Phoenix Jackson in A Worn Path by Eudora Welty...

Crazy or Courageous? The power and determination of women to go to every end of the earth for kids is put into a different perspective in this essay. Women from almost any time period would go and do anything for kids, even if the kids were disrespectful and unloving in return. A perfect example of this is Phoenix Jackson, an old woman making a journey for her grandson in the short story â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty. She runs into many obstacles along the way, but is it enough to take care of her grandson. Another perfect example is Ms. Moore, a woman who moves back to ghetto where she grew up, to help out a gang of uneducated kids in the short story â€Å"The Lesson† by Toni Cade Bambara. These women are portrayed by their respected authors and narrators as crazy, but they are only crazy about helping others. Phoenix Jackson is the first to be shown in a different perspective. Phoenix Jackson is an older black woman, making a journey to the town of Natchez, Mississippi. The author portrays her as a woman having imaginations and seeing things that do not exist. Eudora Welty writes, â€Å"when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. That would be acceptable, she said. But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air (Welty 57). The author is swaying the reader into believing that Phoenix Jackson is envisioning that makes it look, as if she is crazy. Phoenix Jackson was in reality, envisioning her grandson whoShow MoreRelated A Worn Path, The Bean Trees, Little Women, How It Feels To Be Colored Me, and the The Piano1668 Words   |  7 PagesCourageous and Heroic Women in A Worn Path, The Bean Trees, Little Women, How It Feels To Be Colored Me, and the The Piano  Ã‚   Women have been heroic and courageous throughout history, though not all of these heroic (or courageous) adventures have been shown in any way.   Some of women’s heroic and courageous adventures are portrayed through short stories, books, and movies.   Eudora Welty’s short story â€Å"A Worn Path,† Barbara Kingsolver’s book The Bean Trees, Louisa May Alcott’s book Little Women

Rise and Fall of Civilizations - 2560 Words

Chanelle Samuel The Inevitable Progression of Complex Societies Ancient civilizations and the civilizations of today all share a commonality. That commonality is that all civilizations seem to go through this pattern of rise and fall. The civilization will grow, prosper, accumulate wealth and power, but eventually due to a variety of factors including natural disasters, economic decline, invasion, and so on, the civilization will slowly lose power and land and relinquish any sort of ties that once held them together. This is clearly evident in most civilizations, and the civilizations that it is not clearly evident in are those that can technically be called civilizations today. But since they are still civilizations of today, the cycle†¦show more content†¦This then affected their ability to cultivate crops and had an impact on sustaining high population numbers and the effectiveness of trade. There also may have been earthquakes which changed the landscape and may have altered the course of the rivers. The Indus river Valley clearly f ollows the rise and fall cycle of civilizations. It came to prominence beside the Indus River and based its agriculture on the fertile flood plains of the river. It grew in power and influence as the wealth of commodities they held were traded with neighbouring peoples. But environmental factors caused strain on the civilization that over time they were not able to solve or cope with which led to the eventual decline and fall of this once thriving civilization. Another example of civilizations that followed the same course were the shorted-lived civilizations of West Africa. These civilizations prospered in sub-Saharan Africa around the Senegal and Niger Rivers. The first civilization to rise there was that of Ancient Ghana. It developed around the fourth and fifth century C.E. from nomadic peoples known as the Soninke banding together for protection. They rose to power as the kings of Ghana maintained a monopoly on the trade of gold. They were in a key location which contained some of the largest goldShow MoreRelatedThe Rise And Fall Of The Mayan Civilization1018 Words   |  5 Pagesagriculture. (Judge Langdon, 2012) The Mesoamericans, Aztec and Mayan tribes, developed into complex civilizations for multiple reasons. These societies were advanced and complex for their time in areas, such as architecture, agriculture, militarism, and education. Each had unique religion and political systems as well. The rise and fall of both were due to several factors. The Mayan civilization society was very complex and intelligent; rising to become very influential to people in different areasRead MoreFactors That Affect The Rise And Fall Of Civilizations Essay914 Words   |  4 PagesEffect the Rise and the Fall of Mayan Civilization Area and Egyptian Civilization Area In ancient time, environmental factors were very important. It directed the people to where they should settle to practice agriculture for their living. Among many different important environmental factors such as geography, geology, plant and animal species, agricultural potential, resource abundance, one of the most significants factors which influenced to the rise and the fall of civilizations is climateRead MoreThe Rise and Fall of the Roman and Islamic Civilizations1561 Words   |  7 Pages Early Rome began like many other early civilizations. Sometime between 1,500 and 1,000 B.C.E. groups of warlike people, speaking a common language we refer to as Italic, began moving into the Italian peninsula from across the Adriatic Sean. One of these peoples was the Latins. By 800 B.C.E. the Latins established Seven Hills near the Tiber River. Around this same time the Etruscans moved into present day Italy. The Etruscans turned seven villages into the city of Rome ruled by a monarchy. 509 BRead MoreThe Rise and Fall of Early Civilizations Essay823 Words   |  4 Pages All the way from the start of civilization through to the Early Christianity there has been a pantheon of; destruction, recognition, wars, cultural diffusion, religious breakthroughs, laws that have been established, kings and queens crowned and dethroned. The Mesopotamian Civilization it was the land between two rivers the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers that civilization first began. The rise of civilization in 3200 B.C. through 525 B.C That was an act of human creation of the Near Eastern riverRead MoreThe Rise and Fall of the Aztec Civilization Essay559 Words   |  3 PagesThe Rise and Fall of the Aztec Civilization The Rise and fall of the Aztec Empire is possibly the most important area of study in the modern world. Of all of the nomadic tribes who migrated into Mexico, the Aztecs were one of the last. At first driven away by established tribes, the Aztecs slowly began to develop an empire of immense wealth and power by the late fifteenth century. Due in large part to the accomplishments of their ruler Itzcoatl, the empire expanded to include millions of peopleRead MoreEnd of Mayan Civilization1143 Words   |  5 PagesEnd of Mayan Civilization Samuel Nathaniel H. Stansbury HUM 111 11/3/2012 The mystery concerning the fundamental explanation for the collapse of the Mayan Civilization has been a major focus for researchers in the fields of anthropology and archeology for a considerable period of time. At the very core of this mystery of the Mayan collapse was the question of how could such a strong, stable civilization that had flourished for approximately twenty-seven hundred years disappear without a clearRead MoreModel Essay Comparison Essay Post-Classical Civilizations1304 Words   |  6 PagesQuestion: With the collapse of the classical civilizations, post-classical civilizations arose shortly thereafter. Compare the factors that led to the rise post-classical civilizations from 500 CE to 1200CE between two of the following regions- Europe, East Asia, Africa or the Middle East. Model Essay Comparison Essay Post-Classical Civilizations With the collapse of the Roman, Gupta and Han empires, the world was left in a period of chaos with little structure in most areas. However afterRead MoreCompare and Contrast the Rise and Fall of Mesopotamia and Egypt1635 Words   |  6 Pages In this project I plan on exploring the contrasts and comparisons between the rise of Mesopotamia and Egypt. I chose this particular question because during my junior year I took and AP World History class in which we of course studied the worlds history. One on my favorite things that we studied in that class was ancient Empires. Mr. Herman, my AP teacher during that time, went through the Mesopotamian and Egyptian Empires rather too quickly for my tastes. I felt as though there were a lot of thingsRead MoreThe Romanticism Of The 19th Century1289 Words   |  6 Pagesdesolate ruins that remind us that a civilization will eventually collapse due to the passage of time. In its wake, a new culture will grow out of the previous one, but it will require knowledge of the past to develop. All knowledge of civilization is not erased completely from history; it is documented through the use of observation, preservation, and artwork. A notable Romantic painter, John Martin created paintings that placed human figures in the midst of civilizations and vast landscapes that containedRead MoreCultural Influences Of Mexico And Aztecs1480 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the period of the 1st to 16th century, Mexico experienced the emergence and rise of powerful civilizations such as the Teotihuacan, Toltec and ultimately, the greatest empire, Aztec. Many cultural and economic practices of these Mexican civilizations were borrowed from the prior civilization, adapted, and then further developed upon and while many aspects of these practices stayed the same through this time, significant changes occurred as well. The term culture is defined

