Scientific Uncertainty Web-Based Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scientific Uncertainty Web-Based - Assignment Example He is concurrently vice chairman of the International Academy of Education (The Heartland Institute, 2012b). Its stated mission is the discovery, development, and promotion of social and economic solutions to problems based on free-market economics (The Heartland Institute, 2012c). It is a fierce skeptic of global warming. Their agenda seems non-partisan, but the ties of the leader suggest being pro-big business, as a prominent Republican. Consequently its values are those of the conservatives (The Heartland Institute, 2012; University of Illinois, 2012). NASA is a global warming proponent and posits that human activities are at the core of recent unprecedented trends towards warming with consequences to humans and the ecology. It is a government entity receiving funding from the current Democratic leadership. Its agenda cum mission is implied in its stand: to present mainstream scientific data on climate change. Its values are nonpartisan, science-based, and arguably tinged with Dem ocratic principles owing from the Democratic leadership (NASA, 2012). Skeptical Science has as its mission essentially the advancing of climate change arguments and the debunking of arguments against climate change science by deniers and skeptics of climate change. It has support from a wide stratum of scientists and academicians with nonpartisan interests throughout the world, and is a repository of data and articles that support its implied mission. Its values seem to include openness, diversity, and inclusion of all available data, without prejudice, and with no funding or overt agenda other than the truth (Cook, 2012). 2. Key Evidence Presented by Websites on Ice Melt and Climate Change, Stated Evidence Sources Skeptical Science updates evidence and data about climate change routinely, coming from contributors who are scientists and academics from all over the world. Examples include experiments on computer modeling relating to the way the permafrosts are being thawed due to cli mate change, citing prior research by reputable scientists published in Nature GeoScience in 2012. Another example details results of studies on climate change with data inputs from African data sampling expeditions, as well as other permafrost melting studies, all referenced and published in reputable scholarly journals (Cook, 2012). NASA likewise cites evidence from scholarly sources, including from the National Research Council, the UNSW Climate Change Research Center in Sydney, the journal Science, and the IPCC. For instance, evidence with regard to man-made global warming and the fast pace of its acceleration over the last 1,300 years are documented and presented in the NASA site, complete with graphical presentations of CO2 emissions over the past 650,000 years, and properly referenced from an IPCC report. Ice core research confirming global warming trends were attributed and visibly cited from a 2006 research study by the National Research Council (NASA, 2012). The Heartland Institute in turn presents data that refute ice melt and global climate change, coming from sources reportedly from the US Energy Information Administration, among others. (The Heartland Institute, 2012). One paper presented as an article containing arguments against the reality of global warming meanwhile, from the Heartland Insti

Dq3-Sheila Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dq3-Sheila - Essay Example One major setback is of the great extent of information asymmetry involved as it is evident that various departments are involved leading to a varied opinion amongst each and every one of them (Pot, 2011). Taking the case of two standard departments in most organizations that are, the human resource and finance department. The human resource deals with many of the issues relating to the employees of an organization or company such as the management of benefits and new staff recruitment and may also team up with the management to reach a common goal. Whereas the finance department deals with organizing the financial and accounting affairs of the organization, for example, the proper presentation and preparation of reports. Having these two distinct units be aligned to a similar goal impedes the whole process thus negatively affecting the business intelligence foundations for use at the departmental level. The departmental effort for aligning goals can also affect positively the business intelligence for use at the corporate level (Schneider, 2013). This can be explained by the fact that, an organization operates as one whole unit. Through the system, information is enabled to all departments that allowed easier coordination of work within the organization. From the intelligence, leaders will make decisions that are aligned with the primary goals and objectives and recognize the efforts of all departments. As they operate with similar missions, the system performance becomes efficient, and goal accomplishment is made possible. Business intelligence can be briefly described as the strategies an organization adopts to achieve its purposes. In addition, the business intelligence, due to goal alignment can be affected by inhibiting the whole and could be more efficient information from being operational due to goals being set by top management, or the relevant

