Wednesday, November 27, 2019

False Papers Essays

False Papers Essays False Papers Essay False Papers Essay Intro People say that their memories are the most precious things they posses. One may say that memories are â€Å"Every mans memory is his private literature†. Aldous Huxley. We can say that this can be shown in the works of Andre Aciman in False Papers (Square Lamartine) by and Carol Ann Duffy in Nostalgia. Both authors show attitudes and feelings of nostalgia but have incorporated these feelings in different perspectives and attitudes of what nostalgia is. The question that will be discussed in this presentation are: how do both authors Andre Aciman and Carol Ann Duffy in Nostalgia and Square Lamartine use literary devices to portray their feeling of nostalgic feeling? Andre Aciman writes about his past memories from Egypt where he imagines himself reliving his childhood. He links his travels through his past through the different instances and occurrences that have taken place in his past. He links Nostalgia with the linked essays that ponder on the experiences of loss, moving from the forced departure from Alexandria as a teenager and the brief stay in Europe. : He himself quotes that his nostalgia is beautiful because â€Å"Most people are convinced I love Alexandria. In truth, I love remembering Alexandria, for it is not Alexandria that is beautiful. Remembering is beautiful† – Andre Aciman Carol Ann Duffy writes about the romantic view of the past and childhood, where one hopes for the past, by being too prized. She takes nostalgia in a different direction where it sets up a kind of barriers where the poem takes different tracks in writing about relation of the past and the origins of the feelings which draws one back to the past. Body 1 Carol Ann Duffy in Nostalgia talks about how the feelings of romantic view of the past childhood and where ones hope for the past are expressed. In nostalgia she mentions the â€Å"early mercenaries† where the poem first imagines the first feelings of nostalgia: the origins of the feelings preceding the word. Even if emotions have origins, that are even if they don’t always exist, they only seem to some extent more arbitrary, more questionable then they have been so. The idea opens up the possibility of consideration, judgment, of the particular emotion. The usage of â€Å"Early† establishes the origin of the emotion. The â€Å"mercenaries† is a little more complex in the sense that why would someone or anyone leave their home? In this case they are leaving home for money. The word suggest a kind of moral judgment where mercenaries fight for no other reason that money; values, etc, are not an issue for them. Nostalgia is first described as a sickness. This seems both a kind of punishment for the ‘mercenaries’ leaving home – but also a kind of reduction of the general ‘romantic’ aura of nostalgia, its description as a sensitive delicate feeling. The usage of the word ‘wrong’ repeated over and over gives the sense of why there were not used to and what the mercenaries didn’t expect, what was not suited to them, or morally or esthetically wrong, bad in itself. The word ‘wrong’ blurs across al the different shades of meaning, although on it all depends on what your perceive to be the ‘moral’ of the poem. Every detail that they mercenaries felt is wrong; this is emphasized with the repetition of the word and the list of different qualities. Adding to this the emphasized wrongness is the one return: money. It sounds every cold and inadequate place against the list of all that is wrong. The general idea of the first verse sounds critical – especially when it seems to be summed up by the final word of the long second sentence: ‘wrong’ summarizing judgment given emphasis by placing the word; a run on line, completed by this single word alone. It sounds at least temporarily conclusive a moral judgment. In Square Lamartine by Andre Aciman, he uses repetition in making his point. He emphasizes his past feelings with how beautiful it is remembering the time he looked out of the window to remember the same sky, same city and the same feeling that overcomes the memory. My passage to France is no Longer easy I can go to France, But I can no longer be in France. To be in France is to think all of the times I came so close and failed, of near-misses and close calls†. He makes it clear that he’s trying to remember the beauty of the memory of France at that time, yet his attempt to remember that beauty had some â€Å"near-misses and close callsà ¢â‚¬  but to himself he still thinks of it as his failure. The repetition of France emphasizes his point on trying to remember the beautiful city and his memory of the place. To question something is Andre Aciman’s literary technique to bring out the beauty in the memory that he is trying to remember. He also uses the usage of rhetorical questions to question the beauty of the remembering this nostalgia that sends our emotions spiraling. His question â€Å"Why wasn’t I Born here. Why can’t I live here when will it happen, why am I here when it seem too late? Andre Aciman uses the question to ask the reader to sympathize with him. He is questioning how the realistic this feeling is but he still can seem to visualize the beauty of remembering the feeling. He also links the why wasn’t I born here with the live, and his presence of being there. It creates a two sided argument on what its really like to see yourself being there and actually being there. Body 2 In the 2nd stanza Duffy mentions, â€Å"they had an ache here†, â€Å"it was given a name†, â€Å"a sweet pain in the heart†. The ‘ache here’ now seems to be leaving a consultation between the speaker and the doctor, and the ‘here’ point to is the speakers own heart; which comes back to the feelings suffered by the mercenaries is now also suffered by the speaker. The distanced judgment is partially compromises as the speaker too has this ‘illness’. There is a severity factors due to the speakers involvement compromising the distanced judgment, which adds more severity feeling when it suddenly changes from merely ‘making them ill’ to ‘it was killing them’. The making of nostalgia an illness has not only stripped away that romantic aura that nostalgia is meant to feel like but also had increase its strength in the poem distancing and minimizing nostalgia making it more pressing. The language and imagery of the second verse its noticeably more romantic than the first stanza. The feelings that are imagined in the second verse are that of those who stayed put, which were fearful i. e. those who merely imagine the feeling because they do not feel it really. The controversial language/phrasing/imagery of romantic verse is show in â€Å"†¦The sad pipes’ and ‘the dwindling light of the plain’. This poetic phrasing is not only the poet’s own but also the imagination of these stay at homes, fearing nostalgia. The division between those who really felt nostalgia as an illness and those who elaborated upon their fears of what I might be is just a far too simple division. By unnoticeably introducing the word ‘dwindling’ is a different perspective on nostalgia, the first verse emphasized geographic distance and now in ‘dwindling; and in the last two lines of this verse introduces the perspective of time. The last two lines give a sort of snapshot of the memory from ones childhood. The shift is unnoticeable but it will determine how the poem ends. Andre Aciman in his writing uses word choice that laborates the thinking of how beauty is captured though different view. â€Å"†¦ Put off grasping in the hope that, when we’re not looking, when we’ve stopped hoping and thinking and dreaming driven out of its hiding place it might finally decide to tap us on the shoulder and beckon to us with a promise of bliss†. This enhances the speaker’s point of view, the usage of words that show hope of being somewhere and achieving that goal is hidden and with the use of ‘looking’, ‘hoping’, ‘thinking’ and ‘dreaming’ where he creates false sense nostalgia. Since in square Lamartine he is remembering his past time that he spent his childhood in France. Aciman uses figurative language in which he mentions the â€Å"romance of Paris† which he implies as remembering is beautiful. Since romance is a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love he connects this to his love for Paris and his love in remembering something of the past that is so beautiful, nostalgia. Body 3 In the third stanza Carol Ann Duffy when she says, â€Å"the word was out† this shifts the focus on the personal attachment that people had with nostalgia is now just publically out to be judged and criticized. The usage of the word out emphasizes the word has escaped and so cannot now be contained or restricted in how it will be used or interpreted: and, secondly, the rumor of the existence of this feeling is now general, public property, and so what it might mean, how it might be used, can now no longer be controlled. Duffy uses the priest and the teacher as symbols for questioning the feelings of heartfelt nostalgia. The shift between the first verse where this is that feeling which as become purely mental, imagined, but also mournful, and, as such, impossible to eradicate because it concerns itself not with individual fate and actions but with fixed condition of Nature and Life and not depending on the person individual actions. The priest is â€Å"crying at the workings of memory through the color of leaves† because the memory cannot call back the past. And why at the color of the leaves, because leaves turn red and fall in autumn meaning they die. This creates a time framer where time moves on and cannot be stopped. The teacher turns â€Å"too late† in here attempt to recreate her past through her reading the book. The last verse of the poem returns its focus back to the â€Å"early mercenaries† returning home- that should be the antidote for the illness of the first stanza. The seasonal shift being â€Å"spring† which is a symbol of revival and the repetition of the word â€Å"same† mimics but reverses the repetition of the word â€Å"wrong: in the first stanza. Andre Aciman use metaphors to convey his love and passion for the remembering the time he had spent in France in his childhood. The remembering itself is expressed as beautiful as he uses the comparison of the two different aspects of music and harmony. He does so in the expression â€Å"If Egypt was the bass melody, Paris was the full orchestral score, an Saint Augustine thinking back to the time when we had not yet sooner†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The usage of music helps express the feelings of how the beauty of even the simplest of music elements can make memories so much brighter. The usage of â€Å"bass melody† and â€Å"Paris was the full orchestral score† makes the memory of Paris seem so much full of life. Aciman compares the bass melody which in music is just plays in the background of the music, and makes Paris seem all the more beautiful with enhancing that melodious tune to become that whole orchestral score ignoring the harmony of music. Aciman makes usage of musical methodology to express the â€Å"full orchestral score† which brings outs the beauty in music. This is what makes his remembering the past so beautiful. Aciman also refers back to the past through usage of imagery. Aciman compares the past of Alexandria in compares to the beauty of life and the hardships that he has lived through, viewing up the beauty of man and memories that have been made. He mentions â€Å"Alexandria and dreaming of a Seine scarcely seven minutes away was also cast upon this landscape, a past life, a pluperfect life, a conditional life, a life made, like Paris, for the mind Or the paper†. The indication of a â€Å"seine† which translated in English means a major French river, which is implied as a metaphor. This in turn creates a passage way through his memories which he can flow along and move across time and space, this is indicated with the ‘seine scarcely seven minutes away which was also cast upon this landscape†. The river is his path which he takes back in seven minutes to his â€Å"past life† in which he describes as more than perfect which he images to be more like he had in Paris. Conclusion Overall these two different style writers have combined different aspects of reaching one goal. The different varied styles to achieve their view on nostalgia, may it be from personal experiences of fictional ones. Their different styles contribute to their writing differently. Duffy’s different styles takes nostalgia in a different direction where it sets up a kind of barriers where the poem takes different tracks in writing about relation of the past and the origins of the feelings which draws one back to the past. On the other hand Aciman making the most of nostalgia by expressing his feelings by linking his travels through his past through the different instances and occurrences and linking Nostalgia that ponder on the experiences of loss, moving from the forced departure from Alexandria as a teenager and the brief stay in Europe. Overall the two express their emotions and thought differently Duff on one hand goes to seek the true feelings and origins where as Aciman just want to remember the beauty and emotion filled experience that you get from remembering.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Cost of Child Support essays