Contemporary Sociological Theory Free Essays

Contemporary Sociological Theory Final Exam Jurgen Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action sought to explain this contemporary sociological thinker’s ideas on system and the life-world. The meaning of this â€Å"life-world† for Habermas, meant: one’s own personal space, including personal identity and consciousness. â€Å"It is the lived realm of informal, culturally-grounded understandings and mutual accommodations. We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Sociological Theory or any similar topic only for you Order Now † (Wikipedia) The life-world goes on to function through norms and beliefs of the society. Everyone in the society plays their role, which is based on their personal identity, and the society goes on functioning as a system. The system includes a chain of commands dealing with politics, economics, etc. Consequently, this leads to a colonization of the life-world. The system is an impersonal structure that entails organization and functionality. Because it is based on functions within social, educational and environmental policies, as well as markets (Parsons’ AGIL), there must be a form of order for it to run smoothly. The political institutions do not allow the individual to just think of himself, it essentially leaves a demand for all to work together as a whole. The life-world is based more on happiness and order within. When the functions of the system and life-world collide the life-world becomes colonized. Things are harder to be rationalized within the system because barriers are formed in the lines of communication. The struggle to please one’s own self and the need for order in the political realm causes a conflict of interest in modern society. The two entities are becoming rationalized as both continue to evolve. The life-world will continue to be hindered as the system continues to block lines of communication. As modern society goes on, the struggle within one’s self and the need to continually stabilize society will eventually cause a greater problem that will require further research beyond that of Jurgen Habermas. 4. In Michael Foucault’s Discipline Punish, he sought to explain his theory of surveillance within contemporary society. He does this by using the idea of the Panopticon as an example. The panopticon is a structure, created by Jeremy Bentham, which is built in a way that allows all angles to be easily viewed. The design, which is a circular, spherical building, allows those conducting the surveillance to see everything without having to worry about corners and non visible spots. The subjects that are being viewed never actually know when they are being specifically watched due to the construction of the building. It is also built so that the viewer cannot be easily seen. This structure is mainly existent in prisons but can also be used within schools, factories and military structures. Surveillance is defined as being the â€Å"continual observation of a person or group, especially on suspected of doing something illegal. (Encarta Dictionary) The most obvious example would be in the prison system where prisoners are being watched by prison wardens and guards. Cameras are set up at ever imaginable angle to monitor the behavior of the inmates. These cameras are active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, recording every move of every prisoner. Furthermore, if the guard were to stand in the middl e of the panopticon, he would also be able to view all angles easily without too much movement. Foulcault formulated his theory of contemporary society, in relation to the panopticon. The idea of total surveillance represents power in society. The individual is constantly being watched which consequently alters their behavior. Because the surveillance is constant and unknown, we develop a state of paranoia within ourselves and never feel completely alone unless we are absolutely sure that we are in a private space. Foulcault’s interpretation extends to the acts of the government: â€Å"The role of legislation allows the means of authority to spread without need for one central authority figure. This advocates the self monitoring society which in essence is panopticism. † (Gieser) It is said that because the government is seen as the overseer. We, the citizens, develop our own sense of self-surveillance that in turn, satisfies the surveillance tactic. Foucault felt that this panoptic ordeal â€Å"dehumanize[d] and strip[ped] the population of their power†. (Gieser) Thus, it leaves us with no actual sense of normalcy and security. 5. The idea of culture industry was created by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer of the Frankfurt School. Culture industry is simply the use of manufactured goods in pop culture to influence society, thus causing society to be passive and not worrying about economical woes. Society develops unnecessary wants and needs while capitalism is masked and flourishing. This form of culture molds the idea of what’s important to society through mass production and ignores what works for the individual. Thus, a sense of uniqueness is lost. The Frankfurt School felt that this was an important way of trying to understand modern capitalist society because it was clearly going in that direction, at the time and now. Karl Marx inspired these beliefs through his own works and encouraged the Frankfurt School to expose capitalists. They did this by using ancient examples that proved that these frivolous items being praised were only there to mask the fact that we, the people were being manipulated and controlled. Exposing society to the control was supposed to encourage them to break free and regain their senses of self. The focus was on capitalism because it was strengthening its hold onto society at a constant rate. Adorno felt that through exposing these capitalist tactics, the cycle would reverse, causing individuals to gain there personality back, but that did not happen. Capitalism has only flourished and become more severe. Modern society is evolving and as that happens; more capitalist tactics are being created. Thus culture industry is doing nothing but becoming stronger. The Frankfurt School took the time out to enlighten the masses but despite the fact, capitalism prevails. References Geiser, Brenton. All Eyes on You. http://ustorage. ucsb. edu/~brentongieser/index. html â€Å"Surveillance (n. )†. Encarta Online Dictionary. Dec. 14, 2007. http://encarta. msn. com/dictionary_1861717276/surveillance. html http://www. wikipedia. com How to cite Contemporary Sociological Theory, Essay examples