Health Beliefs of Haitians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Beliefs of Haitians - Essay Example Always when a Haitian becomes ill, the first line of care is home herbal remedies. These are often utilized for the prevention and treatment of cold, fever, and stomach aches. Traditional treatments are passed on from generation to generation. It is difficult for them to accept Western approaches such as vaccination and cancer screening as they feel the treatment may make them ill and they have no prevention against it. Haitians believe that pain affects the whole body system and because of that they are frequently not able to tell you where the pain comes from. They also may come to the physicians office and be very vague about what is wrong with them because they see everything as the same (Salisbury.edu), either natural or supernatural. All deformities are considered brought on by an evil spirit. Haitians who have a chronic illness are cared for by family and friends, they seldom go to a nursing home. If they get to return home they will pay the spirits back by having a Thanksgiving ritual. Haitians also believe that a wheelchair means they are very sick and they will misunderstand if it is offered. Haitians do not talk about organ donation, nor do they believe in organ transplant. Pre-natal care is not an illness so there are most likely no prenatal care visits and it may be very difficult. Practitioners Most of the lower class in Haiti believes in Voodoo and that comprises about 85% of the population. They do practice Christian beliefs at the same time. There, according to the Haitians is not only a visible world but a spiritual world. The spirits of the deceased make up both good and bad spirits. Usually when there is an illness the Haitian goes to see the Hougan who is able to be a conduit to the Loas and provide a cure. If the patient has visited the Hougan several times and is not better, they may be referred on to the physician (Miller, 2000). If a patient is in the hospital here in the United States, they may want to go back to Haiti to see a Hougan, especially is they are not getting better. Physicians within the community of practitioners to treat Haitians must do what they can to understand the cultural significance of many of these beliefs in order to get screening and preventive care done. Chronicity and Psychiatry The role of the supernatural is very much a part of Haitian society. They feel that chronic illness as well as psychiatric illness is caused by the supernatural. Depression, psychosis, inability to perform activities of daily living and academic underachievement may often be seen as a curse or a spell placed on them. They often feel that this happens because they did not work hard enough of did not do something they should have done (Astrid & Shiela, 2002) and didn't. They may feel they were lazy or that someone had a grudge and put a spell on them through an evil spirit. Patients who are chronically ill are usually cared for at home by family and friends: nursing homes are almost never used. It should be remembered also that offering a Haitian a wheelchair is the same as telling they are very ill and may not get better (Salisbury.edu) In actuality, the Haitians deal with many chronic illnesses due

Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Literature - Essay Example However both the writers are observed to be depicting a married life that reflects the pain and desolation of the two women and this depiction adds a new dimension or meaning to marriage and relationships because the definition and importance of marriage has undergone a transformation since the old times. Also the gender roles have also undergone a change since women are now emerging as individual beings rather than a docile and a submissive counter part in a married relationship. In reference to this new meaning it is also stated, â€Å"The role of marriage in the society itself has become blurred† (Thornton, Axinn and Xie, 2007, p.5). This diverse and disillusioning representation of the institute of marriage symbolizes the despair and despondency of human race and society in the modern world. Moreover the representation of women as the victims of not only the society’s or their family’s will but also fate makes the readers realize the injustices that are done to women. Consequently such a depiction adds the strains of feminism in both the prose. Although both the writers make use of the theme of feminism in their stories yet the manner in which each author depicts it reflects the unique style and perspective of each writer. The Story of An Hour is a depiction of a woman’s tumultuous emotional journey from sadness to joy to shock and death as a result of the shock with in the time frame of one hour. The story gives an insight of a woman’s mind and the manner in which she deals with the terrible news of her husband’s death. Mrs. Mallard’s actions and reaction gives the story a lot of subtext that the readers explore because through her actions the readers explore and interpret the hidden or the underlying meaning i.e. marriage is not an institute of security and stability for women anymore in fact it is a relationship of misery and pain. The Necklace is a story about a lower middle class woman Mathilde Loisel and her marriage. The story reflects

Strategic Planning For Digital Marketing Communications Research Paper

Strategic Planning For Digital Marketing Communications - Research Paper Example Based on the outcome of this analysis, the management of the organization gets a clear perspective of the possible ways in which it might utilize the opportunities and deal with the threats successfully. Although this analysis is similar to the analysis made for any other for-profit organization, there are certain key differences. Oxfam NGO also faces some of these problems. Managers in a non-governmental organization (NGO) need to consider the impact of factors such as volunteer staff, fundraising, volunteer staff and long-term goodwill. Since these organizations do not depend on profit for their survival, the above-mentioned factors play a major role in achieving success in the long run (Turkishweekly, 2013). From the analysis (see SWOT table in appendix), it has been found that in the NGO industry, organizations face several challenges in conducting marketing communication activities. Some of the noteworthy challenges are briefly discussed below. General issues Challenge Absence o f strategic planning Many organizations in the NGO sector do not run as proper business enterprises, they face the lack of strategic planning. However, this lack of planning often creates indecisiveness or barriers in the path of marketing. Oxfam faces this problem of strategic planning at the marketing level (Ngoconnect, 2009). ...NGO industry issues Challenge Lack of funds Fundraising remains one of the major concerns for non-profit organizations. 80% of Oxfam’s activities depend on the financial assistance provided by its members, associates, and private partners while the government provides 20% of assistance (Oxfam, 2013a). Finding private donors is a challenging task. Depending on the status of the economy, the financial conditions of the donors fluctuate. Poor networking Some NGOs are not very successful in establishing strong networks with clients and other NGOs.

Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Capable entrepreneurs try to learn in order to find, select, elaborate and communicate the necessity of several effective new opportunities that can create a successful business venture. Successful entrepreneurs generally describe the precious contribution of a new venture and propose a design of business model which can be prolonged by several potential competitive advantages. After the development of business model, the venture team develops a strategy or road map. This developed road map or strategy will help to commercialize the new developed products or services in the potential and competitive market place with a combination of several sustained and stabilized competitive advantages (Byers, Dorf and Nelson, 2012). Entrepreneurs play an important role in the economic development of a country. Entrepreneurs are key contributors to the new job growth and technological innovation. This essay will critically analyze the statement of Kalpan, JM and Warren. Literature Review & Critica l Analysis Entrepreneurship is an important economic growth driver of a country. ... According to several common myths, it can be stated that the entrepreneurs start their business with break-through invention and take uncalculated risks in order to accomplish business goals. According to Allen (2011), entrepreneurs should have effective and detailed business plan with broad research findings. Moreover, the entrepreneurs need to have sufficient financial resources and years of work experience (Allen, 2011, p.56). Taking uncalculated risk is the major objective of a successful entrepreneur while starting a new venture. According to Sahay (2009), there are several important driving forces that create potential opportunity for the new venture (Sahay, 2009, p.121). Securing sufficient capital is an important driving force. In the early stage of business development, the entrepreneurs need to secure business capital. They can think about several options like direct investment or investment through venture capitalist. In terms of investment through venture capitalist, the entrepreneurs should design an effective business plan that can attract the venture capitalists. Reformed securities regulation is another major driving force. It helps the entrepreneurs to find business capital for their new venture. Creating entrepreneurial networks and industry clusters can help the entrepreneurs to develop business contacts. Through this process the entrepreneurs can fill specific industry niches within the networks and clusters. This process is highly beneficial to entrepreneurs and economic development strategies. The entrepreneurs should take important management and financial guidance from several professional small business assistance entities as these lessons are effective for a new

American Politics in the Context of Obama’s Election and the First 100 Days Essay Example for Free