The Cost of Child Support essays Child support to me is a great tool that can be used against a dead beat parent or somebody that just keeps having kids regardless of the after affect. It can help the caring and more responsible party care for their offspring; however, there are many parents who take advantage of this free money and use it for their own benefit. I have two boys, a five year old and three year old. I have given them everything a father could give to them. I provide a safe warm house, food on the table and clean clothes. I bath them and make them brush their teeth daily. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I get my five year old on the bus and my three year old to preschool. I ensure that every homework or project they bring home gets done and gets done right. I read books to them every night to help their brains develop properly. Every night I have them: they get a bath, their teeth brushed, their ears cleaned, and then of course tucked into their bed watching Wow Wow Wubzy. I take really good care of my boys. In 2009, I was ordered- by the Wayne County Child Support Enforcement Agency- to pay $829 a month for child support. I received the support papers in the mail. They had everything calculated from my income, the mothers income, health insurance costs, daycare costs, etc. There was also a paper for me to fill out in which I could fight the amount I was being ordered to pay. There was no doubt in my mind that this was a mistake. I mean how can my kids cost $829 a month? That being half of the cost because, the mother would be paying the other half. So in reality our kids cost us $1658 a month. I was also ordered to pay all of the daycare costs and the portions of medical costs that my health insurance didnt cover. A month later, both the mother and I had a meeting with the WCCSEA. The lady we met with was Tara; she was the head of the WCCSEA. We had the chance to discuss both mine and the mother's issues. Ambe...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Knowledge Management Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Knowledge Management Systems - Essay Example The objective of this paper is to identify and review the challenges of building and implementing knowledge systems. Also included in the discussion are the advantages of curbing failure factors of KMS as well as effective strategies in developing knowledge management initiatives. Identifying the challenges in building knowledge management systems (KMS) is a major concern. Bartczak (2002) claims that an intervening action towards achieving the objective of knowledge management (KM) is to determine the problems that inhibit knowledge transfer in different types of organisations. When a particular problem is recognised, organisations become capable of implementing approaches to reinforce organisational value through improved knowledge management. Knowledge is at the core of managing knowledge in organisations. In management literature, numerous studies have been proposed integrating the contribution of knowledge in enhancing management performance. Nevertheless, there are few researches about studying the chief failure causes in the domain of knowledge management (Chatzkel 2003). Through a comprehensive review of literature about the failure causes of knowledge management Malhotra (2004, as cited in Akhavan, Jafari, & Fathian 2005: para 3-4) states that: .. Prior discussion has highlighted that knowledge management system fail because of two broad reasons. ... For these inputs to result in business performance, the influence of intervening and moderating variables such as attention, motivation, commitment, creativity, and innovation, has to be better understood and accounted for in design of business models. Second, the efficacy of inputs and how they are strategically deployed are important issues often left unquestioned as 'expected' performance outcomes are achieved, but the value of such performance outcomes may be eroded by the dynamic shifts in the business and competitive environments... In other words, Malhotra is arguing that the most frequent mistake in building knowledge management system is incompetence in synchronising endeavours between human resources and information technology. He also emphasises that KMS design should guarantee that adjustment and improvement of organisational performance outcomes transpires in harmony with evolving processes of the business environment. At the same time, envisioning a wide range of future courses of human contributions and information technology implanted in the KMS can reduce the threat of rapid obsoleteness of these systems. The objective of this study is to analyse and discuss some of the most apparent problems or challenges in building knowledge management systems in organisations. The first section will discuss the inherent challenges in the management of organisational knowledge, such as employee characteristics and the trend of knowledge work. Then the challenges in embedded knowledge and information systems, as well as the failure causes in KMS will be discussed. The final section will provide an overall analysis and inclusive conclusion on the knowledge management

