¥ ¿Ã¤ ºâ€  (wÇ’ à ¨ le) means I am hungry. On the other hand,  Ã§ »â„¢Ã¦Ë†â€˜ (gÄ›i wÇ’) translates to give me. Radical The Chinese character  Ã¦Ë†â€˜ (wÇ’) is composed of 手 (shÇ’u), which means hand, and 戈 (gÄ“), which is a dagger-like tool.  In this case, 手 is used here in the form of æ‰Å', the hand radical.  Thus,  Ã¦Ë†â€˜ appears as a hand holding a little spear.   Pronunciation 我 (wÇ’) is pronounced using the third tone. This tone has a falling-rising quality. Character Evolution An early form of 我 showed two spears crossing. This symbol evolved into its present form over time. Depicting a hand holding a spear, the Chinese character for I is a  symbol of ego assertion and therefore an appropriate representation of â€Å"I or me.† Mandarin Vocabulary With WÇ’ Here are five examples of common Chinese phrases that incorporate the character,  Ã¦Ë†â€˜: 我們 traditional / 我ä » ¬ simplified (wÇ’ men) - We; us; ourselves 我è‡ ªÃ¥ · ± (wÇ’ zà ¬ jÇ ) - Myself 我的 (wÇ’ de) - Mine 我明ç™ ½ ( wÇ’ mà ­ngbi) - I understand 我ä ¹Å¸Ã¦Ëœ ¯ (wÇ’ yÄ›shà ¬) - Me too

1. What is Social Contract Theory and what are its strengths and Essay

1. What is Social Contract Theory and what are its strengths and weaknesses - Essay Example The social contract theory suggests that men being self interested can dominate his will in a civic society and hence a contract can avail justice. The social contract theory emphasis on the origin of the society. Social contract theory is a concept theory which is used in political science, sociology and philosophy. It is an implicit agreement between the state and citizens of the country to stay within the society without violating the contract. Social contract theory relies on an anthropological conception that man is either â€Å"good† or â€Å"evil†. The most famous philosophers of social contract theory are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean – Jacques Rousseau. It is a theory which has its ground on democracy. According to this theory, the people abide by law to live in peace and harmony in a society. Social contract theory is a philosophical idea which propagates maintenance of society and law. According to this theory people in a state abide by a contract to agree upon laws and rules to live in a society. Usually it is a government which will enforce these laws in a society or state. The theory suggests that if someone violates the rules then he will punish. This contract theory can be changed if the people believe that the law needs a change. Social contract theory implies that without it the society will be in chaos and people would act according to their wishes and desires. For example, in case of natural disaster like flood or hurricane people would do whatever they like as no one is there to enforce law in a confused situation. The society need a contractual obligation which makes the responsible towards their action in the society and the social contract theory advocates it. Social contract theory explains that for a secured society a contract is necessary between citizens and state. Since men are born free, he has a tendency to violate natural laws and create conflicts and brutalities in a

Assessment for learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assessment for learning - Essay Example During learning for assessment sessions, students are communicated of what is expected from them to deliver and how they can produce quality work in their lives to complete different developmental stages in their careers (Black & William, 1998). Assessments for learning also enables the teacher to communicate to the student, any misconceptions that the student might have pertaining to different aspects in an individual’s life and how these misconceptions would lead to gaps in information that might effect decision making skills. As the process of learning goes on, the teacher identifies any gaps present in the student’s knowledge pertaining to life events and the decision-making skills. As a result, techniques to cover those gaps are identified by the teachers and incorporated into the assessment plan for students. These techniques improve the overall results of the assessment and produce pupils with enhanced decision-making and knowledge processing students (Black et al., 2003). The question, which arises here, is that why are assessments for learning so critical for the rest of students’ lives. Apparently, teachers found themselves as being responsible for the pupil’s life and career and for that reason they held themselves responsible for the quality of conduct that a student might adopt in future life. In this manner, students are prepared to be professional in their relationships with the colleagues, kind in relationships with their family and spouses and down to earth in their social lifestyle (Black et al., 2003). Teachers ensure that students are achieving good progress and results from the assessment methods applied by the teachers. Teachers might carry out following activities in order to promote good progress and results delivered by students: By establishing high expectations from students,

The project of Kellogg Company producer of cereal and other food Essay

The project of Kellogg Company producer of cereal and other food - Essay Example This report starts with a proper introduction which gives a fair idea about the basic concept of strategic management and the sequence of work that is followed throughout the project. Since the project is on Kellogg, it is very important to have a clear understanding about the company, its business model, products, and employees. This report includes a brief but well structured overview of Kellogg Company. There are several strategic management models. Two of such models (Porter’s five forces and Ansoff Matrix) are used in this report. The main theory behind these models and their application in the context of Kellogg are properly discussed in this paper. ‘Strategic management’ is one of the most widely investigated terms in the global business environment in the recent past. The concept has arrived from the word strategy. Ansoff and McDonnell have defined strategic management as â€Å"a systematic approach for managing strategic change which consists of positioning of the firm through strategy and capability planning and real time strategic response through issue management.† (Cole, 2003). According to Andreas Rasche, main objective of strategic management is to create potentials with the purpose of achieving future success by directing organisations regarding what they can do and what they need to do in order to stay ahead of competitors (Rasche, 2007). Strategic management deals with the formulation of business strategies along with its proper implementation in order to achieve various strategic objectives. It is very important to have a clear understanding regarding the internal and external environment of the organisation before making business strategies. Strategies that are made without any prior knowledge of company’s internal and external environment are likely to have high chance of failing and failed strategies ultimately result to the wastage of valuable resources like time and