SWOT Matrix Analysis Verizon

Question: Discuss about the SWOT Matrix Analysis for Verizon. Answer: Helpful to achieving the objective Harmful to achieving the objective Internal origin (attributes of the system) Strengths The brand name of Verizon is globally identified and has brand attraction for the customers. String Reputation across the U.S. Verizon has very less competitor and works with a joint venture, Vodafone group thus increasing their strength in the business field. Largest cell Carrier It has approximately 98 % of its users in US used in the market. Strong financial performance It provides a wide variety of network service like fixed line, wireless and internet television and consists of more than 190,000 employees (Verizon.com 2015). Weaknesses Provide service only in U.S not internationally The weakness of Verizon is that it charges more money than its competitors for providing their service 3G service sometimes not allowed customers in data usage and voice calling simultaneously Online customer account management is not user friendly The presence of Verizon is mainly in U.S and for its global business it works with Vodafone and other established telecom partners (Verizonwireless.com, 2016). External origin (attributes of the environment) Opportunities The customer looks for new technology and updated product in the minimum price range. High Speed internet service 100% GPS over U.S Company promoted to increase their business worldwide Thus Verizon should analyze the customer requirements and apply new technologies and innovations in their products. Launch fushion of a cell with ipods 2-way paging The business can be diversified in multiple fields such as expanding in audio conferencing, expansion globally and VOIP business growth (Verizonwireless.com, 2016). Threats Advancement in new technologies obsoletes the networking process and the products. There is a strong competition regarding the pricing of the service between the competitors The company might face legal issues and cannibalization due to wireless and VOIP service offered Federal Communications Commission. Demand of landline is decreasing incredibly (Verizon.com 2015). References Verizon.com (2015). 2015 Annual Report, Verion. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/default/files/annual/verizon-annual-2015/downloads/15_vz_ar.pdf Verizonwireless.com (2016). Verizon Wireless Network Extender. Retrieved 11 September 2016, from https://www.verizonwireless.com/dam/support/pdf/network_extender_user_manual.pdf

pols 250 paper Essays - Ancient Greek Philosophy, Socratic Dialogues

Western civilization was built on the teachings and philosophies of Socrates and Jesus Christ, these two men are the two most influential thinkers of their time. Jesus was a man of great character who had abundant love and followed his divine calling while Socrates made a mockery of theism and divination; Jesus has become infamous and his teaching has become the religion of at least 2 billion. Jesus is superior to Socrates and this is evident through the description of their trial, their death, their similarities and their differences. Socrates was a Greek philosopher who is considered the father of western philosophy and a contributor to western civilization, he was executed for his opposition to the state and the examined lifestyle he led. Socrates represents a view point of virtue, he presents that the philosophical life is the best life; he is put to death for his teachings. Socrates was executed in 399 B.C.E in Athens, his infamous trial was documented by his student, Plato who distributed "The Apology," 40-50 after the trial occurred. Socrates allowed himself to be put on trial because he believed that his death would shine light on his life as well as his teachings; thus, he intentionally lost the trial. At 70, Socrates was put on trial for atheism, his investigation of things below and aloft of the Earth, his education to younger students, and the corruption of the youth of Athens; these charges were pressed Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon. Throughout the entirety of the trial he never stopped talking and searched for justification for his charges. Socrates initially conveyed that the judges will commit an injustice if they accuse him, he would go down in history as a just philosopher who was unjustly convicted, and his execution would be the most unjust thing. Although Socrates claims that it would be an injustice, it is an injustice he is counting on to complete his selfish agenda. From this Socrates attempts to say that Athens is a horse and he is the horse fly: he awakens Athens, persuades them, and will not stop until moral excellence has been reached. Thus, presenting the notion that without Socrates Athens will be spiritually dead and that Athens needs Socratic wisdom. Meletus accuses Socrates of investigating things that are aloft and under the Earth, but Socrates refutes this and provides justification for his attendance at the Marketplace of ideas. Socrates claims that he does not pursue the things that are under and aloft the Earth, but rather he is cross-examining. The Delphic Oracle claimed that there was no one wiser than Socrates, the Oracle cannot lie but Socrates claims that he has no wisdom; a philosopher has to be aware of his ignorance. Socrates desired to refute the Oracle and undermine Apollos authority. He interrogated poets, craftsmen, politicians, and anyone who claimed to be wise; but no one could escape a contradiction which left Socrates as the wisest man in Athens. Socrates cross-examines for 24 years, claiming to refute the Oracle as well as Apollo. Socrates claims that this is his divine calling from the daemon, but his cross-examination actually gives him his disciples; they turn to Socrates and are devoted to him entire ly. Since Socrates was accused of investigation of things under and aloft the Earth which he claimed was his vocation by divine things, but his divination caused him to contradict those he questioned which led to young men being converted. From this, Socrates had educated the youth of Athens and corrupted them to atheism. His atheist charge becomes a laughing matter because he dismisses the other charges since he claims they all stem from his divine calling; but he in fact is a secular man who pretends to be polytheistic to make a mockery of Athenians. From the trial and the defence that Socrates formed, he was found guilty with 280 votes and he was found not guilty with 220 votes; after Socrates degradation of Athens he was sent to be executed. After the jury voted, there was a 30-vote difference, which would allow for Socrates to get off with a fine instead of exile or execution. Instead of having a reasonable counter proposal Socrates had suggested that