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Evaluate three of the four books we've read this term, discussing Essay

Evaluate three of the four books we've read this term, discussing whether you think they were bad or not - Essay Example Obviously, bad books are those that alienate the reader from the story. A bad book does not have the elements-- like realistic or sensible characters or strong plots-- that make the reader crave for more. Second, a good book is entertaining, informative, and interesting all at the same time. Even though it is fiction or a creative piece of writing it should be applicable to real-world circumstances. A bad book, on the other hand, only tries to fulfill one sole purpose, either to entertain, inform, or fascinate. This sort of one-dimensional book eventually becomes bland and unexciting because of the monotony of its purpose. Third, a good book enhances the readers’ knowledge or appreciation of reality. It effectively challenges negative beliefs, like stereotypes, and creates new realizations for the reader. In other words, a good book is an effective eye-opener. Fourth, a good book does not use too many jargons. It is easy to understand. A bad book, on the other hand, is too com plicated. The writing style is unfriendly. And lastly, a good book is revolutionary. It introduces new ways of telling a story, creating characters, developing a plot, and ending a story. One book that is truly revolutionary, that is, it does not try to strictly follow the traditional standards of writing is Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote. ... It does not need great intellect to understand the story. The central story is straightforward. But what is fascinating about this book is that it is not really a simple story, it is in fact very complicated if one will try to analyze it intently. The story has almost a flawless blending of effect. The plot, the symbols, and the characters all play a role in the overall theme. On the surface, the plot is uncomplicated and upholds what has been stated about the story’s subject matter in a smooth, subjective manner. In other words, the novel does not fail to involve its readers emotionally. One perfect example is the real emotions that the love affair between Gatsby and a rich girl creates. A guy falling in love with a rich girl sounds somewhat generic. But as the story progresses, the events become quite complicated, with betrayal and deception coming into the picture. The novel is entertaining and informative at the same time. The narrative structure of the novel is entertaini ng because Nick Carraway, the narrator, recounts the incidents not in the sequence they take place, but in the sequence Fitzgerald desires. It is informative because it raises awareness about the condition of the United States in the 1920s, more particularly, the effects of World War I on the nation (Fitzgerald 72). Lastly, the novel encourages the reader to reflect on the American Dream. Did life in contemporary Western civilization become devoid of any essential meaning? The Great Gatsby shows that the American Dream has become meaningless. As depicted in the novel, there is nothing left but a rough quest for riches and the shallow prestige that riches endow. Some rich people, like the Buchanan family, are discontented, bored, small-minded, and miserable. The

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Conceptual framework Essay Example for Free

