Leadership Role and Style Personal Narrative - 1080 Words

During my past employment, I had the chance to exercise leadership roles, managing a group of three, and train new employees. One way to motivate them was to let them leave early on the last working day of the week. I also empowered them by providing them some consulting work, which they felt that it was shown to the client as their own work in order for them to feel that they were part of the team and have a sense they belong to the organization. Therefore, this behavioral approach that I exercised would be considered as Employee-centered Leadership. This is because I focused on the people doing the work, while delegating decision making, and satisfying employee needs, which created a creative a supportive work environment (Rama). From there, I also sat with each one alone and try to figure out the goals and objectives that he or she wanted, which was either in the organization or educational wise while developing ideas on how to accomplish their goals. Therefore, as an Employee-cen tered leader, I was responsible for others and being a team player as well. As a leader, I feel that working in a group or team is a must to see progress within the company. In order to see progress within the company, working together as a team is very important. When the employees see the leader working with as a team, they feel more motivated to work. They feel equally as important as the leader. By enhancing this equality, a team will create a concept that suits the diverse needs of theShow MoreRelatedLeadership Styles Of A Leadership1685 Words   |  7 PagesLeadership involves the capacity to lead, influence, and motivate followers to accomplish goals effectively. This literature review will discuss the various leadership styles and linkage between the followers. The leadership styles of transformational, charismatic, servant, leader-member-exchange theory leaders share a common interest the follower. The servant leader serves others before self. The transformational leader inspires and charismatic leader charms the followers. A leader common goalRead MoreLeadership : Distinguishing Leadership From Management864 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Leadership is one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on earth† (The Nature of Leadership: Distinguishing Leadership From Management, 2013). In the last eight weeks this statement has become abundantly clear. The art of leadership is indeed a skill that has to be learned over time. Many leaders are in roles that portray the head of the body, however, many people that are in a leadership role do not fulfill the criteria that is needed to be a leader to the people that they are attemptingRead MoreLeadership Effectiveness: Style and Ethics800 Words   |  4 PagesLeadership Effectiveness: Style and Ethics Culture is a powerful force in organizations. Leaders must build and share a vision with followers which is ripe for the culture and current climate. 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All individuals have a unique view of who they are thatRead MoreLeadership Development Plan994 Words   |  4 PagesLeadership Development Plan In creating my personal leadership development plan, I will first provide an overview of what I have found to be my strengths and weaknesses and in doing so will make a distinction as to my leadership style. I will then discuss recent activities I have undertaken which have served to underscore these strengths and weaknesses. Finally, I will lay out my plans for future growth and development as a leader. There are several activities assignments that have beenRead MoreEssay on Annotated Bibliography: Leadership1362 Words   |  6 Pagessuccessful and unsuccessful political leadership.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,  103(3), 489 -505. http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=truedb=pdhAN=2012-19403-001site=eds-livescope=site In this article the authors have conjectured up some features of the psychopathic condition (e.g., fearlessness, interpersonal dominance) which are adaptive in certain occupations, including leadership positions. The theory was testedRead MoreThe One Minute Manager By Kenneth Blanchard And Spencer Johnson1148 Words   |  5 Pagestheir management style as an alternative to the democratic and autocratic leadership styles identified by psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1930s (â€Å"Kurt Lewin†). 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Rousseau s State Of Nature - 1037 Words

Rousseau defines the state of nature as â€Å"The hypothetical, prehistoric place and time where human beings live uncorrupted by society† (Editors). According to Rousseau, in the state of nature people have complete physical freedom and are at liberty to do whatever they want (Editors). The state of nature for Rousseau is where human beings have not discovered rationality or morality (Editors). The state of nature keeps us from turning psychopathic as opposed to society who Rousseau says is to blame for our behavior and short comings. Rousseau interpretation of the state of nature was a man will act like a savage if they need food, sexual satisfaction, and sleep (Giampietri). In the process of acting like a savage they fear hunger and pain.†¦show more content†¦In general, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau all agree the only thing that is important to a man other than self- preservation is his immediate needs, so luxuries are not seen as vital in his opinion. Rousseau compares a savage looks to that of a wild animal, the difference being a man’s free will and the ability of self-improvement (Giampietri). Still self- improvement can either bring progress or misfortune to mankind. In Rousseau’s opinion the goodness in the state of nature is polluted thanks to civilization and progress leaving us no chance to go back to that state. However, Rousseau’s aspect on mortality in the state of nature is there is no room for law, right and mortality (Giampietri). In other words, we do not harm others because we have a natural distaste to seeing people in pain or suffering. Such as, Hobbes and Locke assumption that we will fall in a state of war which Rousseau feels they over estimates. Rousseau imagines in state of war a man will feel horrible for the harm caused to other fellows. To Rousseau in a state of nature man are equal. Rousseau attitude towards private property is different than Locke’s view. Rousseau feels the only outcome that will occur of owning private property is inequality, mutual dependence, and jealousy. When the social contract first came out many people did not agree with it. In fact, the Paris authorities immediately banned it after its arrival (Delaney). The social contract job is to tell how a government

Freud And Psychoanalysis free essay sample

The impact of Freud’s psychoanalysis extends far beyond psychology, influencing much of the twentieth-century intellectual history. Freud stressed the enormous importance of unconscious mental processes in human behavior. He showed such processes affect the content of dreams, and cause commonplace mishaps such as slips of the tongue and forgetting names, as well as self-inflicted accidents and even diseases. Freud developed the technique of psychoanalysis as a method of treating mental illness. He formulated a theory of the structure of the human personality. He also developed or popularized psychological theories concerning anxiety, defense mechanisms, the castration complex, repression and sublimation, to name just a few. His writings greatly stimulated interest in psychological theory. Many of his ideas were, and are, highly controversial, and have provoked heated discussions ever since he proposed them (Classic Notes). By listening carefully to the patient’s associations, Freud detected consistent themes, which on further analysis were shown to be manifestations of the patient’s unconscious wishes and fears. We will write a custom essay sample on Freud And Psychoanalysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The idea that much of behavior appears to be a compromise between wishes and fears assumed a central role in Freud’s understanding of neurotic symptoms, dreams, slips of the tongue, humor, sexual behavior and even occupational interests. In his analyses of these phenomena, he found evidence of unresolved childhood conflicts, unconscious incestuous wishes, and hostile impulses. From observations such as these, Freud formulated the psychoanalytic theory. We turn now to some of the findings and interpretations that form the core of this theory. (Freud, Sigmund). One of the provocative aspects of psychoanalytic theory is the assertion that forces of which we are unaware—the unconscious, govern a significant part of our behavior. Our choice of a marital partner or vocation, our hobbies, quarrels with friends, careless acts and incompetent performances may reflect the influence of impulses and fears that remain unconscious—that is, inaccessible to our conscious mind. Impulses and feelings such as shame, guilt or fear—and the memories associated with these unacceptable feelings—may also be excluded from awareness. When Freud encouraged his patients to recall painful memories and to confront unacceptable feelings, they appeared to resist his efforts. Freud hypothesized that this resistance was a function of an active, although unconscious, attempt to exclude unpleasant events and feelings from memory. He called this repression. Freud is perhaps best known for proposing the idea that repressed sexual feelings often play a causative role in mental illness or neurosis. He also pointed out that sexual feelings and desires begin in early childhood, rather than in adolescence. (Classic Notes). Because many of Freud’s ideas are still so controversial, it is very difficult to assess his place in history. He was a pioneer and a trailblazer, with a remarkable talent for coming up with new ideas. Despite the continuing controversy over his ideas, there seems little doubt that Freud is a towering figure in the history of human thought. His ideas on psychology have completely revolutionized our conception of the human mind, and many of the ideas and terms which he introduced have become common usage—for example, the id, the ego, the superego, the Oedipus complex. (Classic Notes) It is true that psychoanalysis is an extremely expensive mode of treatment, and that it often fails. But it is also true that the technique has a great many successes to its credit. Future psychologists may well conclude that repressed sexual feelings play a lesser role in human behavior than many Freudians have claimed. However, such feelings surely play a greater role than most psychologists before Freud had believed. Similarly, the majority of psychologists are now convinced that unconscious mental processes play a decisive role in human behavior—one that was greatly underestimated before Freud. (Classic Notes) REFERENCES Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents. Trans. and Ed. James Strachey. Intro.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Peter Gay. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1961. Civilization and its Discontents. Classic Notes. 2003. Accessed Oct 1, 2006 at: http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/civilization/

Nationalism and imperialism in the industrial revolution free essay sample

By definition, nationalism is the love, devotion, and loyalty to ones country or ones cultural group. Imperialism is the domination of other areas by imposing political, social, and economic policies to improve their own country. The Industrial revolution was the change from the use of human and animal power to the use of mechanical power in order to produce goods. Nationalism developed when conservatives, liberals, and radicals argued about issues of government in the first half of the 1800s. The movement would blur the lines that separated the three political theories. An example of nationalism is the self-governing Greeks, who for centuries had been a part of the Ottoman Empire. Since they had the nationalistic spirit, they demanded independence and rebelled against the Ottoman Turks in 1821. What was driving Imperialism was the economic, political, and social forces that lead to land being taken over in all parts of the globe. In particular, the Industrial Revolution gave the European countries a reason to add lands to their control. We will write a custom essay sample on Nationalism and imperialism in the industrial revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since European nations industrialized, they searched for new markets and raw materials to improve their economy. The race for colonies also expanded out of a strong sense of nationalism. During European imperialism, around the 1870’s, European countries, such as Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands, thought that nationalism would make them better and stronger countries of the world. Africa and parts of Asia were points of interest among these countries. Nationalism in the Europeans was what fueled the expanding machine called imperialism. So with nationalism in mind, they began imperializing other countries, thinking that they were actually helping these countries develop and prosper. However, the opposite was truly happening. The countries that had been imperialized usually ended up in a worse state than they were before. One can say that imperialism is overseas nationalism. The equation, however, (nationalism=imperialism) can work vice versa. The countries that are under  the rule of a controlling country would most likely want their freedom back. So they turn to nationalism and revolt against the imperialists. In conclusion, while nationalism leads to imperialism, the opposite is also true. With a plethora of land and colonies under the rule of one nation, the Industrial Revolution was born around the 1750’s in order to effectively and quickly manage their resources. One very evident example is railroads; throughout Russia, Britain, and the Netherlands, railroads became such an important factor to an ever growing empire. Industrialization instigated with the idea to improve and ameliorate ones own country, which by definition is Nationalism. In summary, due to imperialism, which is directly proportional to nationalism, industrialism originated to keep order and manage the colonies, land, and resources.