The Use Of Brainstorming In Stages Information Technology Essay

The Use Of Brainstorming In Stages Information Technology Essay Brainstorming is usually the first crucial creative stage of the project management and project planning process. See the brainstorming method in detail and explained separately, because it many other useful applications outside of project management. Fishbone diagrams are chiefly used in quality management fault-detection, and in business process improvement, especially in manufacturing and production, but the model is also very useful in project management planning and task management generally. Within project management fishbone diagrams are useful for early planning, notably when gathering and organising factors, for example during brainstorming. Fishbone diagrams are very good for identifying hidden factors which can be significant in enabling larger activities, resources areas, or parts of a process. Fishbone diagrams are not good for scheduling or showing interdependent time-critical factors. Fishbone diagrams are also called cause and effect diagrams and Ishikawa diagrams, after Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-89), a Japanese professor specialising in industrial quality management and engineering who devised the technique in the 1960s. Ishikawas diagram became known as a fishbone diagram, obviously, because it looks like a fishbone: A fishbone diagram has a central spine running left to right, around which is built a map of factors which contribute to the final result (or problem). For each project the main categories of factors are identified and shown as the main bones leading to the spine. Into each category can be drawn primary elements or factors (shown as P in the diagram), and into these can be drawn secondary elements or factors (shown as S). This is done for every category, and can be extended to third or fourth level factors if necessary. The diagram above is a very simple one. Typically fishbone diagrams have six or more main bones feeding into the spine. Other main category factors can include Environment, Management, Systems, Training, Legal, etc. The categories used in a fishbone diagram should be whatever makes sense for the project. Various standard category sets exist for different industrial applications, however it is important that your chosen structure is right for your own situation, rather than taking a standard set of category headings and hoping that it fits. At a simple level the fishbone diagram is a very effective planning model and tool especially for mapping an entire operation. Where a fishbone diagram is used for project planning of course the Effect is shown as an aim or outcome or result, not a problem. The Problem term is used in fault diagnosis and in quality management problem-solving. Some fishbone diagrams can become very complex indeed, which is common in specialised quality management areas, especially where systems are computerised. This model, and the critical path analysis diagram are similar to the even more complex diagrams used on business process modelling within areas of business planning and and business process improvement. project critical path analysis (flow diagram or chart) Critical Path Analysis sounds very complicated, but its a very logical and effective method for planning and managing complex projects. A critical path analysis is normally shown as a flow diagram, whose format is linear (organised in a line), and specifically a time-line. Critical Path Analysis is also called Critical Path Method its the same thing and the terms are commonly abbreviated, to CPA and CPM. A commonly used tool within Critical Path Analysis is PERT (Program/Programme/Project Evaluation and Review Technique) which is a specialised method for identifying related and interdependent activities and events, especially where a big project may contain hundreds or thousands of connected elements. PERT is not normally relevant in simple projects, but any project of considerable size and complexity, particularly when timings and interdependency issues are crucial, can benefit from the detailed analysis enabled by PERT methods. PERT analysis commonly feeds into Critical Path Analysis and to other broader project management systems, such as those mentioned here. Critical Path Analysis flow diagrams are very good for showing interdependent factors whose timings overlap or coincide. They also enable a plan to be scheduled according to a timescale. Critical Path Analysis flow diagrams also enable costings and budgeting, although not quite as easily as Gantt charts (below), and they also help planners to identify causal elements, although not quite so easily as fishbone diagrams (below). This is how to create a Critical Path Analysis. As an example, the project is a simple one making a fried breakfast. First note down all the issues (resources and activities in a rough order), again for example: Assemble crockery and utensils, assemble ingredients, prepare equipment, make toast, fry sausages and eggs, grill bacon and tomatoes, lay table, warm plates, serve. Note that some of these activities must happen in parallel and crucially they are interdependent. That is to say, if you tried to make a fried breakfast by doing one task at a time, and one after the other, things would go wrong. Certain tasks must be started before others, and certain tasks must be completed in order for others to begin. The plates need to be warming while other activities are going on. The toast needs to be toasting while the sausages are frying, and at the same time the bacon and sausages are under the grill. The eggs need to be fried last. A Critical Path Analysis is a diagrammatical representation of what needs done and when. Timescales and costs can be applied to each activity and resource. Heres the Critical Path Analysis for making a fried breakfast: This Critical Path Analysis example below shows just a few activities over a few minutes. Normal business projects would see the analysis extending several times wider than this example, and the time line would be based on weeks or months. It is possible to use MS Excel or a similar spreadsheet to create a Critical Path Analysis, which allows financial totals and time totals to be planned and tracked. Various specialised project management software enable the same thing. Beware however of spending weeks on the intricacies of computer modelling, when in the early stages especially, a carefully hand drawn diagram which requires no computer training at all can put 90% of the thinking and structure in place. (See the details about the most incredible planning and communications tool ever invented, and available for just a tiny fraction of the price of all the alternatives.) project critical path analysis flow diagram example gantt charts Gantt Charts (commonly wrongly called gant charts) are extremely useful project management tools. The Gantt Chart is named after US engineer and consultant Henry Gantt (1861-1919) who devised the technique in the 1910s. Gantt charts are excellent models for scheduling and for budgeting, and for reporting and presenting and communicating project plans and progress easily and quickly, but as a rule Gantt Charts are not as good as a Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagram for identifying and showing interdependent factors, or for mapping a plan from and/or into all of its detailed causal or contributing elements. You can construct a Gantt Chart using MSExcel or a similar spreadsheet. Every activity has a separate line. Create a time-line for the duration of the project (the breakfast example shows minutes, but normally you would use weeks, or for very big long-term projects, months). You can colour code the time blocks to denote type of activity (for example, intense, watching brief, directly managed, delegated and left-to-run, etc.) You can schedule review and insert break points. At the end of each line you can show as many cost columns for the activities as you need. The breakfast example shows just the capital cost of the consumable items and a revenue cost for labour and fuel. A Gantt chart like this can be used to keep track of progress for each activity and how the costs are running. You can move the time blocks around to report on actuals versus planned, and to re-schedule, and to create new plan updates. Costs columns can show plan and actuals and variances, and calculate whatever to tals, averages, ratios, etc., that you need. Gantt Charts are probably the most flexible and useful of all project management tools, but remember they do not very easily or obviously show the importance and inter-dependence of related parallel activities, and they wont obviously show the necessity to complete one task before another can begin, as a Critical Path Analysis will do, so you may need both tools, especially at the planning stage, and almost certainly for large complex projects. gantt chart example A wide range of computerised systems/software now exists for project management and planning, and new methods continue to be developed. It is an area of high innovation, with lots of scope for improvement and development. I welcome suggestions of particularly good systems, especially if inexpensive or free. Many organizations develop or specify particular computerised tools, so its a good idea to seek local relevant advice and examples of best practice before deciding the best computerised project management system(s) for your own situation. Project planning tools naturally become used also for subsequent project reporting, presentations, etc., and you will make life easier for everyone if you use formats that people recognize and find familiar.