Conceptual framework Essay The table1 below shows that the theories for the adoption and diffusion of an IT-based innovation. Scholar name: Theory name 1. Rogers (1983, 1995) Innovation diffusion theory 2. Moore and benbasat (1991) Perceived characteristics of innovation 3. Davis (1989) Technology acceptance model 4. K won and Zmud (1987) Diffusion/ implementation model 5. Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1975) Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) Table1 2, a list of innovation adoption theories. Davis developed the technology acceptance model in 1989. It aims to explain the determinants of computer acceptance in general the capability of the user’s behavior across a broad range of end-user computing technologies and user populations, while being parsimonious and theoretically justified (Davis 1989). The theory includes several theoretical backgrounds like adoption of innovations, the cost-benefit paradigm, expectancy theory, and self-efficacy theory. At the core of the theory is the model proposed by Davis, which focuses on the perceived usefulness of technology and perceived ease of use, which plays a significant influence in adopting innovation. Figure 1. Davis Technology Acceptance Model Davis’ TAM originated from the Fishbein and Ajzen’s Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) model (Davis, 1989). The TRA model aims â€Å"to explain a broader range of behaviors based on situation specific combinations of personal beliefs and attitudes, and the effects of beliefs of others close to the individual† (Szajna, 1996). The discussion and limitation of the theories A limitation has been found for using those theories is that â€Å"according to the research, there are only the Innovation diffusion theory (Roger, 1995) and Diffusion/ implementation model (K won and Zmud, 1987) predict the both of an individual’s adoption behavior and an organization’s adoption behavior. † (Anand Jeyaraj, Joseph W Rottam, Mary C Lacity). The others theories predict only an individual’s adoption behavior. In another words, the TAM and TRA only exam the innovation adoption from the individual blogger perspective. However, to eliminate the limitation, the author will choose using with the DOI theory together in order to deeply analyze the both innovation adoption by individual bloggers and organizations. Diffusion and Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory 1995 Diffusion is the process in which and innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. It is a special type of communication, in that the messages are concerned with new ideas (Rogers 1995, 5). In his works, Rogers discusses diffusion as the transfer of innovations through different media in a specific time and into different members of the social system. He also defines communication, an important and critical part of the diffusion of innovations. He defines communication in the diffusion of innovations as a process in which participants create and share information with one another in order to reach a mutual understanding. This definition implies that communication is a process of convergence (or divergence) as two or more individuals exchange information in order to move toward each other (or apart) in meanings that they give to certain events (Rogers 1995, 6). Communication is a very important factor in the diffusion of innovations, it is a medium which must be perceived as a two way process rather as a one-way linear act, since in the diffusion of innovations, those who are yet to accept the innovations must be well adept and informed about the innovation. Blogging is a form of innovation which involves the interaction of a whole social system in the dynamic cyberspace. Corporate blog is seen as a communication method which involves the interaction of two or more individuals or even a whole social system. Diffusion is a special type of communication in which the messages are about a new idea. This newness of the idea in the message content gives diffusion its special character (Rogers 1995, 6). From these statements come new concepts such as newness, uncertainty, and information in the context of diffusion. While uncertainty is the degree to which a number of alternatives are perceived with respect to the occurrence of an event and the relative probability of alternatives. Uncertainty implies a lack of predictability, of structure, and of information. Rogers (1995) cites Rogers and Kincaid (1981) in the discussion of Information in the context of diffusion. Wherein, Information is a difference in matter-energy that affects uncertainty in a situation where a choice exists among a set of alternatives. Advances in technology, embodies information and reduces uncertainty about cause-effect relationships in problem solving. Technology is information put into use in order to carry out some task (Rogers et. al. 1999, 689) As technological advances are the major factors diffused, studies have also been conducted in relation to technological transfers which is much related to the diffusion of innovations. Technology transfer is the application of information into use (Rogers 1995). As defined, technological transfer is the application of theoretical innovations into applied inputs and outputs which may be used for both commercialized and not commercialized produce or services, wherein consumers or corporations benefit. The information that is transferred results from research that is conducted, perhaps in order for it to be applied to the development and commercialization of new or improved products or services that are sold in the marketplace by private companies (Matkin 1990). The process of technological transfer involves an interaction between the corporation and the corresponding stakeholders which benefit or which are affected by the corporation. Thus the suggestions in Rogers’ theory that there must be clear coordination through communication should be applied as reinforced by Williams and Gibson. The technology transfer process usually involves communication between (1) a source of technology that possesses specialized technical skills, and (2) receptors who do not possess these specialized skills and who cannot create the technology themselves (Williams Gibson 1990). Which is basically corresponding to the logical flow that technology is basically transferred to those who are not well adept to the advanced technology. A technology is a design for instrumental action that reduces the uncertainty in the cause-effect relationships involve in achieving a desired outcome (Rogers 1995, 13). Technology often has two aspects, one is the hardware aspect and the second is the software aspect. The hardware aspect consists of a tool that embodies the technology as a material or physical object (Rogers 1995, 13). The hardware aspect often comes as the solid part of the technology, as in the case of the computer, the hardware aspect is the keyboard, the monitor, the mouse the central processing unit, semiconductors etc. The software aspect consists of the information base for the tool (Rogers 1995, 6). The software aspect is then composed of the tools which enable the hardware to pursue its functions. As in the case of the computer, the software aspect is the codes, programs, commands, instructions, manuals, etc. Contrary to the common perception that the hardware is mostly is technology since it is normal for humans to think only of things which they can see and hold – yet technology may be purely the software aspect or may entirely be composed only of information which is new and considerably helpful than the current design and functions of normal practices. Examples of these technologies which may be composed of pure information are political ideologies such as Marxism and Maoism; and or religious beliefs and ideas such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc. Corporate blog may be attributed to the software part, as there is no solid hardware present, but the computers and other equipments. It is an easy way to make organizations adopt to innovations, such technology existed for quite sometime yet there are yet a few corporations who did not join the trend of corporate blogging. Everett Rogers conceptualized the Diffusion of innovation theory in 1995. In this theory, Rogers (1995) points out that the acceptance of an innovation depends upon certain qualities as perceived by the audience. These qualities are the relative advantage of the innovation, its compatibility with existing values and practices, its simplicity and ease of use, its trialability, and its observable results. Relative advantage is the degree an innovation is perceived as a better idea than its preceding innovations. This quality is measured in economic terms, social prestige, convenience and satisfaction (Robinson, no date). Robinson further stresses that â€Å"the greater the perceived relative advantage of an innovation, the more rapid its rate of adoption is likely to be†. Compatibility with existing values and practices is concerned with the consistency of the innovation to the existing values, past experiences, and needs of potential adopters. If an idea is perceived to be incompatible with existing values and practices of a social system, it is less likely to be adopted. Simplicity and ease of use is the adopter’s perception on the difficulty of the innovation to understand and use. The simpler the innovation, the more rapid its rate of adoption will be. Trialability is the degree an innovation may be experimented with on a limited basis (Robinson, no date). Trialability of an innovation reduces the potential adopter’s uncertainties about the innovation. Observable result is the degree to which an adopter sees the results of an innovation. The more visible the result is, the more likely individuals will adopt it. These are the factors that must be considered in order to create a successful innovation. In summary, innovations simply with more relative advantages, greater compatibility, trialability, observability, and less complexity will gain a higher rate of adoption. There are four main elements in the Diffusion of Innovations as identified by Rogers (1995), these are (1) Innovation, (2), Channels, (3) Time, and (4) social system. As defined earlier, Rogers (1995, 11) defines diffusion as the process by which (1) and innovation (2) is communicated through certain channels (3) over time (4) among the members of the social system. Innovations. An innovation is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by and individual or other unit of adoption. I matters little, so far as human behavior is concerned, whether or not an idea is â€Å"objectively† new as measured by the lapse of time since its first use or discovery (Rogers 1995, 12). As Rogers (1995, 12) stresses, it should be assumed that the diffusion and adoption of all innovations are necessarily desirable. The attributes of innovations are namely, (1) Relative advantage, (2) Compatibility, (3) Complexity, (4) Trialability, and (5) Observability. Rogers (1997, 2) discussed each of the five attributes; Relative advantage is the degree to which innovation is perceived as better than the idea it supercedes. Individuals evaluate new ideas in relationship to the ideas with which they are familiar; compatibility as the degree to which an innovation is perceived as similar to the individual’s past experiences, values and beliefs; Complexity as the degree to which an innovation is perceived as difficult to understand and use; Trialability as the degree to which an innovation is perceived as divisible by the individual for purposes of gaining personal experience with it; and observability as the degree to which an innovation is perceived as highly visible to others.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Childhood Struggles versus Adulthood Responsibilities Essay -- strugg