How to Teach Reported Speech to Students

How to Teach Reported Speech to Students Teaching students reported or indirect speech can be complicated by the all the changes that are required when moving from direct speech into reported speech. First off, students should understand that reported speech is quite useful in conversational English as relating what someone has said using quote and unquote is awkward at best. A further aspect of reported speech is encouraging students to use other reporting verbs beyond say and tell. Introducing the Concept to Students Start with Tenses Start with simple examples in which changes are only made in tense. For example: Write on the Board: Direct Speech Tom said, I enjoy watching action movies.becomes Indirect Speech Tom said he enjoyed watching action movies. Direct Speech Anna told me, I went to the shopping mall.becomes Indirect Speech Anna told me she had gone to the shopping mall. Move on to Pronouns and Time Expressions Once students have understood the basic concept of stepping one step back into the past when reporting in the past, they can easily begin to make the minor changes in pronoun and time expression usage. For example: Write on the Board: Direct Speech The teacher said, Were working on the present continuous today.becomes Indirect Speech The teacher said we were working on the present continuous that day. Direct Speech Anna told me, My brother Tom has been to Paris twice this year.becomes Indirect Speech Anna told me her brother Tom had been to Paris twice that year. Practice Provide students with a chart of the principal changes in reported speech (i.e. will - would, present perfect - past perfect, etc.). Ask students to practice the reported speech by beginning with a reported speech worksheet  or by asking them to change sentences from direct to reported speech. Once students have become comfortable with direct to indirect speech transformations, practice reporting through the use of interviews as in this reported speech lesson plan.As students become familiar with the reported speech, introduce a wider range of reporting verbs to help students move post say and tell. Advanced Issues Once the basics have been understood, there are a few more advanced issues to discuss. Here is a quick outline of some of the more problematic aspects of the reported speech that students might find confusing. Reporting Tense: Says instead of Said - Sometimes, in the moment of speaking a speaker may use the present tense to report what has been said. In this case, there is no change in the tense. However, changes in pronouns apply. For example:Teacher: Were going to work on the reported speech. Please turn to page 121 in your book.Student 1: I cant understand. What are we supposed to do?Student 2: The teacher says we are going to work on the reported speech on page 121.Tom: I think this is a great idea!Peter: Andy, I didnt understand.Andy: Tom tells us he thinks its a good idea.Other Reporting Verbs: Advise / Instruct / Etc. Infinitive of Purpose - A number of reporting verbs use the infinitive of purpose to express the idea, rather than using a transition of the tense. For example:Teacher: Were going to work on the reported speech. Please turn to page 121 in your book.Student 1: I cant understand. What are we supposed to do?Student 2: The teacher instructed us to work on reported speech and turn to page 121.Teacher: I think you should hurry up and finish the activity.Student 1: I didnt understand.Student 2: The teacher advised us to hurry up and finish the activity.

Biography of Joel Roberts Poinsett

Biography of Joel Roberts Poinsett Joel Roberts Poinsett was a scholar and traveler whose skills as a diplomat were relied upon by five consecutive American presidents in the early 1800s. Today we remember him not because he was taken so seriously by presidents from James Madison to Martin Van Buren, or because he served as a congressman, an ambassador, and in the cabinet as secretary of war. We also overlook that he helped keep his birthplace, South Carolina, from leaving the Union 30 years before the Civil War, during the heated politics of the Nullification Crisis. Poinsett is mainly remembered today because he was a devoted gardener, and when he saw a plant in Mexico that turned red before Christmas, he naturally brought samples back to raise in his greenhouse in Charleston. That plant was later named for him, and, of course, the poinsettia has become a standard  Christmas decoration. An article about plant names in the New York Times in 1938 stated that Poinsett probably would be disgusted with the fame that has come to him. That may overstate the case. The plant was named for him during his lifetime  and presumably, Poinsett did not object. Following his death on December 12,  1851, newspapers published tributes that did not mention the plant for which hes now remembered. The New York Times, on December 23, 1851, began  his obituary by calling Poinsett a politician, statesman, and diplomatist, and later referred to him as a substantial intellectual power. It wasnt until decades later that the poinsettia was widely cultivated and began to achieve enormous popularity at Christmas. And it was in the early 20th century that millions began unknowingly  referring to Poinsett while remaining unaware of his diplomatic adventures 100 years earlier. Poinsetts Early Diplomacy Joel Roberts Poinsett was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 2, 1779. His father was a prominent physician and as a boy, Poinsett was educated by his father and private tutors. In his teens, he was sent to an academy in Connecticut administered by Timothy Dwight, a noted educator. In 1796 he began studies abroad, attending, in succession, a college in England, a medical school in Scotland, and a military academy in England.   Poinsett intended to pursue a military career but his father encouraged him to return to America and study law. After engaging in legal studies in America, he returned to Europe in 1801 and spent most of the next seven years traveling through Europe and Asia. When tensions between Britain and the United States heightened in 1808, and it seemed war could break out, he returned home. Though apparently still intent on joining the military, he instead was brought into government service as a diplomat. In 1810 the Madison administration dispatched him as a special envoy to South America. In 1812 he posed as a British merchant to collect intelligence on events in Chile, where a revolution sought independence from Spain. The situation in Chile became volatile and Poinsetts position became precarious. He departed Chile for Argentina, where he stayed until returning to his home in Charleston in the spring of 1815.   Ambassador to Mexico Poinsett became interested in politics in South Carolina and was elected to statewide office in 1816. In 1817 President James Monroe called upon Poinsett to return to South America as a special envoy, but he declined.   In 1821 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in Congress for four years. His time on Capitol Hill was interrupted, from August 1822 to January 1823, when he visited Mexico on a special diplomatic mission for President Monroe. In 1824 he published a book about his journey, Notes on Mexico, which is full of gracefully written details about Mexican culture, scenery, and  plants. In 1825 John Quincy Adams, a scholar and diplomat himself, became president. No doubt impressed by Poinsetts knowledge of the country, Adams appointed him as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Poinsett served four years in Mexico and his time there was often fairly troubled. The political situation in the country was unsettled, and Poinsett was often accused, fairly or not, of intrigue. At one point he was labeled as a scourge to Mexico for his presumed meddling in local politics. Poinsett and Nullification He returned to America in 1830, and President Andrew Jackson, whom Poinsett had befriended years earlier, gave him what amounted to a diplomatic mission on American soil. Returning to Charleston, Poinsett became the president of the Unionist Party in South Carolina, a faction determined to keep the state from seceding from the Union during the Nullification Crisis. Poinsetts political and diplomatic skills helped to calm the crisis, and after three years he essentially retired to a farm outside Charleston. He devoted himself to writing, reading in his extensive library, and cultivating plants. In 1837 Martin Van Buren was elected president and convinced Poinsett to come out of retirement to return to Washington as his secretary of war. Poinsett administered the War Department for four years before again returning to South Carolina to devote himself to his scholarly pursuits. Lasting Fame According to most accounts, plants were successfully propagated in Poinsetts greenhouse, from cuttings taken from the plants he brought back from Mexico in 1825, during his first year as an ambassador. The newly grown plants were given as gifts, and one of Poinsetts friends arranged for some to be exhibited at an exhibition of plants in Philadelphia in 1829. The plant was popular at the show, and Robert Buist, the proprietor of a nursery business in Philadelphia, named it for Poinsett. Over the following decades, the poinsettia became prized by plant collectors. It was found to be tricky to cultivate. But it caught on, and in the 1880s mentions of poinsettia appeared in newspaper articles about holiday celebrations at the White House.   Home gardeners began to have success growing it in greenhouses 1800s. A Pennsylvania newspaper, the Laport Republican News Item, mentioned its popularity in an article published on December 22, 1898: ... there is one flower which is identified with Christmas. This is the so-called Mexican Christmas flower, or poinsettia. It is a small red flower, with long highly decorative red leaves, which blooms in Mexico about this time of year and is grown here in greenhouses especially for use at Christmas time. In the first decade of the 20th century, numerous newspaper articles mentioned the popularity of the poinsettia as a holiday decoration. By that time the poinsettia had become established as a garden plant in southern California. And nurseries devoted to growing poinsettia for the holiday market began to flourish. Joel Roberts Poinsett could never have imagined what he was starting. The poinsettia has become the largest selling potted plant in America and growing them has become a multi-million dollar industry. December 12, the anniversary of Poinsetts death, is National Poinsettia Day. And its impossible to imagine a Christmas season without seeing poinsettias.