Persian Empire :: essays research papers

I am here today to talk to you about the Persian Empire. One of the reasons I chose this topic is that I am Persian myself. Another reason for me choosing this topic is that there is a large Persian community in Lower Mainland. Moving along, Persian Empire was founded around 548 BC. It was the first largest empire stretching from Atlantic Ocean, Morocco, to Indus River, India. The Persian Empire is most famous for its tolerance over other religions and races and the first people to write the Charter of Human Rights. They also invented coins, roads, postal system, and many more innovations. Furthermore, one of the best innovations, the Persian Empire invented was canal building. They built canals for various reasons: to have drinkable water, to water farms, and to dispose wastes. However, their greatest innovation came around in 525 BC. Now I ask you a question, where and when the Suez Canal was constructed? The Suez Canal lies between Middle East and Egypt and it was completed in 1869. But when European engineers were in the middle of constructing the canal they found a statue with some writing on it which said, â€Å"I, Darius the Great, King of Persia, King of Kings, King of the World, commanded my men to build a canal so that the East and West can easily trade with each other.† They constructed the canal around 525 BC but years later when the Persian Empire was gone, the climate changed therefore the canal was destroyed. This will always be remembered as the greatest innovation of Persian Empire. Moreover, their postal system was also famous because a mail could be delivered from one end of empire to the other end of empire in 12 days.

Lust Caution by Eileen Chang Essay

In the novel Lust, Caution by Eileen Chang, there are debates of the reason why Wang Jiazhi made the decision to warn Yi and to let him go, which is not only a betrayal to her mission but also a suicidal action which eventually led to her death. This action of hers involves multiple psychological origins from Wang’s childhood memory and family structure through out her experience of being a student with her peers to her subtle relationship with Yi during her spying mission. Such experiences formed significant psychological defenses within her according to the psychoanalysis of Freud. The movie Lust, Caution provides a much fuller explanation and details about what the author of book did not offer thoroughly, which is the family background of Wang Jiazhi. There is a scene in the movie that Wang is sitting in a shabby room and trying to organize her word for the wedding greetings to her father who moved oversea years ago with her little brother when she was a child. The experience of her father’s leaving at her young age leads to her fear of abandonment after she grows up, the unshakable belief that her friends and loved ones cannot be trusted. The fact that her father brought her little brother with him but left her at home creates a further belief that she is less worthy than other people and, therefore, does not deserve attention, love, or any other life’s rewards, which is called low self-esteem in the psychoanalysis. Her fear of abandonment and low self-esteem add together and form her most essential mental defense: fear of intimacy, the chronic and overpowering feeling that emotional closeness will seriously hurt or destroy her and that she can remain emotionally safe only remaining at an emotional distance from others at all times. These mental defenses of Wang appear in different areas in her personal and social life, and largely affect Wang in her processes of decision making. In Wang’s social life, the main part of the cause of her solitude does not come from her peers but rather from her prejudice to herself and hatred of her own life and identity. Within a patriotism student division, the members of the division are supposed to have an extremely strong and tight emotional bond. However, as the key factor of this operation, Wang and her view of her peers and coworkers are strangely biased and distanced. When she thinks  about them, she sees the â€Å"detestable eyes† and â€Å"meaningful smile† appear on her friends’ face. Her belief of how her friends in fact hate her and laugh at her at behind reflects on the definition of fear of abandonment in the theory of the psychoanalysis. During her spying mission, Wang’s interaction with Yi, a married â€Å"short man in his forties or fifties† according the description in the novel, revealed another psychological defense of Wang: oedipal fixation, a dysfunctional bond with a parent of the opposite sex that she does not outgrow in adulthood and that does not allow her to develop mature relationship with her peers. Despite the fact that Wang’s relationship with Yi is based on a conspiracy, Wang has certainly developed some kind of emotion that is beyond her position as a spy toward her role and her target, Mr. Yi. Although the fact that Yi is in his forties or fifties may impair his charm in many ways, for Wang the age of Yi provides her a sense of fatherhood, which has been absent from her life since she was a young girl. Also, having a love affair with a married man gives her the feeling of competing with another woman, which reflects her being influenced by her father’s marriage. Being chosen to play the role of the mistress of Yi, Wang Jiazhi not only is an extremely skilled actress, but also has putted her full passion and dedication into her character even beyond the expectation of her job. Such a strong emotional attachment to her target and her life as Wang, the character, contributed largely to her excellence at the job; however at the same time, made it very hard for her to distinguish her own life as a spy and the life as Wang Jiazhi, who lives a luxury life and has no relation with the life of her own, the life filled with confusion, self doubt, and fear of betrayal. Wang’s small actions unconsciously depict a strong sense of hatred to her own life. She hates her family, her friends, and most importantly, herself. Her life is pointless except â€Å"when she is with Yi, she finds the meaning and purpose of living.† Wang feels truly alive only when she is acting as someone else, someone who could be anyone but herself. Therefore, Wang becomes so attached to her character that has forgotten that the original intention of this mission is to end it. When she is in the jewelry store with Yi, she realizes that this is her final plot of being  Wang Jiazhi. However, she can still control her ending pose. Wang chooses to warn Yi and to release him. As the result of her decision, she dies, and the Wang Jiazhi the character leaves the stage, but the play continues without Wang Jiazhi. In this way she does not have to return to her own life which she thinks is not worth of living. She, as an actress, has devoted her life for acting and has chosen to end her life as Wang Jiazhi for her stage and her own masterpiece. Her death has no direct relation with her affection to Yi. She has lived in her art and she died for her acting.