As each individual explores reality, they stumble upon obstacles which eventually transforms them into the best version of themselves. The influential key is to have the fortitude and the ability to forgive with benevolence. "Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees." My eyes glew with intensity when the I first heard of this quote. The concept of this quote could not explain me any better. To me I believe struggles make people grow stronger and intelligent. Without the struggles I endure, I wouldn't be as strong and independent as I am today. I never could comprehend why happiness had its own way of taking its sweet time, but I'm glad it did. The changes I went through led me to become a wiser individual. Yes, I’m not perfect, and yes I do fall apart at times--but looking back, I wouldn’t want to change every complication that went wrong in my life, because those little things made me who I am today--Farhiya Ali Geylani. It all began when my older sister Sabrina, was born in Kenya. Life was tough for my parents raising my four siblings in a...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Individuality: Ellen Degeneres and Sexual Preference

Stay True to Yourself SaRaya V. Woolridge Towson University Abstract In order to be successful in any aspect of life you must be an advocate. As stated by dictionary. com, an advocate is to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly. Everyone by nature is an advocate for something whether it is being something as minimal as being an advocate for a promotion from your job or an increase in your allowance from your parents. There’s at least one topic that you feel strongly about and you feel should change.For me that topic is individualism. I believe that being your own person and staying true to yourself in any situation will lead you to ultimate success. Often in society people who are â€Å"different† from the norm are deemed weird and often looked down on. Straying from the norm doesn’t make you weird or any less good than the next person. A man who wears hair down to his ankles and shorts all year round with hoodies or someone who is homosexual and decided not to hide their sexual preference just to fit in with what society accepts.Every single person is different from the next no matter their race, age, background or even physical appearance. No two people are the exact same. And with this being said I never understood exactly why everyone is so hell bent on â€Å"Fitting In†. I believe that everyone should embrace every little thing that makes them special and use it to their advantage and become successful. There are many famous people right now that are successful right now that only were able to reach their full potential by embracing the very thing that made them unique and â€Å"different†.Ellen Degeneres revealed she was a lesbian, a rap group out to Brooklyn, NY by the name of â€Å"Flatbush Zombies† embraces their â€Å"weirdness† in rapping and sense of style and the good girl gone bad Rihanna expresses herself through body art and hairstyles. All three used made the m special to get where they are in life. Homosexuality is very common in our society today, so common that the rights for gays are a big campaign topic. There was once upon a time that the people in the limelight whom we often look up to would hide their sexual preference to gain and maintain social acceptance.But more recently there have been more and more people â€Å"coming out the closet†. Ellen Degeneres, Rosie O’Donnel, Lance Bass of N’Sync and Ricky Martin to name a few all are celebrities who have over the years embraced their sexuality. Most of the stars who revealed their sexual preference didn’t come as a surprise. But all can conclude that it made their life much easier and contributed to their career’s success. Ellen Degeneres said in an interview â€Å"†I never wanted to be ‘the lesbian actress. ‘ I never wanted to be the spokesperson for the gay community. Ever. I did it for my own truth. Ellen also went on to find love and marry a woman.This also caused a big stir because of the ongoing debates of same sex marriage. A lot of people do not agree with this and being a talk show host this could have easily harmed her ratings. But she did not let any of this stop her from being one of the top talk show hosts and gaining endorsements from companies such as cover girl. Also on the same website Elton John was quoted saying â€Å"[Coming out] gave me the freedom to be who I was for the rest of my life. I don't have to hide around corners. The worse thing is to be afraid of who you are — it's horrible. They both concluded that ever since revealing their sexuality their life has been easier. And when your life is stress free your success comes with ease because all your focus is on you and not hiding who you are. Another person who has gained much success through being an advocate for individualism is pop star Rihanna. Starting out with a good girl island girl image with her debut song â€Å" pon de replay†, no one would ever think she would be the hardcore, slick mouthed tattooed girl she is today. Often tweeting and posting pictures smoking weed and cursing at critics.Some people think that this is all a mechanism to cope with the domestic violence dispute she was involved in but Rihanna is very adamant about this being exactly who she’s been all along. Now that she’s made her mark and established a very loyal following, she’s able to really embrace her wild side without the concern that she will not be socially accepted. Rihanna has showed her â€Å"I Don’t Care† attitude through vulgar tweeting, tattoos and wild hairstyles. Over the years she’s chopped her hair all off, shaved her sides and dyed her hair outrageous colors such as fire engine red. She has also gotten tattoos f miniature guns and a quote on her knuckles that say â€Å"Thug Life†. Tattoos often communicate something negative in the public eye especi ally when it is in a spot that is very visible. (Doss and Ebesu-Hubbard, 2009) Most people would think her blatant disrespect and good girl gone bad persona would make her lose fans but ever since she’s done this her fan base has grown and her record sales have sky rocketed. She’s since been labeled a style icon and been making #1 hit records. Last but not least, there is the demonic crazily dressed duo Flatbush Zombies out of Brooklyn, New York.This group is compiled of two underground rappers with a theme and a dream. Piggy backing off of what the media named the â€Å"Zombie Attack† the duo has made quite a name for themselves, particularly for their style of dress and rap. They usually dress in loud non matching colors, mixing up prints and even dying their hair outrageous colors. One member of the group by the name os Juice had his hair dyed red at the top and gold on the sides. This was following the previous cheetah spotted hair. They take their â€Å"we irdness† and use it to their advantage.They dress weird, they dye their hair, they do drugs and rap and they don’t care who has a problem with it and it has only contributed to their rising success from underground rappers to mainstream. These are just a few examples of the â€Å"weird† and â€Å"different† people in the world that I admire for staying true to what makes them different. I personally have always had a very different style and I know people stare at me and talk about me but at the end of the day I’ve made a lot of networking connections being exactly who I am.As have many other famous people. This may sound cliche but I never want to be the girl who is trying to fit in when I was born to stand out, because when you try to fit in with the norm you’ll be washed away and blended in with everyone else. All in all, I believe that being an advocate for individuality is very crucial to success. All of the people in my paper as well as in the world who are successful Work Cited De Boer, S. (February 2009). Stars who came out of the closet, Wonderwall. Retrieved September 23, 2012 from