Free Essays on Reichs Boats

Reich’s Boats â€Å"Twelve thousand people are added to the world’s population every hour, most of whom, eventually, will happily work for a small fraction of the wages of routine producers in America† (291). In the late 1970's it was customary for families to have the â€Å"dad† as the bread winner. The â€Å"Leave it to Beaver† persona poured from home to home and engrossed the budding families to come. Now in the modern day â€Å"Gucci† society, a one person income is not adequate enough to keep a family above water. Everything is getting to be more and more expensive, but the income of modern families, is no longer a safety boat . Robert Reich in â€Å"Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer,† describes a metaphor of three boats, the routine producer, the in- person server, and the symbolic analyst, explaining the fates of these American workers. The first group of American workers that Reich discusses is the routine producer, the hands on producing worker that helps the larger corporations manufacture their goods. He stresses that in the mid twentieth century, routine producers were to make a decent living: they could buy homes, take annual vacations, and save toward retirement(290). However, Reich states that this is no longer the case. His metaphorical boat containing the routine producers is sinking steadily(290). Because of ease of transportation as well as advances in communication, â€Å"modern factories can be installed all most any where on the globe†(291). Therefore, it is a simple process for factories simply to relocate wherever labor is cheapest. Reich cites the example of AT&T, who after years of assembling their telephones at a factory in Louisiana relocated to Singapore where labor cost were cheaper. However, â€Å"by the late 1980s, AT&T’s strategic brokers found that routine producers in Thailand were eager to assem... Free Essays on Reich's Boats Free Essays on Reich's Boats Reich’s Boats â€Å"Twelve thousand people are added to the world’s population every hour, most of whom, eventually, will happily work for a small fraction of the wages of routine producers in America† (291). In the late 1970's it was customary for families to have the â€Å"dad† as the bread winner. The â€Å"Leave it to Beaver† persona poured from home to home and engrossed the budding families to come. Now in the modern day â€Å"Gucci† society, a one person income is not adequate enough to keep a family above water. Everything is getting to be more and more expensive, but the income of modern families, is no longer a safety boat . Robert Reich in â€Å"Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer,† describes a metaphor of three boats, the routine producer, the in- person server, and the symbolic analyst, explaining the fates of these American workers. The first group of American workers that Reich discusses is the routine producer, the hands on producing worker that helps the larger corporations manufacture their goods. He stresses that in the mid twentieth century, routine producers were to make a decent living: they could buy homes, take annual vacations, and save toward retirement(290). However, Reich states that this is no longer the case. His metaphorical boat containing the routine producers is sinking steadily(290). Because of ease of transportation as well as advances in communication, â€Å"modern factories can be installed all most any where on the globe†(291). Therefore, it is a simple process for factories simply to relocate wherever labor is cheapest. Reich cites the example of AT&T, who after years of assembling their telephones at a factory in Louisiana relocated to Singapore where labor cost were cheaper. However, â€Å"by the late 1980s, AT&T’s strategic brokers found that routine producers in Thailand were eager to assem...

AIDS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

AIDS - Essay Example In recognition of his contribution, in late 1990, the US Congress passed the Ryan White Care Act which provides funding for care, education and prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is a lentivirus which attacks the immune system. There are two main strains of the virus: HIV-1 which is particularly virulent, and HIV-2. The name lentivirus means slow virus – due to the fact that they take years to destabilize the immune system. Lentivirii have been found in a number of mammals, but of particular interest is the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) which is found in monkeys. HIV-2 is very similar at molecular level to SIVsm which afflicts the sooty mangabey (also known as the green monkey), naturally found in West Africa. In 1999 Paul Sharp of Nottingham University and Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama completed a 10 year study into the origin of the virus in humans. They satisfied the scientific community that the HIV-1 virus had crossed from chimpanzees to humans. The cross-over of viruses from one species to another is called zoonosis. It is believed that the virus mutated once it found a new host in humans to become HIV-1. Since the virus is most easily transferred by blood, most of the theories suggest that the route of transmission must have been either the consumption of an infected chimpanzee or through a contaminated vaccine or syringe. The earliest known death from HIV-1 took place in 1959. However, Dr Bette Korber of the Los Alamos National Laboratory presented results in January 2000 at the 7th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections which indicated that the HIV-1 strain has been around since the 1930s. Belgian researchers led by Dr Anne-Mieke Vandamme, published findings in ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’ in 2003. Their conclusion was that HIV-2 originated in sooty mangabeys around 1940 - 1945. They claimed that the most likely place of origin was the former