Research report assisting a client in a career choice Essay

Research report assisting a client in a career choice - Essay Example Even though the job market is promising for both accountants and real estate agents the ability, taste and preference of the candidates are the factors that determine the job that should be provided to them. Only then right persons can be placed on right job. In this report at first the various factors that are to be considered before selecting the job are studied in detail on the countries perspective. After that an analysis of the interview conducted with the you is done to help us determine which job suits you the most. Human Resource Management or HRM is playing a prominent role in the modern economy for taking an appropriate organizational or personal decision in a most significant manner. As far as an organization is taken in to consideration, human resources or the people belonging to an entity are the most valued asset. Personal management is quiet important, because the selection of right person for the right job is necessary to accomplish the goals and perform the work in a better manner. In this particular report, it is necessary to take a most appropriate decision about the career selection in the present scenario. At present, due to the modernization and change in values and living style, the standard of living of the society or people got changed a lot. As a result of which, the level of education also got improved. As far as an individual is taken in to consideration, employment is one of the key concepts in the present scenario. Identification of proper career choice is a key concept during the life time of humans. For the selection of a best suited career, requires a combination of knowledge, skill, experience, interests, and resources. Proper and effective utilization of theoretical knowledge and skills in to practical life is essential in this regard. In case of humans, it is important to set personal goals, which will accomplish during the life time through the proper career selection. While making recommendations about the better career selection, it is necessary to taken in to consideration certain areas like nature of the work, salary, working conditions, qualification, experience and Personality. All these factors can be studied in detail on the country's perspective at first. Nature of work: Nature of the work is the core factor that is to be considered at first. Nature of the work refers to the activity or work the employee should do when he is placed on a job. This is what an employee considers at first. While considering the post of accountant it can be seen that the accountant is left with the job of maintaining the day book and preparing the final accounts. But nowadays the scope of the job has been extended towards analyzing the financial data too. Real estate agents are those who act as middle man between the customer and real estate broker. The nature of job of a real estate agent is to find persons who are in need of apartments or any other property and to make them purchase the apartments or properties from the real estate broker whom he is contracted with. In simple words his duty would be to boost up the sales of real estate broker. "Real estate agent in America helps seller by marketing their properties and selling it for the highest possible price and on the other hand helps buyer in finding a real estate according to their needs and helps them in purchasing a property for the lowest possible price" (US Real

Development of Cloud Computing Technology Thesis

Development of Cloud Computing Technology - Thesis Example As compared to a private cloud, the community cloud is shared among many organizations having identical business requirements. Moreover, the required infrastructure is shared among all the organization that is connected to the cloud saving the cost and demonstrates one of the advantages of cloud computing (Cloud deployment models). Public computing is a traditional approach where the resources are accessible on the Internet. Third party providers, known as the cloud vendors, organize the hosting for these resources on the Internet. The services and resources on this cloud are accessible to the public and groups of various industries (Cloud deployment models). A hybrid cloud comprises of a mixture of all types of clouds i.e. public, private and community. Most organizations deploy this type of cloud as it provides a range of options in the context of accessibility. By incorporating hybrid clouds, issues such as PCI compliance can be eliminated (Cloud deployment models). Cloud computing consists of applications that are represented as a service on the web and the provision of hardware / software services provided by companies operating data centers. Likewise, the services provided over the Internet are referred as (Software as a Service) ‘SaaS’. There are few sellers who use the term (Infrastructure as a service) ‘IaaS’ and (Platform as a service) ‘PaaS’ in order to demonstrate their products and services. However, these terms are avoided and not accepted globally, due to variation (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010). The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have illustrated some helpful definitions that focus on three concepts (Ryan & Loeffler, 2010): The core components of a cloud are consists of the data center hardware and software. When these resources are made available to the public, they are referred as public clouds and the service provided by the cloud is called as utility computing.

Greek Mythology Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology Essay Do you know any historical background on the word giant? Greek and Roman mythology is present all around us. Many new and interesting words were created from the Greeks. There are many types of myths that we hear about including; gods, goddesses, mythical heroes, other heroes, monsters, and villains. When looking up these myths, research will show that many of the words we say today come from these gods and goddesses. An example of this is the words gigantic and gigantism comes from giant. The word giant has a long, unique, and mysterious background. According to dictionary. com, â€Å"Giant is very large; abnormally great development in size. †(dictionary. com) Prior to my search, I predicted that a giant was a very large man that lived in the forest and had no connection with either gigantic nor gigantism. I inferred this because of movies and books. When I saw the word gigantic I remember hearing it and I thought it meant a large person, but I had no idea it was related to Greek or Roman mythology. Gigantism puzzled me because I’ve never heard it before. As I came across the definition of gigantic, I found out that it meant very large which connects to giant and gigantism. (dictionary. com) upon conducting research, I learned more about the root word giant, coming across information about its etymology and actual story behind it. Perrizo 2 Giant’s roots go all the way back before gods or even humans existed. The etymology relates back to Greek mythology the giants were the children of Uranus and Gaea. They were involved in a conflict with the Olympian gods called the Gigantomachy, which was eventually settled when the hero Heracles decided to help the Olympians. The Greeks believed some giants lay buried from that time under the earth and that they resulted in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Many stories have been written about giants in lots of cultures. In Norse mythology, the giants are the origin of most of various monsters, and in the eventual battle of Ragnarok the giants will storm Asgard and defeat them in war. The gods themselves were related to the giants by many marriages, and there are giants such as ? gir, Loki, Mimir and Ska? i, who have little difference in status to them. In Bulgarian mythology, giants called ispolini inhabited the Earth before modern humans. They lived in the mountains, fed on raw meat and often fought against dragons. Ispolini were afraid of blackberries which posed a danger of tripping and dying, so they offered sacrifices to that plant. Giants stand for the Basque people not willing to convert to Christianity who decides to stick to the old life style and customs in the forest. Sometimes they hold the secret of ancient techniques and wisdom unknown to the Christians, like in the legend of San Martin Txiki, while their most outstanding feature is their strength. It follows that in many legends all over the Basque territory the giants are held accountable for the creation of many stone formations, hills and old structures, with similar explanations provided in different spots. There are many similarities and differences in the words giant, gigantic, and gigantism. Gigantic is big: very large, tall, or bulky. Giant is a very tall imaginary creature: in fairy tales and legends, an imaginary being who resembles a human but is much taller, larger, and stronger. Perrizo 3 Gigantism is the quality of being giant: the quality or condition of being much taller, larger, or stronger than is usual. These three definitions are similar to each other because all of them have to do with being large. Today these words are all used to describe how tall, strong, or big someone is. All of these words also share the same Greek, Roman, and other origins. These he creatures. This particular word has a very long and precise background, whereas gigantic and gigantism have a short and not informational background. Not only is the word giant relevant in today’s world, famous playwright William Shakespeare alludes to the word in one of his plays. In Shakespeare’s play much ado about nothing, Claudio uses the word giant in act 1 scene 3. â€Å"He is then a giant to an ape; but then is an ape a doctor to such a man. †(line 2276) Shakespeare uses the monsters name as an illusion to illustrate the comparison between a giant, an ape, and man. Perhaps Shakespeare wanted to show the difference between stupid and so-called smart. Giant is being used to illustrate that a giant and an ape are two unintelligent creatures. Aside from Shakespeare’s use of the word, giant is used in the following quote from measure for measure. â€Å"O, I do fear thee, Claudio; and I quake, lest thou a fevorous life shouldest entertain, and six or seven winters more respect than a perpetual honor. Darest thou die? The sense of death is most apprehension; and the poor beetle that we tread upon, in corpual sufferance finds a pang as great as when a giant dies. (isabell). The word giant is used in reference to emphasize the greatness of a giant dieing with Claudio dying. perrizo 4 Whether giant is used in Shakespeare or other forms of literature, the words etymology seems to be prevalent in today’s world. The word Is regularly used today, ranging from a gas company, to a disability center. The general meaning of giant hasn’t changed over time, but only people who are educated about the word know its true mythical meaning. For example gigantism organization is an organization for the tallest people in the world. I did not find a relevant industry on website on giant or gigantic. When writing this paper, I learned a plethora of information about the word giant, and its ethnic background. Not only did I learn about this interesting monster, I gained experience on learning how to evaluate reliable sources and search the web cautiously. This essay taught me that the majority of the words we use today have an origins that dates back to Roman and Greek times. Giant originated the words gigantic and gigantism, and I found a great deal of information that connected giant to both of the other words. Furthermore, locating the information necessary to complete the project was easy and fast, but then I began to write my report, I had to think about where to start and how to organize the information I had into a cohesive essay. Finally,, I learned that people can misconstrue the meanings of words easily if they do not understand or use the words correctly. All people need to develop their communication skills and look up unfamiliar words or inquire about the origin of words so they learn about the amazing history of our amazing language.