Sunday, November 10, 2019

SWOT analysis for Nurses and Health care environments Essay

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in a health care environment. SWOT – for management, mentoring and nursing Hospital nursing swot analysisA SWOT analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the managers, clinical leads, nurse tutors, nurse mentors and staff involved in the analysis of what is effective and less effective in clinical systems and procedures, in preparation for a plan of some form (that could be an audit (CQC), assessments, quality checks etc.). In fact a SWOT can be used for any planning or analysis activity which could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable you (the management& clinical staff) to carry out a more comprehensive analysis. Definitions of SWOT †¢Strengths – Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on (or be an enabler to) achieving the clinic’s objectives †¢Weaknesses – Factors that are likely to have a negative effect on (or be a barrier to) achieving the clinic’s objectives †¢Opportunities – External Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on achieving or exceeding the clinic’s objectives, or goals not previously considered †¢Threats – External Factors and conditions that are likely to have a negative effect on achieving the clinic’s objectives, or making the objective redundant or un-achievable. Before starting any planning or analysis process you need to have a clear and SMART goal or objective. What is it that you need to achieve or solve? Ensure that all key stakeholders (relevant to the issue being explored) buy into this objective or goal. Then undertake a PESTLE analysis (or PESTLE in Clinics), this will provide you with the external factors (OT). Use the PRIMO-F model to ensure all internal factors are considered Conducting a SWOT analysis in a clinical environment One of the most effective ways to conduct a SWOT analysis is not in isolation, but with a team effort. When the goal is shared, then a brainstorming session can be run. Ensure than when running such a session it is facilitated by a person not involved with the content – this is best with an independent person. If budgets do not allow this – then talk to another establishments head, and arrange a contra deal. Do this activity in a number of phases: 1.Share the goal 2.Data collection (no filtering or comments – record verbatim) consider all areas of PRIMO-F 3.Take a break of at least 1 hr 4.Filter, sort and analyse into the 4 areas – SWOT – be critical and SMART avoid ambiguous statements or ideas at this stage 5.Prioritise the elements Have a second session where the planning phase takes this data and puts it into a realistic plan. IMPORTANT TIP – do not hide or underestimate threats or weaknesses – if you ignore them or underplay them now they will come back to haunt you at some stage – probably when they can do most damage! The goal of any session like this is not necessarily to neutralise any weakness or threat – that is impossible – but to have it on your radar – and where possible take avoiding action. To some extent it is all about risk. What sort of tasks and issues can this be used for? At its most complex and comprehensive, it can be used for business planning, however it is also of value to solving localised issues and challenges. An Example of a nursing based SWOT We will use an example of a nurse working within a primary care clinic who want to improve the relationship with their patients. TASK 1.Define the goal and measurable outcomes – i.e. to have less than 50% of patients spending one hour waiting for treatment 2.Consider the current activities you have in place to encourage patient-partnerships within your clinic. 3.Complete a SWOT analysis, identifying your current strengths and realistically appraising your current weaknesses. This can only be done involving other nurses, doctors, support staff and patients. 4.From the current analysis identify factors which could be improved 5.Identify opportunities that could be created 6.Put a plan and set of measures in place. The clinic identified the following objective: †¢To improve parent-partnership by encouraging patients to visit the clinic and become active members of the community. †¢Outcome – to have less than 50% of patients waiting more than one hour for treatment Currently, the clinic holds an open day once each year. It uses this as a way to encourage patients to visit the clinic and engage with clinic staff. The following is the initial SWOT Analysis. Strengths †¢Highly-skilled clinical staff. †¢History of successful Open day events †¢Clinic has a strong ethos of openness, sharing and commitment to increasing patient confidence †¢Patients wanting to get involved †¢Local charities willing to participate Weaknesses †¢Nurses not available to meet patients often enough †¢Current open days events not increasing voluntary activity †¢Not enough staff time to plan more events †¢Staff not clear of their role in the patient relationship †¢Narrow focus on open events not partnership activities †¢Services too stretched for additional activity Opportunities †¢Active volunteer committee willing to plan and organise events †¢Patients active in the clinic’s Patient Participation Project can be asked for their opinions and suggestions. †¢Head Nurse is willing flex clinic times to free up clinical staff time †¢Use patients to contribute to practice delivery Threats †¢Confidentiality is at risk †¢Patient coercion to do things they do not wish to do The next step is to develop a plan with interested stakeholders SWOT Analysis templates for Nursing, clinics & health care SWOT Analysis Template/ Worksheet – use these templates to start your SWOT process SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (organisation name or product/ service/ project)Clinic/ establishment/ organisation Background/ situation ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(usual business partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc†¦) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________ ____________________v INTERNAL Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below.Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action. Strengths (PRIMO-F) †¢People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Resources †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Innovation & Ideas †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Marketing (communications) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Operations (day to day running) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Finance †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Weaknesses (PRIMO-F) †¢People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Resources †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Innovation & Ideas †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Marketing(communications) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Operations(day to day running) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Finance †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ E X T E R N A L Opportunities †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ SO Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ WO Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Threats †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ ST Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ WT Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Try our organisational SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 2 SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (Clinic/ establishment organisation name or product/ service/ project)Background/ situation__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ (usual operational partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc†¦) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________v INTERNAL Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below.Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action. Strengths Weaknesses E X T E R N A L Opportunities SO Alternatives / Strategies WO Alternatives / Strategies Threats ST Alternatives / Strategies WT Alternatives / Strategies Try our organisational SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 3 SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats Date Company/ Department name Internal Factors Our Strengths Ways to exploit Our Weaknesses Ways to reduce External factorsOur Opportunities Ways to exploit Our Threats Ways to reduce