Security in the Cloud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Security in the Cloud - Essay Example Cloud computing has emerged as one of the most exciting technologies in the modern world as institutions and individuals seek to reduce cost while at the same time increase scalability and flexibility for computing processes and data storage. Anthes (2010) observe that due to cloud computing, computing may be organized as a public utility in the near future. He further argues that cloud computing bring people closer and promises elasticity, economy, transparency, and convenience. However, despite the many benefits that comes with cloud computing, there is a thorny issue of privacy and security. This paper will discuss security in the cloud; it will focus on the issue of security as regards the concept of cloud computing. Concepts Related to Cloud Computing Cloud computing is defined as the management and provision of applications, information, software, and resources as services over the cloud based on demand (Singh and Shrivastava, 2012). This technology uses the central remote serv ers and internet to maintain applications and data. It is broken down into three segments that include connectivity, storage, and application, as demonstrated in the diagram below. Cloud computing allows businesses and consumers to use applications necessarily without installation and to access their files and data at any computer that has internet access. It is a network-based environment providing reliable information technology services to users via the internet. It provides services and resources based on demand across the internet. In addition, it allows developers to create applications and run those applications in the internet. It is as a result of this flexibility that cloud computing is considered as a very attractive solution to many institutions, enterprises and individuals. Many users also prefer it because it heavily cut down expenses (Rani et al, 2012). A good example of cloud computing is Hotmail, Gmail, and yahoo email. While using cloud computing, one does not need a server or software. All that one need is simply an internet access and one can start accessing, sending and receiving information. The email and server management is all in the cloud and is managed completely by the cloud or internet service provider such as Google (Singh and Shrivastava, 2012). The diagram below shows the services of cloud computing: Source: Singh and Shrivastava (2012) The fact that cloud computing has numerous benefits to individuals and enterprises cannot be disputed. However, there is a major concern that relates to cloud computing; how security is taken care of and implemented. Cloud computing technology allows for centralization of bandwidth, processing, memory and storage thus making it a much more inefficient and insecure form of computing (Singh and Shrivastava, 2012). While in a sense cloud computing simplifies some of issues of security for consumers by outsourcing them to a different party, it at the same time signifies insecurity to the same consume rs. Complacency by the cloud users to think that they do not have to worry concerning their data and software because it is in the hand of experts is a mistake (Anthes, 2010). Cloud computing, in general has several customers from ordinary users, enterprises, and academia who have varying motivation of moving to cloud. Therefore, cloud

Gender Across Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gender Across Cultures - Essay Example The chromosome construction of males and females are different. According to biological analysis XX-type chromosomes are found in females and XY-type of chromosomes are found in males. However, there are various effects of society, ethnicity and culture that complete the behaviour and identity of men and women based on the difference in the gender group (Zevin, 2014, p.57). The impact of ethnicity and culture over sex and gender can be clearly illustrated with the help of the research of Margaret Mead. Margaret explained about different cultures with wide variety of examples. According to Margaret’s research it has been observed that the native people of New Guinea have completely different approach towards the two major genders that represent the human society. For example, the people of Tchambuli culture in New Guinea have represented women to be the leading members in their society (Wetherell, 2001, p.88). Females have the ultimate control of economic life and they work tow ards the betterment of people. According to the research it has been observed that the women participate in different type of professions to earn their living. The males of the society generally participate in arts and theatres. The males of the society do-not have any direct control over the regulation of economy of the Tchambuli society. The Tchambuli women have been found to be engaging themselves in manufacturing of products and food. The initiations of sexual relations are also taken by the females of the society.