Hemingways The Sun Also Rises Essay -- Hemingway Sun Also Rises Essay

Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises The title and narrative focus of Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises are rooted in a passage from the Ecclesiastes. In referencing this book of the Hebrew Bible, Hemingway resorts to aged scripture to unearth steadfast truths. His novel uses old-world beliefs to provide a solution for modern day issues, asserting the undeniable value of tradition. The applicability of the Ecclesiastes passage to Hemingway’s portrait of hopelessness in the post-Great War generation demonstrates that a reconnection with the natural world will reverse the unnatural consequences of a meaningless war and permit the reestablishment of hope within the following generation. The historicity and context of Hemingway’s opening reference to the Ecclesiastes demonstrates that an attachment to the natural world enables renewal. By reusing an ancient text to precede an interpretation of changes in 20th century expatriates, Hemingway illustrates the everlasting pertinence of its context. This effect establishes that textual traditions endure throughout time. To substantiate this inference, the context of Hemingway’s reference employs the likeminded rational that the overriding nature of the earth is everlasting simultaneous to alterations in generations of its inhabitants. To emphasize the enduring quality of the earth, the Ecclesiastes excerpt illustrates the interminably cyclical route traveled by the sun, wind, and rivers. In contrast to the linear quality of the Ecclesiastical observation that, â€Å"one generation passeth away, and another generation cometh† (p. 7), the earth retains its cycle, unaffected by the mortality of pas sing generations. By referencing a relationship between man and the earth that is define... ...xample of a reduced product of the war. His castration inhibits natural progression and, consequently, his attachment with nature. In Hemingway’s conclusion, Jake pursues the desire to reconnect with Brett, yet the effects of the war inhibit a return to tradition. Brett’s statement â€Å"we could have had such a damned good time together† (p. 251) illustrates the undeniable strain of Jake’s castration that prevents the realization of natural emotions. Nevertheless, the Ecclesiastes preference projects hope with, â€Å"all the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full† (p. 7). This generation, harmed by the unnatural and purposeless war, has great obstacles in reconnecting with the natural world. Yet, subsequent generations will continue traditions begun before this unnatural intrusion. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Scribner, 1926.

Reaction to Wendell Berry’s Out of Your Car, Off Your Horse Essay

While Wendell Berry’s essay is certainly thought-provoking, it was to a certain degree frustrating to read for me because I perceived it as a perfect example of good environmentalist intentions and a legitimate desire of finding alternatives to our unsustainable system which ultimately lead to an oversimplified and irrational utopian vision to be realized by pursuing just one path which shows esoteric traits. Berry’s idol is localism.  Surely, local economic structures are vital to environmentalist efforts if they actually help to reduce for example the Carbon footprint because fuel for transportation is saved. On the other hand, if consequently carried out, this strategy will backfire. Local farming will be more diverse but it certainly won’t be more productive. In a free, global market, farmers, if they have access to the necessary knowledge and equipment, will grow the food that is best suited to their soil and climate, thereby maximizing productivity and getting out more food on less space for less energy. This effect can and often does weigh heavier than short transportation, especially if this transportation is also carried out only on a small scale, leading to many small trucks delivering small amounts of food to countless small organic shops which do a good job on selling an ecologically peaceful mind but very poorly on actually saving the environment. Large scales might not fit to our romantic social ideals but more often than not, they are ecologically efficient More importantly, the question â€Å"What will this do to our community† is not the only important one. If this were true, then some people in Northern Siberia should probably start burning their fossil fuels like crazy. After all, they are often available in their neighborhood and global warming would certainly benefit their agricultural returns while their colleagues a few hundred miles South will suffer from extreme dearth. No, mutual dependency and its consequence, thinking globally, are a huge step forward, if it is flanked by serious consideration of local concerns.

Clean Edge Essay

Non-disposable razors recorded average growth of about 5% in retail sales during the period 2007 to 2010 whereas refill cartridge and disposable razors recorded growth of approximately 2% and 3% respectively for the same period. Innovations and new product introductions are the prime factors for the growth. Non-disposable razors and refill cartridge market is broadly classified into three segments namely value, moderate and super premium based on price and quality. Paramount’s consumer research identified distinct segmentation in terms of product benefits and consumer behavior. % of non- disposable razor users are segmented as Involved Razor users, social/emotional shavers; 28% as Involved Razor users, aesthetic shavers and 33% as Uninvolved Razor users, maintenance shavers. Studies from 2009 showed that the retail sales of non- disposable razors and refill cartridge came from 25% volume of super-premium, 43% of moderate and 32% of value segments. In the last decade, the indus try has experienced significant growth in the super premium segment. Product innovation and new technology is leading this sector for a number of new entrants. In 2008-09 the rate of new product innovation leads to 22 new SKUs to be introduced. SWOT Analysis Strengths Paramount Health and Beauty Company’s biggest strength is that it is a well- established brand with deep pockets and a very good association with consumers. The product- Clean Edge Razor, that they nave released, is also technologically in the current market. Weaknesses best The company does not have a slice in the 37. 2% of the pie that corresponds to the super premium segment which has immense potential. Also there is a risk of launching the product in the wrong segment or positioning it wrongly. A wrong move could result in cannibalization of Paramount Pro, another product in their portfolio. Opportunities There is very good growth in the super premium segment especially in men’s grooming. The market is also highly profitable so vendors are ready to stock the products. Also, the maintenance users are a market not ventured by any company till date. Hence the opportunities are immense. Threats A good number of competitors are trying to become the leader in this segment which is expected to grow in the future. The competitors could also catch up with the latest echnology and release a technologically more advanced product. Availability of alternatives like disposable and electric razors make a high threat of substitutes. Because of large number of products available and constant innovation in the sector it is very easy for the consumers to switch the companies. Hence, consumers have a high bargaining power. Entry barriers are low in the industry since no major R;D costs are involved and there are no major regulations. The bargaining power of the suppliers is low. Hence, overall the premium segment of nondisposable razors is an attractive industry to enter into. Positioning Strategy: The first strategy that we suggest is Niche Positioning, targeting the premium segment: As of now, the products released by Paramount in the non-disposable razer segment, Paramount Pro and Paramount Avail are positioned in the moderate segment and as a value -offering respectively. After three years of development, Paramount Health and Beauty Company has come up with a new technologically advanced vibrating razor called Clean Edge. Keeping in mind the superior technology used and the fact that Paramount has not launched a product targeting the premium egment, Paramount could adopt Niche Positioning while launching Clean Edge. However, there are certain disadvantages and advantages: Advantages: Positioning Paramount’s Clean Edge as a niche will accentuate the company’s product portfolio significantly. From the exhibits it is visible that it will result in high and consistent profit margins for the company and the risk involved will be less. Apart from that, the financial requirement of launching the product in the premium segment is only 15 million dollars as against 42 million dollars for the mainstream targeting. Disadvantages: As the trends suggests, understanding the fact that the premium segment has not been targeted significantly, almost all of Paramount’s competitors have launched products for this segment. Also, for the past 5 years, the company’s current products Pro and Avail have not introduced any new innovations as a result of which its customers are moving on to other competitors. The product pro is in the mature face and might need phasing out eventually. The second strategy that can be followed is Mainstream Positioning. The advantages and disadvantages of the same are as follows: Consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated day by day and expect more advanced technology. Paramount’s bread and butter product, Pro was in the mature phase of the product lifecycle so there is a possibility of decline. Positioning Clean Edge as mainstream product will help prevent loyal Paramount customers from being wooed away to more innovative brands. Main stream razor unit volumes are expected to capture over three times the volumes of the niche market in the first year. Clean Edge has the potential for true market domination and would quickly gain ass appeal. Disadvantages: – Paramount already had product in mainstream positioning -Paramount Pro so launching it as mainstream positioning will dilute the brand power and will lead to cannibalization. More marketing support will be needed to reach the target masses. The company would require an extensive advertising campaign, considerable consumer promotions would be needed and thus the expenses associated with them will be huge. To reach full sales potential with this positioning, $42 million marketing budget would be needed for year one. Total sales of Paramount for Avail and Pro for first year (2009) and second year (2010) are calculated using the market size (retail sales) and corresponding market share, both real (2009)and estimated (2010), of Paramount. The cost of Cannibalization is calculated using total sales and percentage of cannibalization given. Analyzing the result, it is evident that launching the product is a profitable venture; however, the cost of cannibalization may change equations. The cost of cannibalization is lower for the niche market as compared to mainstream market. Although, cannibalization djustments give us losses for the first year in the case of both mainstream and niche, the profit obtained in the second year for mainstream is larger than niche market. Branding Strategy The branding should be done in such a way that it emphasizes Clean Edge Razor as a unique and breakthrough product with the usage of latest technology. However, given the tight advertising budget, it should use the well-established name of Paramount rather than build a brand based on the Clean Edge. This should help potential buyers connect with the product quickly and test it. This should ensure maximum sales. Recommendations & Conclusion The recommendation is to introduce the Clean Edge into the marketplace as a niche product since data shows that consumers in the premium segment are willing to switch between the companies. Using advertising and promotion of the new product we can gain market share from competitors. Exhibit 8directly suppo rts this recommendation and snows that even though unit sales are less than main stream sales, the operating profit and the operating profits as % of sales is higher. In both year one and year two, this niche arket is profitable and growing. It is here that Paramount should focus its efforts on product introduction and positioning for the Clean Edge Razor. Once it has launched itself in the niche segment, Randall should then launch it, maybe after 2 to 3 years, in the mainstream category. As the data shows, both niche and mainstream strategy will help Paramount to raise its market share in super- premium non disposable razor segment. But the niche strategy will enables Clean Edge Razor to contribute profit and at the same time, limit the effect of cannibalizing Paramount’s existing products.