Friday, November 8, 2019

Bookreport on Richard Feynman essays

Bookreport on Richard Feynman essays From May 11, 1918 until March 15, 1988, Richard Feynman was thinking about physics. He made many contributions both large and small throughout his life, from working on the Manhattan Project, to winning the Nobel Prize. Richard Feynman was born to Melville and Lucille Feynman in Far Rockaway, New York on Mya 11th, 1918 and began his fascination with physics. His father can take a good amount of credit for this as he set out to stimulate Richard to think from an early age in a scientific way. Melville used to play games with Richard using small colored tiles while he was sitting in his high chair. Melville would have Richard setup the tile on end in no particular order and then topple them, eventually creating patterns for Richard to mimic in order to get him to think about patterns and the basics of mathematical relations. Melville also took Richard to the American Museum of Natural History and bought a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica to help expand his sons learning abilities. Richard went through school just like any other child but did most of his learning outside of school through books and encyclopedias. He learned much of his math before it came time to learn it in school, but when that time came, subjects like algebra were a breeze for Feynman. He learned that it wasnt important how you got the answer as long as it was the right one. With that attitude, and sitting in on his cousin Roberts tutoring sessions, Richard could solve simultaneous equations before he left elementary school. While Richard was in high school, he became a member of the school math team, which competed with students from schools all over New York. Feynman and his math team would travel to schools to compete in these competitions. Each member of the team was given a time limit to solve a problem independently. This time limit was short enough to make it nearly impossible to solve the problems by the rule book, but they w...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Thea Musgrave, Composer

Thea Musgrave, Composer A conductor as well as a composer,  Thea Musgrave  has conducted in the United States and Britain. She has taught at London University, the University of California at Santa Barbara, New College, Cambridge, and Queens University, New York. Her later work is known for dramatic-abstract musical forms. Dates:  May 27, 1928 - Occupation:  composer Music is a human art, not a sexual one. Sex is no more important than eye color. - Thea Musgrave Thea Musgrave was born in Barton, Scotland. She studied at Moreton Hall Schook, then at Edinburgh University, with Hans  Gl and Mary Grierson, and in Paris at the Conservatoire and with Nadia Boulanger. She studied with Tanglewood Festival with Aaron Copland in 1958. Thea Musgrave was a Guest Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1970, and from 1987 to 2002 taught at Queens College, City University of New York, appointed as a Distinguished Professor.   She has honorary degrees from Old Dominion University in Virginia, Glasgow University, Smith College and Bostons New England Conservatory of Music. Her early works include  The Suite oBairnsangs, a ballet  A Tale for Thieves  and an opera  The Abbot of Drimock.  Her best known works include  The Seasons, Rainbow, Black Tambourine  (for female voices, piano and percussion) and operas  The Voice of Ariadne, A Christmas Carol, Mary Queen of Scots,  and  Harriet: The Woman Called Moses.   Her later work, especially, extends traditional boundaries, emphasizing abstract form and dramatic content. Though her operas are perhaps her best known work, she also composed for ballet and childrens theater, and published many pieces for orchestra, piano and chamber music. as well as some pieces for vocal and choral performance. She often conducted her own work at major music festivals in America and Euorpe.   She is married to Peter Mark since 1971, a violist who was the conductor and general director of the Virginia Opera Association in the 1980s. Key Operas Composed in the 1970s,  Mary, Queen of Scots  is about the period when  Mary Stuart  returned to Scotland after her years in France, through her flight to England. Her A Christmas Carol, based on the story by Charles Dickens, was first performed in Virginia in 1979. Harriet: A Woman Called Moses was first performed in Virginia in 1985.   The opera is based on the life of Harriet Tubman  and her role in the Underground Railroad. Key Orchestral Works Thea  Musgrave published Concerto for Orchestra in 1967. This piece is noted for the solos moving around through different sections of the orchestra, then the soloists playing, standing, in the climax.   Several later pieces also featured soloists highlighting different parts of the orchestra, moving the players around the stage. Night Music is a 1969 piece noted for the emotions that it evokes.   In Viola Concerto the whole viola section is to rise at a specific point.   She considered her Peripeteia a kind of opera without words or specific plot. Choral Works The texts for Musgraves choral pieces are from a variety of classical and modern sources, including Hesiod, Chaucer, Michelangelo, John Donne, Shakespeare and D.H. Lawrence. Writing Musgrave published  The Choral Music of 21st Century Women Composers  in 1997, written with Elizabeth Lutyens and Elizabeth Merconchy. About Thea Musgrave Categories: musician, composer, conductorPlaces: Edinburgh, Scotland, United StatesPeriod: 20th century Print Bibliography Musgrave, Thea, Elizabeth Maconchy and Elisabeth Lutyens.  The Choral Music of Twentieth-Century Women Composers.  1997.Hixon, Donald L.  Thea Musgrave: A Bio-Bibliography. 1984. Music Women of Note  (CD)Premiere Performances  by Boston Musica VivaTwentieth Century Settings