Organisation Change Management and Resistance to Change

Organisation Change Management and Resistance to Change Abstract This literature review examines organizational change and offers an in-depth study of resistance to change. It aims to deepen this field by a theoretical exposition of the concept of resistance to change. It is a key topic in change management and has been seriously considered for helping the organizations to achieve the advantages of this transformation. This review hints at where an organization should give special attention while initiating a change process. The study analysis the main sources of resistance to change and also how to overcome it. Many authors (Lawrence, 1954; Maurer, 1996; Strebel, 1994; Waddell and Sohal, 1998; among others) have done lot of research to investigate the reasons of the failure of different change initiatives and they found that resistance to change is the one of those may reasons. Resistance to change can cause very costly and time consuming delays in change process. (Ansoff, 1990) we must consider them even though they are very difficult to anticipate. There is another school of thought who consider Resistance as a source of information and can be used as a learning to develop a more successful change process (Beer and Eisenstat, 1996; Goldstein, 1988; Lawrence, 1954; Piderit, 2000; Waddell and Sohal, 1998). There is no doubt that resistance to change is a very important topic in the field of change management and business process engineering and can help organizations to achieve the advantages of the transformation if it is considered seriously . Considering the importance of resistance to change, this paper aims to delve deeper understanding in this field through a theoretical exposition of the concept. In this study, we analyzed the main sources of resistance to change and their relationships with types of changes. INTRODUCTION When a mature and able manager feels bored, he should seriously consider changing jobs, changing companies-or simply retiring. It is not fair to anyone for half a leader to hold a full-time leadership job. James L. Hayes People can easily be overwhelmed by change, especially within large organizations where they may perceive they have little or no voice in or control over the changes they believe are descending upon them. ( Lorenzi N. M., Riley R. T, Blyth A. J. C, Southon G, Dixon B. J, ) The typical response is fight or flight, not cooperation. Managers often interpret such human resistance to change as stubbornness or as not being on the team. This reaction solves nothing in terms of reducing resistance to change or gaining acceptance of it. Many managers do not accept that they are regarded as imposing life-threatening changes and establishing no-win adversary relationships between management and those below in the organization. Sometime managers try to disguise the impending change with what they consider innocuous names, (e.g., organizational effectiveness) or they adopt a metaphor (e.g., architecture for the future). The end result of people feeling disenfranchised is inevitable, as the exampl es of different organisations from around the world attest. (Lorenzi N. M., Riley R. T, Blyth A. J. C, Southon G, Dixon B. J,) Change is a constant in both our professional and our private lives. Children grow up taking for granted such things as powerful personal computers that we could not envision at their ages. The idea that human beings naturally resist change is deeply embedded in our thinking about change. Our language (e.g., resistance to change), our assumptions, and our mental models about change all seem to imply that something in our natures leads us to resist change. However, it is easy to find examples of human beings, from childhood on through old age, actively seeking out change of all sorts. Human beings do not necessarily resist change automatically; however, many people do resist being changed, i.e., having changes imposed on them. (Lawrence, P.R.,) Organizational change normally involves some threat, real or perceived, of personal loss for those involved. This threat may vary from job security to simply the disruption of an established routine. Furthermore, there may be tradeoffs between the long and short run. As an individual, I may clearly perceive that a particular proposed change is, in the long run, in my own best interests, and I may be very interested in seeing it happen, yet I may have short-run concerns that lead me to oppose particular aspects of the change or even the entire change project. The rate of change is escalating in virtually all organizations. The pressure is intense on anybody connected with the business world to focus time and attention on understanding the forces driving the changing environment and develop or implement the information systems needed to support the altered environment. Resistance to Change It is easy to change the things that nobody cares about. It becomes difficult when you start to change the things that people do care about or when they start to care about the things that you are changing (Lorenzi and Riley) Many authors (Lawrence, 1954; Maurer, 1996; Strebel, 1994; Waddell and Sohal, 1998; among others) have investigated that the reasons for the failure of many change initiatives can be found in resistance to change. Resistance to change is costly and time consuming into the change process which means long or short delays in any process of change (Ansoff, 1990) that are difficult to anticipate but must be taken into consideration. Resistance has also been considered as a source of information, being useful in learning how to develop a more successful change process (Beer and Eisenstat, 1996; Goldstein, 1988; Lawrence, 1954; Piderit, 2000; Waddell and Sohal, 1998). Undoubtedly, resistance to change is a key topic in change management and should be seriously considered to help the organization to achieve the advantages of the transformation. Resistance to change is an ongoing problem. At both the individual and the organizational levels, resistance to change impairs concerted efforts to improve performance. Many corporate change efforts have been initiated at tremendous cost only to be halted by resistance among the organizations employees. Organizations as a whole also manifest behaviour similar to that of individuals when faced with the need to change. The relationship between individual and organizational resistance to change is important. An organization is a complex system of relationships between people, leaders, technologies, and work processes. From this interaction emerge organizational behaviour, culture, and performance. (Maurer, R. 1996) These emergent properties and behaviors are tightly linked in two directions to the lower-level interactions. Organizational resistance to change is an emergent property, and individual resistance to change can give rise to organizational resistance. A self-reinforcing loop of increasing resistance can develop as individuals create an environment in which resistance to change is the norm. That environment in turn encourages increased resistance to change among individual employees. The self-reinforcing nature of this loop can be tremendously powerful, defeating repeated attempts to break out of it. (Maurer, R. 1996) Studies of system dynamics frequently reveal that major problems that everyone thought were external are actually the unintended consequences of internal policies. Definition of Resistance to change Zander (1950), defined resistance to change as a behavior, which is intended to protect an individual from the effects of real or imagined change. Resistance to change is an inevitable response to any major change. Individuals naturally rush to defend the status quo if they feel that their security and status are threatened. (Bolognese, 2002) Whereas Prado del Val and Fuentes say that Resistance to change is a key topic in change management and should be seriously considered to help the organizations to achieve the advantages of the transformation. (Prado del Val, Fuentes, 2003), But De Jager (2001) had described resistance to change by taking a positive approach and stated Resistance is simply a very effective, very powerful and a very useful survival mechanism. (De Jager, 2001) The factors that often lead to resistance to change These are some of those factors that often lead employees and top management resist changing. Ambiguity concerning alteration: Organization members may have a psychological resistance to change because they seek to avoid uncertainty. Past ways of doing things are well known and predictable, and the unwillingness to give up familiar tasks or relationship also cause resistance (Mabin , Forgeson Greene, 2001). Apprehension for mysterious: people become anxious when they exchange the old and familiar for something new and uncertain .A lack of information and understanding often leaves a vacuum which is filled by rumors, speculation and uncertainty. Disruption of Routine: Projected changes that disturb habitual routines or patterns are likely to encounter resistance because a persons behavior is governed largely by habits and routine when a person successfully copes with a situation, he or she will usually continue to operate in a similar manner. The known is preferred and this is especially true when the established behavior has resulted in past successes. Loss of Existing Benefits: When the change causes employees to feel pressured, they may interpret change as a loss of individual security. There may be a emotional loss a loss of prior comfort zone. Threat to Position Power: As the title implies, any change that causes a manager to lose face will always be resisted. Changes that threaten to lower the status or prestige of the individual or group will probably meet resistance. Threat to Security: Change sometimes results in a potential disadvantage to an individual employee or group, and people tend to resist changes that threaten the security of their environment. There may be concerns for the vested interests such as the loss of job, reduced promotional potential, change in career opportunities, reduction in wages etc. Redistribution of Power: A major factor in resistance to innovation is that reorganization invariably implies a redistribution of power and influence. Individuals or groups who perceive that a change will lessen their degree of influence will strongly resist such changes. Disturb existing social networks: Generally technical changes are more readily accepted When do not disturb existing social networks. Friendships, social cliques, or informal teams may be threatened by changes. Resistance to the new Technology: They perceive that new technology will add up to more of unwanted work and will contribute to increased responsibility. They oppose the new processes because they feel that the change will not solve their problems, which they are experiencing. Organizations past performance: The past performance of the change project impacts the perception of employees for the current change project, if the past change project had been introduced and was being failed. This may force them to oppose change. Lack of skill and experience: Managers are fearful about the skills, knowledge and responsibilities, which will be placed on them by the new business processes and technologies. They are also concerned about the experience to effectively manage their employees resistance. And they feel uncomfortable with their role in coping with the change. (Waddle, Sohal, 1998) Disagreement with the new way: When the pace seems too excessive and fast, most people resist. And they conclude that the solution is not the best way for fixing the prevailing problems. So they disagree specifically with the change. (Waddle, sohal, 1998) Overload of tasks: At times they even put change in terms of an additional burden. They find the change initiative as an extra