homeless problem essays

homeless problem essays Many homeless people have mental illnesses and it is not easy for them to restart their lives and get a job. Many of them also have drug or alcohol problems, which makes it very difficult to get a long term job making enough income to support themselves. Homeless people need help getting off the streets but are unable to do it by themselves. People should not just give the homeless the cold shoulder and keep on walking like nothing is wrong. In order for the homeless problem to stop, we the people must make it end by helping the less fortunate get to shelters or to some other source of help. Fifty percent of the homeless in America today struggle with mental diseases (Kraljic pg11). These diseases make it hard to associate normally with people. The three most common diseases they suffer from are schizophrenia, bipolar condition, and major depression (Mental 1). Schizophrenia, a disease of the brain, is one of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man. Schizophrenia is characterized by major disruption in thinking abilities and emotions which affects the most basic human needs: language, thought, perception, affect, and sense of self. The most common symptoms are hallucinations and/or delusions. This causes a person to act differently and have suspicion and fear of human contact (Mental 1). Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive illness, is a common illness shown by episodes of mania and major depression. A person's mood can change from excessive highs (mania) to major hopelessness (depression), usually with periods of norma l mood in between. This condition really makes it hard to associate normally with people. Clinical depression is an illness characterized by a bunch of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that are very different from a person's normal feelings and actions (Mental pg1). During a major depression, a person becomes surrounded by feelings of sadness, e...

Third Ventricle Function and Anatomy

Third Ventricle Function and Anatomy The third ventricle is a narrow cavity located between the two hemispheres of the diencephalon of the forebrain. The third ventricle is part of a network of linked cavities (cerebral ventricles) in the brain that extend to form the central canal of the spinal cord. The cerebral ventricles consist of the lateral ventricles, third ventricle, and fourth ventricle. Key Takeaways The third ventricle is one of four brain ventricles. It is a cavity filled with cerebrospinal fluid located between the two hemispheres of the diencephalon of the forebrain.The third ventricle helps to protect the brain from trauma and injury.The third ventricle is also involved in the transport of both nutrients and waste from the bodys central nervous system.It is also involved in the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid. The ventricles contain cerebrospinal fluid, which is produced by specialized epithelium located within the ventricles called the choroid plexus. The third ventricle is connected to the fourth ventricle via the cerebral aqueduct, which extends through the midbrain. Third Ventricle Function The third ventricle is involved in several functions of the body including: Protection of the Brain From TraumaPathway for the Circulation of Cerebrospinal FluidTransportation of  Nutrients to and Waste from the Central Nervous System Third Ventricle Location Directionally, the third ventricle is situated in the middle of the cerebral hemispheres, between the right and left lateral ventricles. The third ventricle is inferior to the fornix and corpus callosum. Third Ventricle Structure The third ventricle is surrounded by a number of structures of the diencephalon. The diencephalon is a division of the forebrain that relays sensory information between brain regions and controls many autonomic functions. It links endocrine system, nervous system, and limbic system structures. The third ventricle  can be described as having six components: a roof, a floor, and four walls. The roof of the third ventricle is formed by a part of the  choroid plexus known as the tela chorioidea. The tela chorioidea is a dense network of capillaries that is surrounded by ependymal cells. These cells produce cerebrospinal fluid. The floor of the third ventricle is formed by a number of structures including the hypothalamus, subthalamus,  mammilary bodies,  infundibulum (pituitary stalk), and the tectum of the midbrain. The lateral walls of the third ventricle are formed by the walls of the left and right thalamus. The anterior wall is formed by the anterior commissure (white matter nerve fibers), lamina terminalis, and optic chiasma. The posterior wall is formed by the pineal gland and habenular commissures. Attached to the external walls of the third ventricle are  interthalamic adhesions (bands of gray matter) that cross the third ventricle cavity and connect the two thalami. The third ventricle is connected to the lateral ventricles by channels called interventricular foramina or foramina of Monro. These channels allow cerebrospinal fluid to flow from the lateral ventricles to the third ventricle. The cerebral aqueduct connects the third ventricle to the fourth ventricle. The third ventricle also has small indentations known as recesses. Recesses of the third ventricle include the preoptic recess (near the optic chiasma), infundibular recess (funnel shaped recess that extends downward into the pituitary stalk), mammillary recess (formed by protrusions of the mammilary bodies into the third ventricle), and pineal recess (extends into the pineal gland). Third Ventricle Abnormalities CT scan of a brain of a patient with intracerebral hemorrhage from stroke with bleeding into the third ventricle. Sopone Nawoot/iStock/Getty Images Plus Third ventricle issues and abnormalities can occur in a variety of conditions like stroke, meningitis and hydrocephalus. A relatively common cause of an abnormality of the third ventricle occurs with congenital hydrocephalus (abnormal contour with a dilated third ventricle). Ventricular System of the Brain The ventricular system consists of two lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle. More Information For additional information on the third ventricle, see: The Third Ventricle Anatomy of the Brain The brain is the bodys control center. It receives, interprets, and directs sensory information in the body. Find out more about the brains anatomy. Divisions of the Brain Forebrain - encompasses the cerebral cortex and brain lobes.Midbrain - connects the forebrain to the hindbrain.Hindbrain - regulates autonomic functions and coordinates movement. Sources Glastonbury, Christine M., et al. â€Å"Masses and Malformations of the Third Ventricle: Normal Anatomic Relationships and Differential Diagnoses.† RadioGraphics, pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/rg.317115083.

China economic model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

China economic model - Assignment Example The short supply of skilled laborers in China is part of the problem. The Chinese culture has never respected the value of intellectual properly probably because they are the merchants of pirated merchandise in the world. Due to this business culture the local inventors know that if they file for a patent, nobody will respect it and the product will get imitated. The government does not prosecute violators of intellectual property crimes even though there are some laws that are suppose to protect inventors and innovation in the business industry. China has forgotten than in the long term patents are what enable firms to gain incredible amounts of wealth. The American pharmaceutical industry in the great example of the value intellectual property can bring to firm. Raising money for smaller firms is difficult anywhere in the world. In China the task become much greater. The underlying behind this is the fact that the state is owner of the banks due to the communist Chinese regime. Since the state owns the banks the state tend to lend money only to state-owned companies that are large and can create a greater amount of jobs opportunities for the people. Small companies have to resort to the underground economy to receive financing. The three primary sources that lend money to these firms are: pawn shops, â€Å"credit guarantee firms†, and small industrial companies (Doungguan, 2009). These are informal creditors which operate under different type rules than the normal banking industry. They charge high interest and expect their money back in the short to medium term. The small business must produce fast, otherwise bankruptcy is inevitable because they face high short term liabilities. China has been hit harder than other civilized western countries by the global financial crisis. Some cities have lost between 33% to 50% of their overall employment because due to

Design a Flowchart for a Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design a Flowchart for a Process - Essay Example If such a thing happens, the wins come from the bucket. The machine is designed in such a way that is able to keep the payout bucket filled automatically in the course of a play. After the payout bucket becomes full, silver dollars are then deposited in the second bucket that handles the winnings. The winnings bucket is usually periodically emptied in order for the winnings to be claimed from the casino. The flow chart that I have drawn shows the internal movements of the coin and the activities that take place externally that are controlled by the player. The machine is usually programmed in a manner that in case the payout bucket empties, the lights on the top side of the machine flash and the machine stops and that notifies the personnel in the casino that there is a person who has worn by emptying the machine. Most casinos usually size their payout buckets so as to ensure that the occurrence of winning is rare. If we perceive the payout bucket to be a buffer for silver dollars th at usually helps in the automatic running of the machine (Kari, 1999). A payout bucket that is small will mean that a casino will require more personnel that are required to attend to the machine and that will also create more time that the machine will be idle as a result of lack of silver dollars. ... Buffers that are large usually help the process to be more independent which is contrary to buffers that are small that would require more attention (Hemp, 2002). Factors affecting process design The design of the slot machine is usually affected by a number of factors. The factors include the following; 1. Size of buckets- the buckets that are used in the slot machine usually affects the running of the process. The buckets should be sized in a manner that there will be no much flow of personnel and that will cut on the costs. The cost that will be cut will include the cost of hiring new personnel and the cost of transporting money to the bank. The other factors include the risk factor that is associated with the transportation of money from the casino to the bank. 2. The flow of people into the casino- the functioning of the slot machine will be largely affected by the number of people that flow into the casino. The flow of people will affect the level of operations that will happen in the casino. That means that the income or revenue that accrues from the slot machine is directly affected by the flow of people (Menor, 2000). 3. the management of the slot machine or casino is also a critical factor that affects the way people will view the casino r the business that is been run in the casino. Metric measure The metric used to measure the effectiveness of the process is observing the number of recipients and matching it with the amount that is collected from the income of the casino. That is used to measure the effectiveness of the process and that will ensure that incase there is a complication it will be noted. Flow Chart for the process Yes Loose No Win No Yes Key Task or operations Storage areas or queues