Trumans Decision essays

Truman's Decision essays A Reason for Trumans Decision The decision made by Harry Truman to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, on August 6th 1945, is one of the most controversial issues in American history. Although many Japanese soldiers and civilians died because of the decision to drop the bomb, many American soldiers were saved because of it. Many people who argue against the bombings talk about how much destruction was caused by the bomb. However it is important to look at the reason why Truman decided to drop the bomb. His decision to drop the bomb wasnt to gain victory over Japan or to only save American lives, but rather to intimidate the Soviet Union and demonstrate the power of the United States. America didnt need to drop the bomb in order to win the war over Japan. The decision to use the bomb was made by President Truman. There was never any doubt of that and despite a lot of criticism; Mr. Truman took full responsibility for his action. From the beginning of the war, the United States didnt even plan to drop the bomb. They were planning an intensified sea and air blockade and strategic air bombing. After a while, Japan was in really bad shape. Most Americans believed that they didnt even need the bomb to defeat the Japanese. Nuclear Physicist Leo Szilard said, I knew at the time, as the rest of the government knew, that Japan was essentially defeated and that we could win the war in another six months. (Print Document 6). This shows that the use for the bomb must have been for another reason than to just wipe out the Japanese people. To use such a powerful bomb even when you know that you have won the war shows a desire to gain more power. The devastating effects of bo th kinds of bombs depended essentially upon the energy released at the moment of the explosion, causing immediate fires, destructive blast pressures, and extreme local radiation exposures. ...

High School Preparation Tips for Business Majors

High School Preparation Tips for Business Majors Admission requirements at schools all over the nation are getting more and more difficult to meet. Many schools have minimum GPA requirements, prerequisites that need to be completed in preparation for college classes, and other requirements that are more stringent than ever before. The application process is also more competitive nowadays. A single school can reject more than 10,000 students during every round of applications. Business schools - even at the undergraduate level - have an application process that is even more competitive than some of the other common college majors. The best way to increase your chances of acceptance is to plan ahead. If you are still in high school and are thinking about majoring in business, there are several ways in which you can prepare. Take the Right Classes The classes you will need to take as an active business major will depend on the school and the program that you choose to attend. However, there are certain classes that are required for every business major. Preparing for these classes while you are still in high school will make everything a lot easier. It will also give you an edge over other applicants when you are trying to get admitted into a quality business program. Some of the classes you will want to take while you are in high school include: EnglishSpeech/CommunicationsMath and Accounting If your high school offers computer classes, business law classes, or any other classes that directly relate to business, you will want to take these too. Develop Leadership Skills Developing leadership skills while you are still in high school will be very beneficial when it comes time to apply to different schools. Admissions committees value business applicants who can demonstrate leadership potential. You can acquire leadership experience in school clubs, volunteer programs, and through an internship or summer job. Many business schools also value an entrepreneurial spirit. Dont be afraid to start your own business while you are still in high school.   Research Your Options If you want to be a business major, it is never too early to begin researching careers, scholarships, and schools. You will find numerous resources on this site and in other places around the web. You can also speak to your guidance counselor. Most counselors have information on hand and can help you develop a plan of action. Sometimes the best way to get accepted to college is to find a school that is the right fit for your style of learning, academic capabilities, and career aspirations. Remember, not every school is equal. They all offer a different curriculum, different opportunities, and different learning environments. Take time to find the one that works for you.