work and a resource strain. Along with the duty of implementing change they are also expected to perform their daily activities and avoid bringing about changes. (Waddle, Sohal, 1998) RESISTANCE TO CHANGE -A BANE The resistance to change if ignored can have detrimental effects on the working of an organization .It is required to be fully reduced or eliminated on an individual levels as people can feign agreement to change and obtain control of change process. This would allow various mechanisms of sabotage to be employed from the inside the organizations such as they can mislead the organization members to completely stall or halt the change process. Resistance to change can also set the managers against each other, as difference of opinions may exist. This will also lead to rumors and misinformation to be spread out deliberately for setting up a conflict within the organization. This can lead to strikes and no-cooperation movements within the organization which will seriously obstruct companys plans and might prove to be the lot of production and time loss for the organization. Resistance to change can led to slowing up of processes as the people not conforming the change will deliberately delay the process by requesting further information. All such actions lead to increase in the overall costs to the organization. Resistance to change may also put the reputation of the organization at stake as those opposing the change can go to media and give statements which may not be good for companys image in the market. How to Overcome Resistance to Change Change triggers emotional reaction because of the uncertainty involved, and most Organisational change efforts run into some form of employee resistance. Resistance to change can be overcome by education and communication, participation and involvement, facilitation and support, negotiation and rewards, and coercion and manipulation. These are some importent change approaches to deal with resistance to change: Kotter and Schlesinger set out the following six (6) change approaches to deal with this resistance to change: Education and Communication Where there is a lack of information or inaccurate information and analysis. One of the best ways to overcome resistance to change is to educate people about the change effort beforehand. Up-front communication and education helps employees see the logic in the change effort. this reduces unfounded and incorrect rumors concerning the effects of change in the organization. Participation and Involvement Where the initiators do not have all the information they need to design the change and where others have considerable power to resist. When employees are involved in the change effort they are more likely to buy into change rather than resist it. This approach is likely to lower resistance and those who merely acquiesce to change. Facilitation and Support Where people are resisting change due to adjustment problems. Managers can head-off potential resistance by being supportive of employees during difficult times. Managerial support helps employees deal with fear and anxiety during a transition period. The basis of resistance to change is likely to be the perception that there some form of detrimental effect occasioned by the change in the organization. This approach is concerned with provision of special training, counseling, time off work. Negotiation and Agreement Where someone or some group may lose out in a change and where that individual or group has considerable power to resist. Managers can combat resistance by offering incentives to employees not to resist change. This can be done by allowing change resistors to veto elements of change that are threatening, or change resistors can be offered incentives to leave the company through early buyouts or retirements in order to avoid having to experience the change effort. This approach will be appropriate where those resisting change are in a position of power. Manipulation and Co-option Where other tactics will not work or are too expensive. Kotter and Schlesinger suggest that an effective manipulation technique is to co-opt with resisters. Co-option involves the patronizing gesture in bringing a person into a change management planning group for the sake of appearances rather than their substantive contribution. This often involves selecting leaders of the resisters to participate in the change effort. These leaders can be given a symbolic role in decision making without threatening the change effort. Still, if these leaders feel they are being tricked they are likely to push resistance even further than if they were never included in the change effort leadership. Explicit and Implicit Coercion Where speed is essential and to be used only as last resort. Managers can explicitly or implicitly force employees into accepting change by making clear that resisting to change can lead to losing jobs, firing, transferring or not promoting employees. RESISTANCE TO CHANGE A BOON There are some people living in a conservative world, for them change is often believed as a dangerous threat. For some of course change can be a positive thing however since most of negative cases were widely exposed more than the positive side, more people would normally be happy if changes do not take place. Change can be interpreted as promotion and demotion which leaves many feel insecure with their future employment (McGuire, 2003). They are worry about how they may have to do their work in different ways or their current salary will be subject to change (McGuire, 2003). Admittedly, behind all the change process there are organisations needs for make more profits in any possible way which often leads to job-cutting and restructuring. In business world everything is a competition. Everyone within organisation must compete both internally and externally to keep their existing job or to get a better one. Managers most of the time view resistance negatively and employees resisting to change are considered disobedient but often resistance may play a positive and useful role in any change process. Folger Skarlicki has given a positive view and said not all interventions are appropriate as implemented, the organization might be changing the wrong thing or doing it wrong. Just as conflict can sometimes be used constructively for change, legitimate resistance might bring about additional organizational change. (Skarlicki F 1999) Waddell specifically analysed this resistance issues and found that there are many idealist managers who believe that change process that occurs with only minimal resistance must have been a good change that was managed well (Waddell, 1998). She argued that this understanding is an immature perspective which leaves resistance in the negative side of the change process. She discovered that even in the early 1990s a number of management experts were still correlate resistances with counter-productive behaviors (Waddell, 1998). Waddell also found that resistance is far more complex condition than just one thought. Several minor factors may lead to a multifaceted reason why resistance exists (Waddell, 1998): Rational factor This happens when some employees are having different understanding of the outcome of the change with the management. Such condition may convey them to choose being opposition to change. Non-rational factor This reaction comes from insensible employees who simply being egoist without trying to understand the needs of Organisation in general. In this category are those with if it aint broke, dont fix it feeling (McGuire, 2003). Political factor This reaction may arise when some people are trying to politicise the change and the fact that they may be happy if they win against their opponent in decision whether change should take place or not. Management factor Of course there are possibilities where management doesnt provide adequate information which may lead to resistances. Rituals of Transition All change involves loss. In many cases, change requires at the minimum that individuals give up familiar routines. In some cases, the loss is substantial, affecting position, power, networks of friends and colleagues, and such. In all these situations, rituals of transition can be crucial in assisting people to grieve and let go of the old and move on to the new. The strategies for overcoming the barriers to change are quite diverse and touch on every aspect of the organization. No organization can begin using all the strategies at the same time or even in a short period of time. A better approach is to focus on one or two until they become part of the normal way of operating, i.e., until they become engrained in peoples habits. Only then is it time to introduce another strategy. In this way, over time, the organization gradually improves its abilities to learn rapidly, to adapt to new conditions, and to embrace change. Concluding thoughts and reflection of future role Resistance is normal and natural. As human beings we are all naturally resistant to change. This is in essence dictated by evolutionary history. Survival of the species depended upon being able to quickly scan any change for potential danger so it could be avoided if possible. As a result we are naturally danger people and when anything new pops into the environment we look to see how it might be a threat. If we perceive a threat then we avoid or resist it. Resistance emerges when there are a threat to something the individual values. The threat may be real or it may be just a perception. It may arise from a genuine understanding of the change or from misunderstanding, or even almost total ignorance about it. It is very interesting to find that despite the number of people who thought that resistance is a horrifying thing, there are some people who are trying to come up with a new and daring idea that resistant would be helpful, useful, beneficial or even constructive in someway. After investigating some of interesting and useful literatures, I realized that resistance is not just a word to use as blocking every effort of change as it sounds like there are other constrictive meanings of this word. Unfortunately I never had any experience with management jobs where I have to force any change and observe any resistance first hand, however if some day I do get opportunity to manage a team and any change initiative I will now remember that resistant can be positive helpful and rewarding. As a future management consultant, I could imagine that, I will be involved in big and hectic projects where I have to implement new systems or upgrade existing ones I can imagine minimizing the resistance will be a big task but I think if change process is initiated properly it is possible and achievable. I will try to address the problem if resistance is a problem accordingly by putting it in a positive way and educating resisters about the change process and by learning from their fears and concerns. I will try to choose the right change path so that resistance can be reduced or overcome. Easier way to lessen the resistance is by assuring the people and makes them believe, that change is inevitable and it will exciting and will bring new and positive opportunities for all. I will make sure that take them with me and not run fast so they know what is happening in organization. Bottom line is as change is inevitable thing resistance is too, so they run parallel to each other if resi stance is positive company learn and win if it is negative and can not overcome by positive means organization is loser. I would ask those with the future to understand our current needs and those with short vision to watch towards a better future. For me, I would wisely use my free-will certainly as the very last weapon (and not the first) and committed to support any constructive plans headed for a better plan in business and future personally. In this case, a brain would normally work better than a heart.

