Metacognitive Skills Free Essays

Metacognition refers to learners’ automatic awareness of their own knowledge and their ability to understand, control, and manipulate their own cognitive processes. 2 Metacognitive skills are important not only in school, but throughout life. For example, Mumford (1986) says that it is essential that an effective manager be a person who has learned to learn. We will write a custom essay sample on Metacognitive Skills or any similar topic only for you Order Now He describes this person as one who knows the stages in the process of learning and understands his or her own preferred approaches to it – a person who can identify and overcome blocks to learning and can bring learning from off-the-job learning to on-the-job situations. As you read this section, do not worry about distinguishing between metacognitive skills and some of the other terms in this chapter. Metacognition overlaps heavily with some of these other terms. The terminology simply supplies an additional useful way to look at thought processes. Metacognition is a relatively new field, and theorists have not yet settled on conventional terminology. However, most metacognitive research falls within the following categories: 1. Metamemory. This refers to the learners’ awareness of and knowledge about their own memory systems and strategies for using their memories effectively. Metamemory includes (a) awareness of different memory strategies, (b) knowledge of which strategy to use for a particular memory task, and (c) knowledge of how to use a given memory strategy most effectively. 2. Metacomprehension. This term refers to the learners’ ability to monitor the degree to which they understand information being communicated to them, to recognize failures to comprehend, and to employ repair strategies when failures are identified. Learners with poor metacomprehension skills often finish reading passages without even knowing that they have not understood them. On the other hand, learners who are more adept at metacomprehension will check for confusion or inconsistency, and undertake a corrective strategy, such as rereading, relating different parts of the passage to one another, looking for topic sentences or summary paragraphs, or relating the current information to prior knowledge. (See Harris et al. , 1988; – add more) 3. Self-Regulation. This term refers to the learners’ ability to make adjustments in their own learning processes in response to their perception of feedback regarding their current status of learning. The concept of self-regulation overlaps heavily with the preceding two terms; its focus is on the ability of the learners themselves to monitor their own learning (without external stimuli or persuasion) and to maintain the attitudes necessary to invoke and employ these strategies on their own. To learn most effectively, students should not only understand what strategies are available and the purposes these strategies will serve, but also become capable of adequately selecting, employing, monitoring, and evaluating their use of these strategies. (See Hallahan et al. , 1979; Graham Harris, 1992; Reid Harris, 1989, 1993. In addition to its obvious cognitive components, metacognition often has important affective or personality components. For example, an important part of comprehension is approaching a reading task with the attitude that the topic is important and worth comprehending. Being aware of the importance of a positive attitude and deliberately fostering such an attitude is an example of a metacognitive skill. In the preceding paragraph, metacognition has been described as a conscious awareness of one’s own knowledge and the conscious ability to understand, control, and manipulate one’s own cognitive processes. This is not quite accurate; but it’s difficult to define metacognition more accurately. (It’s easier to point out examples of metacognitive activity than to define what it is. ) It would be more accurate to say that metacognitive strategies are almost always potentially conscious and potentially controllable (Pressley, Borkowski, Schneider, 1987). For example, good readers automatically (unconsciously) employ metacognitive strategies to focus their attention, to derive meaning, and to make adjustments when something goes wrong. They do not think about or label these skills while performing them; but if we ask them what they were doing that was successful, they can usually describe their metacognitive processes accurately. In addition, when serious problems arise – as when there is a distraction, when they encounter extremely difficult or contradictory text, or when they have to advise someone else regarding the same skill – they slow down and become consciously aware of their metacognitive activity. While it is occasionally useful to consciously reflect on one’s metacognitive processes and while it useful to make learners aware of these processes while they are trying to acquire them, these skills become most effective when they become overlearned and automatic. If these skills were not automatic and unconscious, they would occupy some of the effort of the working memory; and this would have the result of making reading, listening, and other cognitive activities less efficient. Therefore, like any other skill that becomes automatic and requires minimal activity in the working memory, metacognitive skills work best when they are overlearned and can operate unconsciously. Learners with good metacognitive skills are able to monitor and direct their own learning processes. Like many other processes, metacognitive skills are learned by applying principles from almost every other chapter in this book. When learning a metacognitive skill, learners typically go through the following steps (Pressley, Borkowski, Schneider, 1987): 1. They establish a motivation to learn a metacognitive process. This occurs when either they themselves or someone else points gives them reason to believe that there would be some benefit to knowing how to apply the process. (Motivation is discussed in chapter 5). 2. They focus their attention on what it is that they or someone else does that is metacognitively useful. This proper focusing of attention puts the necessary information into working memory (Chapter 6). Sometimes this focusing of attention can occur through modeling (Chapter 12), and sometimes it occurs during personal experience. 3. They talk to themselves about the metacognitive process. This talk can arise during their interactions with others, but it is their talk to themselves that is essential. This self talk serves several purposes: oIt enables them to understand and encode the process (Chapter 6). oIt enables them to practice the process (Chapter 3). oIt enables them to obtain feedback and to make adjustments regarding their effective use of the process (Chapters 3 and 12). oIt enables them to transfer the process to new situations beyond those in which it has already been used (Chapters 3 and 6). 4. Eventually, they begin to use the process without even being aware that they are doing so. This process usually represents a high-level implementation of the phases of learning and instruction described by Gagne and discussed in Chapter 3 of this book. When teachers intervene to help students develop a metacognitive process, they often use the scaffolded instruction strategies described in chapter 12. In addition, the techniques of cooperative learning and peer tutoring (discussed in Chapter 15) often provide opportunities for students to talk to others about their thought processes; and it is often the process of formulating thoughts in order to express them to others that leads to metacognitive development (Piaget, 1964). Finally, it is interesting to note an important relationship between the higher order skills of metacognition and the basic or factual skills that may be a part of a specific unit of instruction. Students typically learn metacognitive skills while they are involved in learning something else. If they are to do this successfully, it is extremely important that the learners have overlearned the prerequisite content knowledge for the subject matter topic being studied. If that prerequisite knowledge has not been mastered to a sufficient level of automaticity, then the working memory of the learner will be overwhelmed by the subject matter; and the result will be no time for metacognitive reflection. For example, when children who have largely mastered the prerequisite skills try to solve a word problem in arithmetic, they can afford to talk to themselves about what they are doing, because their working memory is not totally occupied with other demands. That is, well prepared children will have time for metacognitive practice. On the other hand, when children who are missing some of these prerequisite skills try to solve the same problem, their working memory is likely to be totally occupied with a frantic need to find the basic skills and facts needed to solve the problem. If this is the case, they not only have solved the problem less effectively; but they also have little or no time for practicing or developing metacognitive skills. When teachers and parents try to help students, it is important not to do too much thinking for them. By doing their thinking for the children they wish to help, adults or knowledgeable peers may make them experts at seeking help, rather than expert thinkers. On the other hand, by setting tasks at an appropriate level and prompting children to think about what they are doing as they successfully complete these tasks, adults can help children become independent and successful thinkers (Biemiller Meichenbaum, 1992). In other words, it is often better to say, What should you do next? † and then to prompt the children as necessary, instead of simply telling them what to do. The preceding paragraph describes how the intellectual rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Knowledge of factual information and basic skills provides a foundation for developing metacognitive skills; and metacognitive skills enable students to master information and solve problems more easily. If teachers hope to help low-performing students break out of their intellectual imprisonment, they must find a way to help them develop both an automatic grasp of basic skills and effective metacognitive skills to enable self-directed learning. Misconceptions with regard to specific subject matter were discussed in Chapters 4 and 6. Wittrock (1991) notes that learners’ misconceptions about learning-to-learn skills and about metacognitive strategies are also a critical source of learning problems. For example, a student who adheres to a belief that the best way to learn scientific concepts is to repeat the definitions ten times each night before going to bed is not as likely to come to an understanding of these concepts as a person who has a more effective conception of how to master these concepts. Finally, note that a major purpose of this book is to help you develop your metacognitive skills. In chapter 1 I suggested that you apply various strategies while reading this book. If you have done so, there is a good chance that by now you understand the rationale of many of these principles and can see how they contribute to your own learning. By becoming consciously aware of these strategies and how they work, you will not only be able to use these principles to teach others more effectively, you’ll also be able to use them to monitor and improve your own thought processes. That’s metacognition! How to cite Metacognitive Skills, Papers