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The problems regarding lack of leadership skills and inadequate job Essay

The problems regarding lack of leadership skills and inadequate job designning for the new employees - Essay Example The paper tells that job design is refered to as the contents of the job. It facilitates to analyse the various duties and tasks of the job and the methods required to perform the job in an efficient and effective way from the perspective of human process intervention as well as from the HRM intervention. Thus, job design includes the descriptions and the provision of the job which helps in evaluation of the performance as well as enhancement of profitability of the firm. Similarly, in case of ‘Lentil as Anything’, after recruiting the new migrated employees, Shanaka Fernando, the owner of ‘Lentil as Anything’ should offer them specific job related trainings in order to describe the various specifications, rules, responsibilities and requirements. This would assist in enhancing the motivation as well as the eficiency of the employees. Senior & Flemming, stated that it is through job design that the roles and responsibilities are clearly described according t o the past skills and knowledge of the employees. Moreover, it can be identified that the induction training programs are utilized to present the actual procedure of the particular jobs so as to acquire competency and accuracy in the performance. Parker & Wall highlighted that the job design intervention is essential to assess the specific skills and knowledge of the new entrants and helps to evaluate the proficiency level and the expertise gaps as well. Therefore, in order to reduce the skill gaps, various induction tranning programs are offered to the employees to increase their aptitudes and capabilities. Thus, it is essential for ‘Lentil as Anything’ to motivate the employees towards the job by communicating an appropriate design of the jobs. Proper job design helps to accomplish the task responsibilities in a specific time frame and in an skilled manner which ultimately proves beneficial for the employee as well as for the company. Hence, it is obligatory to develo p a particular job design statement for ‘Lentil as Anything’ which might be beneficial for the new employees and the restaurant as well (Accel-Team, 2011; Parker & Wall, 1998). The paragraph mainly highlights the facts about the techno-structural intervention required for the restructuring of the organization. While taking decisions for ‘Lentil as Anything’, Mr. Shanaka Fernando should involve all the employees so as to evaluate the varied viewpoints regarding a particular decision. It also offers proper contribution of the employees regarding a specific circumstance which is clearly observed in the documentary of ‘Lentil as Anything’. In order to sustain in the crisis situation, Mr. Shanaka Fernando decided to expand Lentil in Sydney in order to serve high quality of foods and services to the customers which can enhance the cash inflow and thus, assist in lessening the burden of heavy debt. Notably, this is a strategic decision on his part but without the involvement of the other employees (Cummings & Worley, 2008). Moreover, it can be determined that the involvement of all the employees in the decisison making process leads to increase in the confidence level and the morale of the employees which in turn enhances the employee performance and productivity of the organization. It can be depicted in terms of four elements such as power, skill, information, knowledge and rewards. Power helps to offer enough ability to make job related decisions where timely access to any pertinent information is essential to make any

Friday, November 1, 2019

Knowledge Workers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Knowledge Workers - Essay Example The Singapore example throws ample light on the situation arising with knowledge workers. Singapore was a manufacturing economy until changes in economy began taking shape in the last decades of the 20th century. Countries such as China, India and Korea emerged with better skills to manage the changes in economy (Judy, Richard W; 2002, p32). "In Singapore, most of its policies and practices are centred towards the incorporation of technology . This implies that majority of their employees receive very little attention. What this does is that employees are not motivated to improve. They do not tap all their potential and end up underperforming" (Smith, Carolyn; 2010). The Singaporean example highlights the need to maintain an open policy to changes so that changes could be incorporated when needed. The mindset even in the management was not conducive to change because of the working culture that prevailed at the critical time (Smith, Carolyn; 2010). Changes did take place, but rather slowly. The government changed the Ministry of Labor to Ministry of Manpower. Once the steps to reforms were introduced at the top level, the rest of the changes happened in due course. Changes in economy happened when the Singaporean government looked to emigrants from Canada, the United States, China, India, Malaysia and other growing economies to make up for the shortage in skilled knowledge workers. "In May 1997, the Committee on Singapore's Competitiveness (CSC) set out to critically assess Singapore's economic competitiveness in the early twenty-first century, taking into consideration global trends and development of existing and emerging competition. The CSC was tasked to identify the problem areas and propose appropriate strategies and policies with a view to maintaining and strengthening Singapore's competitive position" (Judy, Richard W; 2002, p32). The CSC decided to "develop in the next ten years into an advanced and globally competitive knowledge economy, with manufacturing and services as the twin engines of growth. In a knowledge economy, the basis for competitiveness will be the capabilities and intellectual capital to absorb, process and apply knowledge" (Judy, Richard W; 2002, p33). With aging economy and culture, it was not possible for Singapore to transform their economy without importing manpower skilled in intellectual applications. The importance of knowledge workers is currently felt because of the exponential growth of information technology. This growth has left a vacuum and this vacuum can be filled involving knowledge workers (Davenport, Thomas H; 2005). There cannot be any doubt that the knowledge worker occupies a privileged position as worker. Classified as a knowledge worker, he or she is supposed to be knowledgeable in his or her stream and capable of handling a project that come under his or her capabilities. Indeed, the situation is such that