The Effects of Lead Contamination on Fetal Brain Development Essay

The Effects of Lead Contamination on Fetal Brain Development - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that the most common source of lead poisoning in the United States is from paint. Leaded based paint was banned in 1978 many decades after European countries; however, there are many old buildings in need of renovation that still contain lead pipes and paint. Steingraber notes that the effects of lead on the fetus were first observed by women worked in the white lead factories in 1911. The female workers found that once pregnant the disease, plumbism, seemed to be cured. Plumbism refers to the erosion of the brain capillaries from lead and indeed the women would have felt relief once pregnant as then the lead crosses the placenta into the fetus. As the report stresses lead poisoning causes long term, serious defects as it disturbs an enzyme process that produces heme, which is essential for cellular metabolism. Children under three and fetuses are the most susceptible as the brain has not completed the blood-brain barrier. Lead causes hemorrhage and swelling as it destroys the capillaries. The half life of lead in the blood is 35 days, it remains in soft tissue for 40 days and is then stored in the bones for 20 or 30 years. The lead levels may not reflect an accurate count of the total lead in the system as lead is released when calcium declines and soldiers with shrapnel wounds may have resurfacing lead return to the bloodstream. Lead exposure can happen in some unusual ways such as having consumed homemade liquor or moonshine or from chewing on an imported toy.

Challenges to The Walt Disney Company

Challenges to The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company Strategic Issues First Strategic Issue Walt Disney has experienced various strategic issues, and their strategic approaches have led to success. Its strategic management has identified the fact that their competitors could take advantage of the strategic weaknesses and pull the company behind in terms of market position. Although the issues are limited in such a successful company, they deserve maximum attention, as it is possible for them to act as threats towards the future welfare of the entire business. From a quick SWOT analysis, Disneys strengths are diversity and the surplus cash it attains from its business operations. Its weaknesses include the two strategic issues it is recently facing, its opportunities are expansion possibilities, and its threats include stiff competition. One of these strategic issues that Walt Disney has been facing is the loss of a good number of subscribers in the ESPN. Recently, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network of Disney is holding fewer consumers as compared to the past years when the company began. The major reason leading to this shift of customers to other internet programs that offer similar services is the fact that watching sports with Disney has turned out to be more expensive as compared to watching the same sports in other internet platforms. Its historical market position, which was high at that time, had been attained through appealing to customers regarding prices. When it is specifically about sports, there are different ty pes of customers. Both adults and youths across the globe have high interests in sports. However, the youths appear to have more time to invest in the sports as compared to the time adults invest. Therefore, the larger portion of customers consists of young people, who in most cases are jobless or flexible in terms their jobs. It is a fact that with their flexibility regarding careers, the youth does not earn a lot of money, meaning they will always take advantage of companies that deliver services at the least cost possible. When Disney was affordable, it appealed to the two categories of customers successfully by ensuring that it is the most affordable platform in the world. However, when the internet-based competitors found a way of broadcasting sports at lower prices and others free, Disney did not pay attention to the matching of these standards. For this reason, it lost the youths mostly to other companies. Losing its portion of youths to the competitors is a great issue, whic h, were it not for other strengths that exist in the business, would have caused the downfall of Disney as an international company. Second Strategic Issue The second strategic challenge that Disney is facing in the presence of its competitors is vitality in the market. Disney is dealing with entertainment, which is all about the preferences and tastes of customers. This dealing is capable of easily leading to its downfall if the companys management does not focus on the strategic approaches of satisfying the customers thirst in terms of what they have a passion for but does not exist in the market. In case the product exists already, it is the duty of the company to modify it and make it more interesting to the customers without altering the likes but scraping the dislikes. With this sensitivity, Disney has faced criticism every time it has a new release in the market as much as it faces motivating response. Bearing in mind that the two types of responses are from customers that the company takes as a duty to please, making changes to attract a larger portion of motivating customers than critics has been an all-time operational goal th at may or may never be achieved. It becomes worse when during its evaluation, Disney realizes a loss of positive claims having turned to critics. This is always a clear message from the public that the company has made an unpleasant release and if they take it for a trend, their market position will be at stake. This is how hard it is for Disney to maintain a good market position having concentrated on the customers taste and preferences alone. Other factors such as the cost of services make the situation worse than it already is. These two strategic issues only need to be attended to with the right approach in order to make the companys future bright (Rukstad Collis, 2009). Alternative Causes of Action Reduced Quality To address the above strategic issues and realize the best course of action, it is important that attention is afforded to the nature of the issues. This can be achieved through a value chain analysis that helps to indicate the companys operational strategy and goals. The loss of Entertainment Sports Program Network subscribers must have been brought about by a faulty strategy in the organizations way of setting its standards. To solve this, the company can buy the cheaper systems adopted by competitors. When other internet service providers decided to engage in innovative ways of lowering their prices, the company did not embrace this idea, as it looked out for maintenance of quality. As a matter of fact, the internet services providers decided to adopt new and cheaper facilities that enhanced this reduction of prices to reach out to the customers whom in their opinion, watching sports had become expensive. While doing this, the first and most essential side effect they were likely to experience is the reduction of quality. Reduced Prices The company can as well alter their operations in a way to slightly reduce their prices and maintain quality at the same time. As much these services were to be availed to customers at a reduced cost, they were also to be displayed at lower qualities as compared to those displayed by Disney. In this case, the market of the ESPN was split into two. There is the lower quality of services available for those that prioritize the amount of money spent on entertainment, and the other sector of the market generates high quality of services for people who do not mind spending a fortune for the sake of quality. With this division, it means that Disney is not ready to compromise its quality of output in order to lower prices and accommodate more customers. This is how it ended up with a limited number of customers as compared to its competitors providing services through various internet platforms. Reducing prices with maintained quality will help to maintain the current customers and to bring back those that it lost to competitors. Stable Products Thirdly, the fact that Disney deals with mainly entertaining products is the main cause of the fact that it is faced with a strategic issue of dealing with customers tastes and preferences. In its market, Disney has a chance of securing its competitive advantage through dealing with motivational and educative films more than the entertaining movies. An educative product is easier to deal with in the sense that it will have nothing to do with the judgment of the customers, and the success will all depend on the effort of the company towards gathering as much knowledge in its products as possible. This way, it is possible to predict the responses of customers to its new releases. Additionally, these types of products will maintain the types of customers that the company is appealing to, bearing in mind that the youths would embrace guidance and the adults too will help respond positively to pieces of advice offered concerning their business and social lives. Just to make the point clea r, it is for a fact that Disney has invested partly in these sectors, but the entertainment has taken a better part of its products. This has not only subjected it to the risk of customers responses based on their personal tastes and interests but also on the parental force against time wastage. Their cartoon products, for instance, are found to be excessively attractive to the children to the extent that they fail to attend to other demands such as academic works. This creates a force between the cartoon products and parents as they push the children to balance all aspects of life. On the contrary, parents also utilize the products in making promises and rewarding children whenever they want them to engage in or maintain good conduct. An example is a case where the children are motivated to work harder and perform better in class in order to be allowed to watch cartoon during their holidays. All it needs to do is buy facilities that will accommodate this type of production. This wo uld make their output stable, predictable and more profiting. All the above alternatives can be implemented in Disney to stimulate its line of business (Rukstad Collis, 2009). Recommendations Evaluation The alternative of making strategic alterations to reduce the expenses of producing their products in order to lower the prices of their services is a possible approach for the ESPN issue. This will allow them to avail the same quality of services to customers at an affordable price. This means that they will be appealing to both the customers that value quality more than cost and those that are out there negotiating for lower prices. In this situation, they will have attained competition perfection in the sense that competitors that offer services at lower prices as Disney does will not be providing as high quality as that of Disney. On this note, Disney can be boosted by other secondary factors such as making sure that there is a constant flow of game displays throughout the season. This means that they will be displaying sports events even when the companies with the poor quality of facilities will be facing breakdowns for one reason or another. Disney will be the home for custome rs who are not ready for interrupted sessions while watching matches. However, if Disney decides to follow suit as its competitors and produce low-quality products, it will be faced with the con of losing customers who value quality. These qualities of attraction will not only help Disney to retain its current customers but also bring back the youth it has lost as potential customers. This way, the current position of the company in the market will be maintained, and the opportunity to expand will have been utilized to make Disneys future more promising. As its only con, Disney will experience an added cost of operating. This is why, on a personal level, I would recommend the alternative of making strategic alterations to reduce the expenses of producing their products in order to lower the prices of their services as an approach for the ESPN issue. If the cartoons and other entertainment films do not appear to be interesting to customers as the company expects it, there will be a d ecline of the income, as the customers will not purchase the product. The worst con of it is the fact that previews that are displayed before the release of the product may lead to customers shying away from the product early enough. The advantageous purpose of these previews is to help the company predict the performance of the product in the market before it is released. The response of customers may help to detect the problem awaiting the release of a new product, but it will not help in offering a solution for the problem. Therefore, although the company will avoid tampering with its good historic reputation, it will not have evaded losses as the product has already been produced, making this alternative not good enough. This is an indication that there is not short cut towards evading this instability other than engaging in more products that will promote positional security in the market. Hence, to curb the second strategic issue, I would recommend that Disney takes advantage of its stability in the market to seize the opportunity of expansion through dealing with the products that it has not dealt with before. Feasibility On the other hand, if Disney decides to embrace the cheap facilities like competitors have one to tamper with quality only for the sake of prices, they will end up losing customers that value quality, which is the major con of this alternative. Secondly, they will have performed below their operational standards of consistently maintaining the high quality of its products. The only advantage of this alternative is the fact that it will earn back its lost customers who value cheap products. The fact that the disadvantages exceed the advantages, in this case, makes this alternative not feasible. The alternative of displaying previews does not help to find solutions for the instability of products. This means that the act will not have delivered the major expectation, thus, making it not feasible. Implementation Disney should make plans to reduce the cost of running and lower the prices of their high-quality goods. This will help the company to reach out to the customers who do not watch Disney sports because of the high prices. Secondly, it should begin to take steps towards embracing other types of products in the market in order to attain stability. Since one of the strengths of Disney Company is that it always has a substantial flow of capital, this means it has the capability to indulge in the line of other products as heftily as it has done with entertainment. Therefore, all that Disneys management requires is to make decisions based on the expansion strategies that concentrate on this mission as an operational goal. Offering other genres of films and movies will allow the company to attain stability in terms of its market position. Attracting the entire market with motivational and educative products is easier than the entertainment form of attraction. References Rukstad, M. G. Collis, D. (2009). The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King. Brighton: Harvard Business School.