Russo-Japanese War Essay -- essays research papers fc

Russo-Japanese War At the turn of the century, Russia was the largest nation in Europe, both in terms of population and land area. It also had a powerful army and navy, which in addition to its vast territory made it almost unthinkable for any nation to attempt to wage a war against it. Why then had Russia not only been defeated, but suffered tremendous and uneven casualties compared to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War? This loss, which later had dire consequences for the Russian empire, occurred because of inadequate preparation, poor leadership, and simply bad luck which plagued the Russian military forces in the Pacific.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prior to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, â€Å"Russia held a position inferior to that of China in the Far East,† it’s efforts characterized by â€Å"haphazard measures of colonization, unstable means of communication and passive diplomacy.† However, at its completion, Russia had a means of deploying a significant military force in Manchuria. Manchuria, of course, was home to the nearly ice-free Port Arthur; Russia’s other naval ports were frozen for a large part of the year. In addition, â€Å"control of Port Arthur gives [Russia] a large measure of control over the water approaches to Peking.† Moreover, by controlling the southern coast of Korea, â€Å"Russia would not merely possess a truly ice-free, and the best naval port to be found in East Asia, but also at last feel secure in Manchuria and complete her Far Eastern design of absorbing Korea and China and pressing down toward India.† At the same time , â€Å"for Japanese, too, Port Arthur possessed importance beyond its strategic significance, fought for and won as it had been by their troops in the Chinese War and then wrestled from them by the Europeans.† The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 was used by Russia â€Å"as a welcome pretext for taking outright possession of most of Manchuria, as a preliminary to turning it into an additional Russian province.†