Article Critique 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article Critique 2 - Essay Example After reading the article, one realizes how important it is to avoid drugs in the first place as according to the article, the effect of the drugs on the brain chemistry is so fast and strong, that people don’t even realize how and when the drugs take control over them and make them addicts. Hence, the best way to reduce addiction is to keep away from drugs and never to fall in the trap of ‘just one time’. Summary The article â€Å"Stress, Habits, and Drug Addiction: A Psychoneuroendocrinological Perspective†, is written with an intention of understanding how stress leads to substance abuse and addiction by affecting the brain chemistry in human beings. Psychological stress helps the human beings to face the imminent threat and adapt to the surrounding. However, excessive stress response can lead to pathological disorders as it can enhance addictive behavior in people. The authors argue that stress not only stimulates the motivation in reward system and cre ates the possibility of addiction, but also develops a risk of relapse by developing a habit of certain actions and cravings that lead to addiction and relapse. Brain imaging has shown that goal directed actions in human beings are controlled by prefrontal cortex and habitual actions are directed by dorsolateral striatum. The choice (and the action) of taking drug for the first time is in control of human beings, but once the action becomes habitual, he loses control over it and becomes an addict. That is, the action becomes involuntary and gets into the category of habitual actions. Hence, addiction is called as maladaptive form of habit process as a voluntary action of taking drugs gets transformed into an addiction. According to the authors, the first important factor of addictive behavior is the function of dopamine. A study by Packard and McGaugh (1996) has revealed that dopamine is instrumental in development of habitual behavior and strengthening the different aspects of habi t formation in human beings. This leads to second factor which is the habitual behavior in human beings. Habits can be defined as the behavior pattern in which the actions of human being persist even when the reward or goal value of that action reduces to a great extent. It takes regular and persistence efforts for a particular action to become a habit. However, a study by Miles, Everitt and Dickingson (2003) has revealed that in case of drug use, people become addicted (habitual) to drugs in very short time and the transition from controlled dosage to addiction is unusually rapid and fast. The third factor of addiction is the substance itself as it acts as strong stimuli for cause of relapse in people suffering from addiction. The fourth factor in the development of addiction is a problem or injury to the goal directed system, which is located in the prefrontal cortex. Chronic drug administration leads to the damage of prefrontal cortex. This shows that use of drugs harm the human beings in two ways. Firstly, the drug use leads to damage of prefrontal cortex and secondly, the damage, in turn, strengthens the addiction to drugs. This shows how the brain chemistry influences the addiction in behavior pattern. However, the authors have found that even stress plays a

California advocacy paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

California advocacy - Research Paper Example Legalizing marijuana would free up law-enforcement funds and manpower so they are free to tackle more urgent social issues such as gangs and violent criminals. There is precedent in other countries such as the Netherlands where, although not fully legal, use of marijuana is openly tolerated. It can be legally purchased and consumed in Amsterdam at specially licensed ‘coffee houses’ without undue risk to the general public. This fact proves that opponents claims of rampant anarchy should the drug be made legal are baseless. Available evidence in California and elsewhere proves that legalizing marijuana within the state would be beneficial to society, contribute to the welfare of the state and improve quality of life for many. A movement to make the drug legal was voted down last November in the form of Proposition 19 but was revived last month in the form of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform 2012. Proposition 19 "would have allowed adults to grow and possess mariju ana and authorized cities and counties to legalize and tax sales" (Hoeffel, 2011). Proposition 19 failed by a vote of 46-54 percent last November, but may win in 2012 with larger voter turn-out due to the Presidential election and with some adjustments to the bill. Because Cannabis Policy Reform is based on the same arguments brought forward in Proposition 19, it is appropriate to examine some of the issues that were addressed by Prop 19 in examining the topic. It is important to remember in this discussion that possession of marijuana in quantities of less than an ounce is merely a civil infraction within the state rather than a criminal misdemeanor as it is in many other states after the enactment of SB 1449, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in October of 2010. In addition, medical marijuana use and growers are also legal under state, but not federal law, following enactment of Proposition 215 in 1996 (Gieringer, 2011). This is because marijuana has proven more effective in re lieving numerous health issues than prescription drugs as is attested to by a cancer patient and former police commissioner. In addition to relieving his nausea, Jo Daly said he was â€Å"able to drastically reduce my dependence on more powerful prescription drugs that I was prescribed for pain and nausea. With the help of medical marijuana, which I ingest only occasionally and in small amounts, I no longer need the Compazine, Lorazepam, Ativan and Halcion. No combination of these medications provided adequate relief. They also caused serious side effects that I never experienced with marijuana† (1997). Proposition 19 was designed to extend the benefits of marijuana to the state and the average citizen without the need to go through the farce of obtaining a medical prescription. The provisions given under Proposition 19 would have changed things very little from where they already are today on an individual level but could have given the state numerous benefits. Individuals o ver the age of 21 would be allowed to possess and consume the drug in quantities of less than one ounce at a time in non-public places and could grow marijuana plants in a private residence with at least 25 square feet of personal space (Legislative Analyst's Office, 2009). The only difference here would be that those growing and using the drug already wouldn't need to fear being caught and

Critical Legal Thinking Case Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Legal Thinking Case - Article Example This means that a corporation cannot be criminally liable for acts committed by a representative outside the scope of his employment. In law, the representative would be said to have on a frolic of their own. b) When the crime committed is crime that cannot be punished through fines. This is due to the principle that a company cannot be jailed or even punished by corporal punishment. The only punishment available will be a fine. The most common criminal penalty imposed against the corporation is a fine. For this purpose a corporation would be fined a certain amount of money depending on the capital nature of the crime so committed. A corporation would be fined if it commits certain acts which are punishable by fine or if the corporation tolerates the actions of its representatives. Consequently, punishment can be imposed to the perpetrator of the crime but shared amongst other innocent parties. This will be in form of a reduction of wages/salary available to all employees. It also results in reduction of profits hence dividends payable to the shareholders. The corporation can also be punished by way of a forced winding up.