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

The Great Gatsby Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald with notes and preface by Matthew J. Bruccoli   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the book many major characters were introduced some of which include: Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, along with George and Myrtle Wilson. Jay Gatsby is the main protagonist of the story. While being famous for his lavish parties he also portrays a sense of mystery and uncertainty regarding his wealth. Nick Carraway is neighbors with Jay Gatsby and has just moved from Minnesota in hopes to learn the business of bonds and advance even more in his education. Daisy Buchanan is the woman, which Gatsby desperately desires to have. Daisy had promised to wait for Gatsby but her love for luxury and wealth was too great. Daisy then goes on to marry Tom Buchanan. Jordan Baker is involved with Nick Carraway romantically; she portrays a new woman of the 1920s and cannot at times be trusted. Tom Buchanan at one point went to school with Nick Carraway. Tom has his suspicions of Daisy’s relationship with Gatsby and questions the possibility of Daisy having an affair. George and Myrtle Wilson are husband and wife but Myrtle has a lover who is Tom Buchanan. George is incredible upset with Myrtle’s death and continues to kill Gatsby who took the blame for Myrtle’s death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel takes place in the summer time somewhere around 1922. The location where the story takes place occurs in Long Island and New York City, New York. The mood of the story has an elegant yet emotional feel almost throughout the whole book. The emotional side is perfectly demonstrated by the amount of drama that goes on with Gatsby and Daisy relationship. While the elegant side is clearly demonstrated by the lavish parties thrown by Gatsby himself and the coveted East Egg side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the book we learn that Gatsby and Nick Carraway are neighbors and that Nick has connections with some of the people in the East Egg side. Later on Nick attends a dinner with Tom and Daisy Buchanan where he learns details of Tom and Daisy’s marriage. While at the dinner Nick is introduced to a woman named Jordan Baker. Words are passed between the two concerning others relationships. Next Nick engages in a party thrown by Jay Gatsby. During the party Nick learns of Gatsby’s past then he goes on to learn his plans for the near future.

Going Abroad Essay

When I was a junior student in high school, I got a chance to travel to Canada for a month. This trip was so unforgettable and also interfered with my study later on. The city I went to is Vancouver. This place is an easy and comfortable place to live. The weather is as warm as spring. I left my parents and lived alone for the first time. I lived with a local homestay. They were very kind to me, and the hostess was so warm that we still have contact right now. Once I got there, they went to the airport to meet me, and they hold up a board. The board said welcome to Canada in Chinese! I was greatly touched. During that month, I took the class with other students who came from other high school in China. There were four teachers who came from Canada local high school, taught us about Canada’s history, government, custom and took care of us at school. During the class, we also discussed the difference and similar between China and Canada. I noticed that I should to come out of th e country and see the whole world. We also had a principle took care of the whole team. The team just liked a mini school. After class, the teachers and principle became the tourist guides. They led us to visit the whole city. I had been to downtown to do some shopping, went camping and surfing as well. The most interested thing was the three-day camping. I never tried that kind of outdoor activity before, so I was so excited the day before we leave the homestay. The hostess helped me prepared my equipment and exhorted everything that I need to pay attention. On that day, the party set out towards to the destination, the Greentree Park. After two hours driving, finally we got there. The area of camping was opening ground with plenty of pine trees. It should have a lot of oxygen around us. After rest for a while, I started to pitch a tent. Before I went out, the teacher already taught me how to put up, but I never did it before. When I got the materials and the direction, I began to build it, and of cause this was hard to finish by myself, so I ask my friend, Mary for help. We spent an immense amount of energy, and the tent was been built finally. At that night, I slept in the tent, and through scuttle, I could see the sky was studded with twinkling stars. The sky was so beautiful and peaceful. I also could hear someone singing outside and voice was so sweet. It should be the most perfect scene I have seem. Rest of the day, I spent times with friend, draw a picture of what I had seem, and barbecued a lot of chicken for dinner. It was so much fun in those days. After this trip, I always mention it in my experiment when I talked to people. I am so glad that I can have this chance that can open my outlook. I can know more about the other country and accept different cultures. That can make me more confident and more vivacious.

Why Are Experiences of Stillness and Reflection (Meditation) Important to Buddhism?