American Politics in the Context of Obama’s Election and the First 100 Days Essay Though none opposes the fact that motivation is the real driving engine of every action, there is considerable differences among the theorists about its mechanism, especially when it comes to explore the possibility to bring out the best out in the employees of an organization, where one school of thought advocates for extrinsic motivation for instant solution and the other insists on capitalizing the long-term efficacy of intrinsic motivation. Under the present context of economic downturn, this issue is extremely important, as extrinsic motivation primarily involves money. Therefore, this paper explores the core elements of motivation and concepts of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards from relevant literature, before coming into its own conclusion. Core of Motivation The core of motivation contains three elements like Consciousness, Inverted Qualia and Absent Qualia. These three together create various mental states. Consciousness It has six major identifiable states like 1. State of awareness: When someone is aware of something (Rosenthal, 1986). 2. Qualitative states: Sensing something out of something like enjoying a meal or experiencing a pain. Such experiences are called qualia, and are regarded as intrinsic, private, ineffable and nomadic features of experience, (Dennet, 1990). 3. Phenomenal states: A state involving more than sensory qualia, covering spatial, temporal and conceptual organization of experiences about the world and the persons inference about it. 4. What-it-is-like states: Associating a sense of experience with another. 5. Access consciousness: Its like seeing a thing and ideating something and then deciding on something, where there may or may not be any relationship among the above-said three stages. 6. Narrative consciousness: This stream of consciousness contains a series of thoughts from the perspective of an actual or merely virtual self (Dennett, 1991). Inverted Qualia It refers to a personal package of intrinsic and intricate experiences, with which humans decipher various external signals and respond to them, where the nature of experience governs the nature of response. The difference in perception causes inverted qualia, as for example someone might like green tea and detest coffee for no unexplainable reasons. This trait has a strong connection with intrinsic motivation (Dennet, 1991) Absent Qualia The concept of absent qualia claims that functional duplicates of a creature would do the same. As for example, if Mr. X likes tea and dislikes coffee, then his absolute clone would also do the same, for which the clone would not need an intricate and intrinsic package of experiences (Dennet, 1991). This concept backs the idea of getting result through extrinsic reward – as for example, if Mr. X and Mr. Y do identical jobs under identical conditions, then if Mr. X feels satisfied with cash reward, Mr.  Y would too follow the suit without a second thought! This study thus highlights two sets of hidden relationships, one, between inverted qualia and intrinsic motivation/rewards, and two, between absent qualia and extrinsic motivation/rewards. In any case, humans (apparently) involuntary association with rewards too has its routes in their perceptions, which maintain a master list of individual desires, and accordingly propel them to fulfill such desires. Put into an imaginary diagram, the mechanism of human mind can look somewhat like below: Mechanism of Motivation Motivating Tools From the organizational perspective, the ways and means to motivate the employees can be many. However, the common ones among them are, 1. Rewards 2. Retention 3. Morale 5. Job-enrichment 6. Reinforcement 1. Rewards System: Rewards or recognition system has a great bearing on the emotional plane of humans. † Every behavior comes out of pain and gain principle, says Khera (2004, p. 110). There can be many types of tangible gains like money, vacations or gifts, or they can be intangible, like recognition, appreciation, sense of achievement, growth, responsibility, sense of fulfillment, self-worth, etc. 2. Retention: It highly motivates the employees, as Retention is critical to the long term health and success of the company (Heathfield, 2008). 3. Morale: The elements like praise, love and faith can charge up anyone under any circumstance. 4. Job Enrichment: It relates to the in-house grooming of the employees to become an expert in the related field. 5. Reinforcement. By all means, it is a tool to control the employee behavior (Positive, 2000), which binds the company activities together. Other Factors Related to Motivation There are three other factors that can be instrumental to keep employees motivated, and they are: Job Satisfaction, Goal-setting and Performance appraisals. They are considered to be the self-boosters of the employees, and according to Murphy (2001), belief is a thought that causes the power of subconscious to be distributed into all phases of life. Motivation and Reward System Reward systems are created to fuel the employee cooperation, effort and overall satisfaction of all members of the company Cacioppe (1999). Other researchers like Hackman (1997) Shea and Guzzo (1987) too have endorsed this view, and suggested to align rewards with group activities. The basic parameter of the formulating a reward structure, however, is expected to apply the common logic like optimizing the ability of the workforce as a whole, though in practice it might go down to an individual, especially where the work patterns are not interdependent. This situation commands a quick review of the nature of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic Rewards Deci (1975) says that intrinsic rewards evoke a sense of personal causation i. e.  , an inward mechanism serving as the guiding engine for the action, where its elements are usually intangible and working on the plane of ones perception, where the journey is being enjoyed over the outcome. Extrinsic Rewards Extrinsic rewards are supposed to generate perceptions of external causation (Deci, 1975) by being mostly tangible in nature – a hike in salary or status, or material gains in other forms. However, researchers like Guzzo, (1979) defies any division in the reward system and considers it a single, usable tools to tweak the frequency of desired response of the employees towards a desired direction. Researchers like Hull (1943) and Skinner (1953) placed extrinsic reward as a direct link between stimulus and response, and their views include punishment as a stimulus too, besides subscribing to the power of stimulus. Reaction No matter how much Hull (1943) and Skinner (1953) wanted to establish extrinsic motivation as the best motivating tool to earn competitive advantage, extrinsic motivation carries a hidden cost besides the cost involved in its implementation. Researchers like Deci and Ryan (1985) used attribution theory and suggested that humans constantly reassess the reasons for their behaviors besides others. Before that, Lepper et al. (1973) had observed that reinforcement generates two effects for the management, like gaining control over activity or fastening the process; two, the backlash effect in absence of reinforcement. The example below would explain it better: A group or an individual gets a reward of x amount of money for a period y, where x+y=m, m being the increased rate of production. Before that, the situation was y=z where production was z. Now in the absence of reinforcement and with the influence of attribution theory, the situation would stand like y-x = n, where n z. This clearly goes against the basic reason for motivating the employees, i. e. , to enhance the profit of the organization. Engagement occurs when an employee connects emotionally with his work, says Paul Glen (2007), and if one checks the mechanism of motivation, one gets convinced that extrinsic motivation cannot influence the employees to connect emotionally with their work, as it is guided by absent qualia, i. e. , a momentary and involuntary chase, where emotion has no role to play. On the other hand, the intrinsic motivation is guided by inverted qualia, i.  e. , conscious chase and that clearly takes along emotion in its journey and influence the human mind in no less than six ways. Conclusion The research and discussion above clearly shows that extrinsic motivation system can be a threat in disguise for the organizations especially under the present context of economic downturn, while intrinsic motivation can be the ideal solution under the same circumstance, where it can raise emotional attachment with the organization and inspire the employees to produce more for less. References Cacioppe, R. (1999). Using team-individual reward and recognition strategies to drive organizational success. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 20(6), pp. 322-331. Deci, E. and Ryan, R. (1985) Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behaviour. New York: Plenum Press. Deci, E. L. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. New York: Plenum. Denett, D. C. (1990). Quining qualia. In Mind and Cognition, W. Lycan (Ed. ), Oxford: Blackwell, 519-548. Dennett, D. C. (1991). Consciousness explained. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. Glen, P. (2007). You Cant Outsource Retention. Computerworld, July 16, 2007. Guzzo, R. A. (1979). Types of rewards, cognitions, and work motivation. Academy of Management Review, 4(1), pp. 75-86. Hackman, J. R. (1997). Why teams dont work. In R. S. Tindale, J. Edwards, E. J. Posavac (Eds. ) Applications of theory and research on groups to social issues. New York: Plenum.