Gramsci and Hegemony Essay Example for Free

Gramsci and Hegemony Essay Antonio Gramsci is an important figure in the history of Marxist theory. While Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels provided a rigorous analysis of capital at the social and economic levels – particularly showing how capital antagonises the working class and gives rise to crisis – Gramsci supplemented this with a sophisticated theory of the political realm and how it is organically/dialectically related to social and economic conditions. He provides us with a theory of how the proletariat must organise politically if it is to effectively respond to capital’s crises and failures, and bring about revolutionary change. Incidentally, this innovation has proven to be of interest not only to Marxists, but also to those involved in other forms of progressive politics, from the civil rights movement, to gender politics, to contemporary ecological struggles. The reason why his approach has proven so popular and generally adaptable is because Gramsci was himself a man of action and his fundamental concern was with progressive strategy. Thus while in this article I plan to give a give a general outline of Gramsci’s theory of hegemony and the reasons behind its formulation, it’s important that we build on this by thinking about how we can use these concepts strategically in our own struggles. What is hegemony? It would seem appropriate to begin this discussion by asking What is hegemony?’’ It turns out to be a difficult question to answer when we are talking about Gramsci, because, at least within The Prison Notebooks, he never gives a precise definition of the term. This is probably the main reason why there is so much inconsistency in the literature on hegemony – people tend to form their own definition, based on their own reading of Gramsci and other sources. The problem with this is that if people’s reading of Gramsci is partial then so too is their definition. For example, Martin Clark (1977, p. 2) has defined hegemony as how the ruling classes control the media and education’’. While this definition is probably more narrow than usual, it does reflect a common misreading of the concept, namely that hegemony is the way the ruling class controls the institutions that control or influence our thought. Most of the academic and activist literature on hegemony, however, takes a slightly broader view than this, acknowledging more institutions than these being involved in the exercise of hegemony – at least including also the military and the political system. The problem is that even when these institutions are taken into account, the focus tends to be exclusively on the ruling class, and methods of control. Hegemony is frequently used to describe the way the capitalist classes infiltrate people’s minds and exert their domination. What this definition misses is the fact that Gramsci not only used the term hegemony’’ to describe the activities of the ruling class, he also used it to describe the influence exerted by progressive forces. Keeping this in mind, we can see that hegemony should be defined not only as something the ruling class does, it is in fact the process by which social groups – be they progressive, regressive, reformist, etc. – come to gain the power to lead, how they expand their power and maintain it. To understand what Gramsci was trying to achieve through developing his theory of hegemony, it is useful to look at the historical context that he was responding to as well as the debates in the movement at the time. The term hegemony’’ had been in general use in socialist circles since the early 20th century. Its use suggests that if a group was described as hegemonic’’ then it occupied a leadership position within a particular political sphere (Boothman, 2008). Lenin’s use of the term gegemoniya (the Russian equivalent of hegemony, often translated as vanguard’’), however, seemed to imply a process more akin to what Gramsci would describe. During his attempts to catalyse the Russian Revolution Lenin (1902/1963) made the observation that when left to their own devices, workers tended to reach only a trade union consciousness, fighting for better conditions within the existing system. To bring about revolutionary change, he argued that the Bolsheviks needed to come to occupy a hegemonic position within the struggle against the tsarist regime. This meant not only empowering the various unions by bringing them together, but also involving all of society’s opposition strata’’ in the movement, drawing out the connections between all forms of political oppression and autocratic arbitrariness’’ (Lenin, 1963, pp. 86-87). In the post-revolutionary period, however, the implication changed. Lenin argued that it was crucial to the establishment of the hegemony of the proletariat’’ that (a) the urban proletariat retain an ongoing alliance with the rural peasants (who made up the majority of Russia’s population) in order to retain national leadership and (b) that the expertise of the former capitalists be utilised, by forcing them to effectively manage state industries. These dual processes of leadership via consent and the command of force in the development of hegemony would play a crucial role in Gramsci’s theory. Gramsci had been in Russia from 1922-23 while these debates were raging and it was after this time that we see hegemony begin to take a central role in his writings. Italy As much as he was influenced by what was going on in Russia, Gramsci was also influenced by his own political experiences. Gramsci had been heavily involved in the struggle against capitalism and fascism in Italy and for a while served as the leader of the Communist Party of Italy. In the period following the World War I, there had been a lot of optimism in Europe, and Italy in particular, that now that people had seen the atrocities that the ruling classes could unleash and the alternative that was developing in Russia, some kind of workers’ revolution in Europe was imminent. Gramsci certainly shared this optimism. Events that took place in the early 1920s seemed to confirm this. Tensions at all strata of society were high, there were mass agitations and people were forming factory councils and workers co-operatives. But despite the intensity of the mobilisations, it fizzled out remarkably quickly. Unions were co-opted, workers’ co-ops became marginal and uncompetitive. Common people were intimidated by elites or otherwise captivated by the allure of fascist rhetoric. Gramsci and others formed the Italian Communist Party to try to reinvigorate the movement, but it was evident that people were too disillusioned by the failures of the previous years to really become involved. Votes for the Communist Party were disappointingly low. When Gramsci was arrested in 1926 as a part of Mussolini’s emergency measures, he found himself in prison with a lot of time to reflect on what had happened and where things went wrong. How was it that the ruling class had been able to so effectively stifle the potential of the movement, and what would be required for the progressive forces to mobilise the masses in a way that would enable them to bring about a fundamental change in society? These questions would of course be central to Gramsci’s theory of hegemony. Stages As suggested above, in The Prison Notebooks Gramsci refers to hegemony to describe activities of both currently dominant groups as well as the progressive forces. For Gramsci, whatever the social group is, we can see that there are certain common stages of development that they must go through before they can become hegemonic. Drawing on Marx, the first requirement is economic: that the material forces be sufficiently developed that people are capableof solving the most pressing social problems. Gramsci then goes on to state that there are three levels of political development that a social group must pass through in order to develop the movement that will allow change to be initiated. The first of these stages is referred to as economic-corporate’’. The corporatist is what we might understand as the self-interested