Why are experiences of stillness and reflection (meditation) important to Buddhism? Meditation is a mental and physical course of action that a person uses to separate themselves from their thoughts and feelings in order to become fully aware. It plays a part in virtually all religions although some don't use the word ‘meditation' to describe their particular meditative or reflective practice. Meditation does not always have a religious element. It is a natural part of the human experience and is increasingly used as a therapy for promoting good health and boosting the immune system. Anyone who has looked at a sunset or a beautiful painting and felt calm and inner joy, while their mind becomes clear and their perception sharpens, has had a taste of the realm of meditation. Successful meditation means simply being – not judging, not thinking, just being aware, at peace and living each moment as it unfolds. In Buddhism the person meditating is not trying to get into a hypnotic state or contact angels or any other supernatural entity. Meditation involves the body and the mind. For Buddhists this is particularly important as they want to avoid what they call ‘duality' and so their way of meditating must involve the body and the mind as a single entity. In the most general definition, meditation is a way of taking control of the mind so that it becomes peaceful and focused, and the meditator becomes more aware. The purpose of meditation is to stop the mind rushing about in an aimless (or even a purposeful) stream of thoughts. People often say that the aim of meditation is to still the mind. There are a number of methods of meditating – methods which have been used for a long time and have been shown to work. People can meditate on their own or in groups. Meditating in a group – perhaps at a retreat called a sesshin or in a meditation room or zendo – has the benefit of reminding a person that they are both part of a larger Buddhist community, and part of the larger community of beings of every species. Meditation in Buddhism is a form of Bhavana, or self-development. The origins of Bhavana go back to ancient Indian spiritual exercises called Yoga. Hindu Yoga consists of 8 stages: 1,2 Making a conscious effort not to harm others and to establish good relations with them. ,4 Sitting postures and control of the breath. 5 Withdrawing the mind from external things and looking inwards. 6 Fixing the mind on a single object or thought. 7,8 Meditation, allowing the mind to rise above ordinary though and be directly aware of reality. These were taken up and developed by the Buddha. What Buddhists do when they meditate or worship may look very similar to the Hindu religion, but Buddhis ts do it in order to deepen the particular Buddhist view of life. There are two kinds of meditation: Samatha and Vipassana meditation. Samatha meditation is translated as ‘calm meditation’ or ‘tranquility meditation’ etc. Samatha meditation helps to control the mind and to become calm, so that the mind is focused upon a simple object or idea. For example, if we have tendencies towards greed and selfishness we might take death as the idea to focus upon for meditation. We then begin to see that everyone must die whatever they may be or do in their life. We will realise that greed is futile in the face of death and knowing this will produce feelings of calm and dispassion in us. Samatha meditation is practised to attain deep concentration of the mind only. The purpose of Samatha meditation is to concentrate the mind on this touching sensation or respiration. Whenever the mind goes out, the meditator brings it back on to the object of meditation, that is, the respiration or the touching sensation, because he wants to deeply concentrate the mind on a single object of meditation. When the mind goes out in Samatha meditation it must be brought back to the primary object, focusing the mind on the respiration. The Samatha meditator must not observe the wandering thought or thinking mind. He need not realise any mentality or physicality. What he needs to do is attain deep concentration of mind on a single object, focusing the mind attentively, noting the in- and out-breathing. When the Samatha meditator attains to access concentration or to absorption concentration, when his mind is totally absorbed into the object of meditation, there is no mental defilement in that concentrated mind. At that time the concentrated mind is purified from hindrances. This is called purification of mind because there is no greed, hatred, ignorance, conceit, jealousy and so on. So the meditator feels peaceful and happy. That is the benefit of Samatha meditation but when the mind is disengaged from the object of meditation, the concentration is also broken and the mind goes to many different objects. Therefore many thoughts come into the mind. When the mind is defiled with greed, anger or ignorance the meditator does not feel happy or peaceful. He has suffering. The Samatha meditator enjoys peacefulness of mind while his mind is deeply concentrated on a single object of meditation. As long as the mind is absorbed in the object, he feels peaceful calm, tranquil and serene. One type of Samatha meditation that is suitable for everyone is where the subject of concentration is our own breath. The concentration of our own breathing includes feeling the air gently filling your lungs and then flowing out through the nostrils. As you concentrate on breathing you come to realise the value of it because we depend on it for life. Breathing becomes more delicate, and it may even happen that our breaths appear to stop; our thoughts become less and less, and peace and happiness arise within us. Therefore it will bring calmness and a greater awareness of yourself and your physical body. There are many different possibilities of the ways to sit during meditation. The important thing is to feel comfortable and relaxed, but also to be upright and alert. The classical meditation position is ‘the lotus position’. This involves sitting cross-legged with the left foot on top of the right thigh and the right foot on top of the left thigh. While it helps for the body to be alert, relaxed and stable, meditation is really about the mind and the inner experience. Posture is a support to that but most Buddhist traditions do not regard it as an end in itself. Brahma Vihara means ‘Sublime State’ and by meditating upon the Brahma Viharas a person develops feelings of love, compassion, joy and peace towards all living things. The four Sublime States are: 1. Metta – This is usually translated as ‘loving – kindness’. In meditating upon metta, a person first of all wishes himself or herself well, and then spreads the positive and friendly thoughts outwards towards all other beings. 2. Karuna – This means active compassion understanding the nature of suffering and sharing the suffering of others. 3. Mudita – This is sympathetic joy in which the meditator shares the happiness of all other beings. 4. Upekkha – This is a state of peace and serenity, in which, with a well-balanced mind, a person looks on all beings – whether friendly or not – with the same positive attitude of care and well-wishing. Meditating on the Brahma Viharas may take the form of a visualisation. In the case of Metta Bhavana, or Meditation on Love, you would visualise the spreading of love from yourself to friends and family, to the community, and further on to the rest of the world. For the Brahma Viharas thought is action; meditating on the spreading of love throughout the universe. The effect of meditating off the Brahma Viharas is like ripples on the surface of water – gradually spreading outwards. Vipassana meditation is ‘insight’ meditation, it is realisation, seeing or right understanding. Vipassana meditation refers to a system of mental development that consists of looking inwards, looking at your mind as if you were an outside observer. In this way the meditator can break through the predictable workings of the mind to see things as they really are. Vipassana meditation is practises to attain some amount of concentration and to realise these three characteristics, therefore removing all thoughts and to experience the ending of suffering. In Vipassana meditation, the purpose is to realise all mental states and physical processes in their true nature. In this concept, their true nature means the three characteristics which every mental state and physical process possesses. Any mental state or physical process may be the object of meditation. So the Vipassana meditator must not take only a single object but take many varieties of objects. The Vipassana meditation is an important step on the path to enlightenment. In fact, it follows from the seventh step of the Noble Eightfold Path, Right Mindfulness, whereas Samatha relates to the sixth step, Right Effort. The Vipassana meditator follows the mind and observes it by making mental notes of all the movements and senses they observe such as the rising and falling movement of the abdomen and the hearing of a voice or of a distinctive sound. Due to these movements and sense they make notes within their mind, for example, when the abdomen rises the meditatior observes it, making a mental note ‘rising’. When the abdomen falls, the mediator observes it, making a mental note ‘falling’. The meditator does this for every movement for the abdomen and makes mental notes – such as these – for everything he observes. The meditator observes and follows the mind because the purpose of insight meditation is to realise the characteristics of any mental state or physical process. Therefore to realise the three characteristics of a wandering mind, but the meditator has to observe it as it is, making a mental note as `wandering, wandering', `thinking, thinking' and so on until that thought has disappeared. Only after it has disappeared should he return to the primary object, noting as usual. However, the Vipassana meditator needs to realise impermanence, suffering and the impersonal nature of the wandering, thinking mind. He must observe the wandering thoughts, the thinking mind as it really occurs, noting `wandering, wandering', `thinking, thinking', `imagining, imagining'. When you note these thoughts, your noting mind should be more attentive, more energetic and somewhat quick, so that it becomes more and more powerful, more so than the thinking process or the wandering process. When the noting mind becomes sharper, quicker and more powerful, it overwhelms the thinking mind or the thought process, which then stops in a short time. When the noting mind is weak, then it is overwhelmed by the wandering mind. The noting mind is dragged along by the thinking process the thought process goes on and on and the meditator can`t concentrate well. So to make the noting mind stronger, sharper and more powerful, the meditator notes the wandering, thinking mind more attentively, energetically and quickly. Then the thinking process stops and at that time the meditator notices thought doesn't last long. It arises and passes away. So here the arising and passing away of the thought is vaguely realised as impermanent, though not clearly realised. When concentration becomes deeper and deeper, the meditator comes to realise that these individual thoughts arise and pass away, one after another. A series of thoughts arises and passes away. Unless concentration is deep enough, the meditator is not able to realise it. The purpose is to realise these thoughts and their three characteristics. So, whatever thought arises in sitting or walking, the meditator must note them attentively, energetically and more quickly. When thoughts are noted they become less and less, and concentration becomes deeper and deeper. If the thoughts are not noted, they increase and sometimes they persist a very long time. Then concentration is weak. In Vipassana meditation, the meditator concentrates the mind to a certain extent on many mental states or physical processes. Then he realises the true nature of mentality and physicality, their impermanent, suffering and impersonal nature. His mind is purified at that moment because he realises these three characteristics of mental states and physical processes. He realises it, not through theoretical knowledge, not through learning scriptures but through his own personal experience of mental and physical experience, and this experience of the three characteristics is very deep and profound. This experience remains in the mind all the time though this insight knowledge of the three characteristics is also impermanent, suffering and impersonal. It occurs and passes away. The force of this insight knowledge remains in the thought process, in the process of consciousness, which continues for life. Therefore even though the meditator leaves the meditation centre and goes home or back to work, he may sometimes recollect his meditative experiences of these three characteristics, and they appear in his mind as if he is realising them at that moment. Then the mind is purified and he feels peaceful and tranquil. The benefit of Vipassana meditation is not only in sitting but also in the whole life and the next life. Therefore it helps the mind to be purified at any time. That's why the Vipassana meditator lives for peace to a certain extent. If he has attained any stage of enlightenment, the first stage, the second stage, the third stage or the fourth stage of enlightenment, if he has attained in any of these four, his mind is purer because some of the mental corruption have been uprooted by the path knowledge. He has lost some of the mental corruptions which cause suffering and he can live in peace and happiness to a certain extent. However, if he is able to attain all the four kinds of enlightenment, his mind is completely purified all the time and liberated from all kinds of mental corruptions. He will then live peacefully and happily. Zen is about living in the present with complete awareness. The word Zen is the Japanese equivalent of the Chinese Ch’an, meaning meditation. However, we have seen that many different schools of Buddhism place great emphasis on meditation as a means to enlightenment. All schools believe that all people have the ability to be enlightened, just as all people have the ability to be angry or sad. Zen therefore says that enlightenment exists within all human beings all the time. The aim of Zen practice is to become aware of one’s own enlightenment. This is called Satori. One important aspect of meditation is that it enables us to sit still and do nothing. It is said that the aim of Zen is not to aim. The meditation practice of Zen is called Za-zen, or sitting Zen. Sitting in the lotus position is very important, for it allows the meditator to breathe easily and slowly. He will put his hands into the dhyana-mudra and keep his eyes open. This makes them become fully in touch with the true nature of reality. Different schools of Zen do Za-zen in different ways: Soto meditators face a wall, Rinzai meditators sit in a circle facing each other. Zen considers there to be five kinds of meditative practices which go deeper and deeper. 1. Bompu is a very superficial form of meditation. Bompu means ‘ordinary’. 2. Gedo refers especially to meditative practices of other religions. These practices may be useful, but do not lead to enlightenment. The word gedo means ‘outside way’. 3. Shojo refers to Theravada meditation. Mahayana Buddhists often call Theravada ‘Hinayana’ or ‘small vehicle’ because they do not consider it to be capable of leading all people to enlightenment. Shojo is used for the same reason. 4. Daijo is Japanese for Mahayana, or ‘great vehicle’, and refers to meditation which leads to enlightenment. 5. Saijojo is the purest form of daijo, the highest form of meditation. A Zen practitioner tries to experience each moment directly. They don't let thoughts, memories, fears or hopes get in the way. They practice being aware of everything they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. For example: when they eat they focus totally on the food and on the act of eating and prevent any thoughts in their mind. In Zen Buddhism the purpose of meditation is to stop the mind rushing about in an aimless (or even a purposeful) stream of thoughts. People often say that the aim of meditation is â€Å"to still the mind†. Zen Buddhism offers a number of methods of meditation to people – methods which have been used for a long time, and which have been shown to work. Zen Buddhists can meditate on their own or in groups. Meditating in a group – perhaps at a retreat called a sesshin or in a meditation room or zendo – has the benefit of reminding a person that they are both part of a larger Buddhist community, and part of the larger community of beings of every species.