individual. People become affiliated at the economic-corporate stage as a function of this self-interest, recognising that they need the support of others to retain their own security. Trade unionism is probably the clearest example of this, at least in the case of people joining a union for fear of pay cuts, retrenchment etc. One can also speak of short-term co-operation between otherwise competing capitalists in these terms. The point to emphasise is that at this stage of a group’s historical development there is no real sense of solidarity between members. In the second stage, group members become aware that there is a wider field of interests and that there are others who share certain interests with them and will continue to share those interests into the foreseeable future. It is at this stage that a sense of solidarity develops, but this solidarity is still only on the basis of shared economic interests. There is no common worldview or anything of that nature. This kind of solidarity can lead to attempts to promote legal reform to improve the group’s position within the current system, but consciousness of how they, and others, might benefit through the creation of a new system is lacking. It is only by passing through the third stage that hegemony really becomes possible. In this stage, the social group members becomes aware that their interests need to be extended beyond what they can do within the context of their own particular class. What is required is that their interests are taken up by other subordinate groups as their own. This was what Lenin and the Bolsheviks were thinking in forming an alliance with the peasants – that it was only through making the Bolshevik revolution also a peasants’ revolution, which peasants could see as being their own, that the urban proletariat could maintain its leading position. Gramsci reckoned that in the historical context that he was working in, the passage of a social group from self-interested reformism to national hegemony could occur most effectively via the political party. In this complex formulation, the different ideologies of allied groups come together. There will inevitably be conflict between these ideologies, and through a process of debate and struggle, one ideology, or a unified combination thereof, will emerge representing the allied classes. This ideology can be said to be hegemonic, the group that it represents has acquired a hegemonic position over the subordinate groups. At this stage, the party has reached maturity, having a unity of both economic and political goals as well as a moral and intellectual unity – one might say a shared worldview. With this unity behind it, the party sets about transforming society in order to lay the conditions for the expansion of the hegemonic group. The state becomes the mechanism by which this is done: policies are enacted and enforced that allow the hegemonic group to more effectively achieve its goals and to create symmetry between its goals and those of other groups. Although these goals are formulated with the interests of a single group in mind, they need to be experienced by the populace as being in the interests of everybody. In order for this to be effective, the hegemonic group must have some form of engagement with the interests of the subordinate classes. The dominant interests cannot be simplistically imposed upon them. Progressive hegemony While Gramsci considers these pragmatic moves as being requirements for any group to come to power, he also has a very deep ethical concern for the way in which the process occurs. In this sense, we can detect in Gramsci’s work a qualitative difference between the operations of hegemony by regressive, authoritarian groups on the one hand, and progressive social groups on the other. At an ethical level, Gramsci was above all else an anti-dogmatist believing that truth could not be imposed from the top down, but only made real through concrete and sympathetic dialogue with people. Where a regressive hegemony involves imposing a set of non-negotiable values upon the people, chiefly through use of coercion and deceit, a progressive hegemony will develop by way of democratically acquired consent in society. To give some flesh to these differences, the remainder of this article will elaborate on the different ways in which Gramsci talks about hegemonies of currently and previously ruling classes and how these contrast with the progressive hegemony that he hoped to see in the future. It is evident that if we look through history, the capitalist class has retained its hegemony primarily through various forms of coercion, ranging from the direct deployment of the military through to more subtle forms, for example, using economic power to marginalise political opponents. It would, however, be a great mistake to think that capitalism does not also rely heavily upon building consent. Indeed, it could be argued that it is capitalism’s consent-building that we, from a strategic point of view, need to pay more attention to, as it is on this level that we compete with them. The nature and strength of this consent varies. There are ways in which capitalism succeeds in actively selling its vision to subordinate classes. This means not only selling the distorted vision of a society of liberty, freedom, innovation, etc., but also deploying the ideas of bourgeois economics to convince working people, for example, that although capitalist policy is in the ultimate interests of the capitalist class, they too gain some of the benefits via trickle-down effects. Capitalism can also win consent among those who perhaps don’t buy the idea that the system is in their interests, but who have been convinced that there is no alternative or that the alternatives would be worse – in other words, through the promotion of the belief that the system is a necessary evil. The 20th century saw capitalism massively expand this form of consensus, largely through the corporate control of the media and advertising. In the United States in particular, the promotion of the American dream’’, and all of the useless commodities required to attain it, served not only to massively boost consumption and thereby the economic interests of the capitalists, it also sold a way of life which only capitalism could deliver. This was of course aided throughout the Cold War with simultaneous attempts to smear any alternative to capitalism as slavery. The capitalist class, in opposing any policy attempts to close in on corporately owned media, used its hegemonic political power to create the conditions for the building of further consent, in turn expanding their interests. The hegemonic group will continually struggle in this fashion to reach greater levels of consent – in this case by locking people into rigid mindsets and overcoming any optimism. We can look at former Australian Prime Minister John Howard’s attempts to expand privately owned schools, and to change high school history syllabi to make them more favourable to bourgeois perspectives as a part of this ongoing hegemonic process. The ruling class will constantly try to expand its field of interests and win further consent in response to changes in context and challenges to legitimacy. `Syndicalism’ Certain forms of trade unionism can also be seen as examples of capitalist hegemony. What Gramsci calls syndicalism’’ the view that the conditions of the workers can be maximally uplifted via the increasing power of the trade unions reflects a social group (the workers) left in the economic-corporate stage of development due to the hegemonic influence of capitalists, specifically free trade advocates, in the realm of ideology. The free trade advocates argue that the state and civil society should be kept separate, that the state should keep out of the economic sphere, which functions autonomously – leave it to the invisible hand of the market’’ and so on. The syndicalists had adopted this assumption of an arbitrary separation of the social and economic realms on the one hand and the political realm on the other, and assume that they could bring about radical change without political representation. The concrete result of this is that they are left to negotiate for narrowly defined improvements in the economic sphere, with no policy changes that would allow these wins to take on a more permanent basis. Meanwhile, the free trade advocates are themselves actively involved in policy, despite their claims, setting up conditions that will be favourable to the capitalist class! When the interests of the capitalist class are directly threatened, however, the hegemonic forces will inevitably resort to coercion. There is no room to negotiate on this, within the current hegemonic order. On a simple level this can mean legislating to allow police to crack down on workers taking industrial action, who threaten profits in an immediate sense. But a far bigger threat to the capitalists is the development of a hegemonic alternative within civil society. The threat is that people will move from the economic-corporate phase, and recognise that their interests overlap with all of those whom capitalism marginalises and holds back, that they will come to recognise their power and demand radical change. This being the greatest threat to capital, the most effective way for it to use coercion is to break apart emerging progressive alliances between subordinate groups. When confronted with force and economic bullying, the people are less able to relate to the group. Concerns for survival mean that people have to defend their own interests as individuals. The movement of the progressive hegemony is slowed, as people are forced to behave in a corporatist manner. The ruling class can also try to violently break apart movements by stirring up ideological differences, appealing to religion, for example. Democracy and consensus Gramsci saw the development of a progressive hegemony involving a far greater degree of openness, democracy and consensus, rather than coercion. In so far as there is coercion, it should only exist to hold back those reactionary forces that would thwart society’s development. This would allow the masses the space in which to reach their potential. A large part of The Prison Notebooks is devoted to figuring out what would be required for this kind of hegemony to develop, and a lot of Gramscian thinkers since have devoted themselves to this puzzle. As a starting point, we can say that while the existing hegemony tries to keep all the disaffected and subordinate social groups divided, the emergent progressive hegemony must bring them together. Gramsci certainly recognised the challenge involved in this. In his own historical situation (and as is undoubtedly still the case in ours), there were considerable barriers between the marginalised groups in terms of experiences, language and worldview. What all of these groups had in common, however, was that none of them had adequate political representation within the current system. Gramsci calls these groups that lack political representation subaltern’’. The challenge of the hegemonic group is to provide a critique of the system such that subaltern groups are made aware of their commonality and then raised up’’ into the political life of the party. In order to facilitate this incorporation of others, Gramsci stressed the need for the hegemonic group to move beyond its economic-corporatist understanding of its own interests, sacrificing some of its immediate economic goals in the interest of deeper moral and intellectual unity. It would need to overcome its traditional prejudices and dogmas and take on a broader view if was to lead while maintaining trust and consensus (both necessary to overcome existing power). If these aligned forces are to have any historical significance, they need to be enduring and organically related to conditions on the ground, not merely a temporary convergence. To develop mass momentum they would need to demonstrate, both in people’s imagination and in action, that they were capable of coming to power and achieving the tasks they had set for themselves. These tasks must effectively be everyone’s tasks – they must come to represent every aspiration, and be the fulfilment of the failed movements of the previous generations. Such a demonstration of power and historical significance could not be achieved through a passive action, of which Gramsci provides the example of the general strike. If the movement simply represents the rejection of the existing system or non-participation in it, then it would quickly fragment into everyone’s unique ideas of what should replace the system precisely at the moment when unity is most called for. It must be an active embodiment of the collective will, crystallised in a constructive and concrete agenda for change. Clearly this is no small ask, and Gramsci is certainly not of the view that one can just implement these strategies as though reading from a manual. What is called for is for rigorous work on the ground laying the moral and intellectual terrain upon which these historical developments can occur. One develops the unity, self-awareness and maturity of the movement, making it a powerful and cohesive force, and then patiently, with careful attention to the contextual conditions, waits for the opportune moment for this force to be exerted. Moment of crisis This moment is the moment of crisis within the existing, dominant hegemony: the moment at which it becomes clear to the populace that the ruling class can no longer solve the most pressing issues of humanity. Provided that the progressive forces adequately assert the alternative at this moment and the ruling group is unable to rapidly rebuild consent, it becomes visible that the conditions under which the ruling group became hegemonic are now passing away and society can collectively say We don’t need you anymore.’’. Gramsci calls this process of historical purging catharsis’’ in which structure ceases to be an external force which crushes man, assimilates him to itself and makes him passive; and is transformed into a means of freedom, an instrument to create a new ethico-political form and a source of new initiatives.’’ (Gramsci, 1971, p. 367.) For Gramsci the need for this transition from the world as it is to the freedom to create the world anew should be the starting point for all Marxist strategy. So, what does Gramsci have to offer us? His insistence that the socialist political form should be one of openness, democracy and the building of consensus certainly provides us with greater vision and focus and really ought to inform the activities of all progressive political groups – if not for ethical reasons, then at least because in the present environment, without a willingness to genuinely work on building consensus with others, one’s chances of success are very much diminished. (We’re not the ruling class – we don’t have the means to coerce). More than this, however, Gramsci provides us with a way of thinking; he gives us the conceptual tools to dissect the political situation we find ourselves in, to view it in historical context and to understand where we can find the conditions for the further development of our power. †¢ [Trent Brown is a doctoral student at the University of Wollongong and a member of Friends of the Earth Illawarra.] Bibliography Boothman, D. (2008). Hegemony: Political and Linguistic Sources for Gramsci’s Concept of Hegemony’’. In R. Howson and K. Smith (Eds.), Hegemony: Studies in Consensus and Coercion. London: Routledge. Clark, M. (1977). Antonio Gramsci and the Revolution that Failed. New Haven: Yale University Press. Gramsci, A. (1926). Some aspects of the southern question’’ (V. Cox, Trans.). In R. Bellamby (Ed.), Pre-Prison Writings (pp. 313-337). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci, Q. Hoare G. N. Smith, eds. trans. London: Lawrence and Wishart. Howson, R. (2006). Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity. London: Routledge. Howson, R. Smith, K. (2008). Hegemony: Studies in Consensus and Coercion. London: Routledge. Lenin, V. I. (1963). What is to be Done? S.V. Utechin P. Utechin, trans. Oxford: Oxford University Press. From: http://links.org.au/node/1260