Principles of Business Analytics

Question: What is the meaning of decision making. Answer: Introduction The decision making is one of the most basic cognitive procedures of human behaviors. The decision making process is a vital process in personal life as well as vital for professional purpose (Tamir et al. 2015). The decision making component is an important principle of the business analytics. There are widely used decision theories that are widely implemented in the business scenario. In a business scenario, there is a need to perform routine decision making tasks. There is a need to adopt cognitive decision making policies to achieve business success. This report describes the role of human cognition in the decision making process. The second part of the report describes the role of analytics in decision making process. It also discusses the influence of data in the process of decision making. Task 1 Meaning of decision making The process of the selection of a preferred course of action among a set of alternatives or options is known as decision making. The layered model of brain comprises of the fundamental cognitive procedures of decision making (Glscher et al. 2012). There are specific characteristics of the decision making processes such as decision maker, decision situation, and the decision process. The core cognitive features of the human brain are known to share similar characteristics. The three important features of the decision making process include a set of alternatives or choices, decision goals and a list of selection strategies (Glscher et al. 2012). If there is a fulfillment of these three criteria, then the decision making process can be easily carried out by a human being. The consequences of the decision making processes can be estimated from the strategies of decision making used by the decision maker (Elwyn et al. 2012). The different strategies of decision making require a combination of decision selection criteria. It is also important to perform rational decision making for the success of business entities. There is a need to adopt different decision strategies as per the values of the decision makers, attitudes towards risk and the prediction of future outcomes. Human cognition in decision making The intellectual capabilities of the human beings have made it possible for themselves to gain a superior status among all animal species (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2014). The presence of intellectual capabilities has allowed the human beings to adapt to a specific environment, and there have been evolving patterns of decision making capabilities. There has been a transformation in the intellectual capabilities of human beings. The intellectual capabilities of human beings have transformed into sophisticated and more specialized skills (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2014). The specialized skills include planning, observation, problem solving and coordination. The decision making process works in close collaboration with the problem solving process (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2014). The decision making process consists of the analysis, synthesis and the evaluation of the job tasks. The analysis of the job tasks is the first step of the decision making process. Process of decision making The cognitive process of the decision making begins with the detailed analysis of the decision making problem (Croskerry 2013). The objective of the decision making process should be identified, and an initial framework needs to be created. The alternatives should be assessed for the purpose of the formulation of strategies. The alternatives are thoroughly evaluated and the human intellectual capabilities give an idea regarding the best alternative (Croskerry 2013). The best alternatives out of the given choices are selected. The selected best alternative should be evaluated well and checked if it meets the predetermined goals or standards (Croskerry 2013). The decision maker would make sure that the decision meets the current scenario and the personal judgment. If there is a mismatch between the expected outcome and the current outcome, then the decision making process needs to be repeated (Croskerry 2013). The decision making process should be done until a satisfied decision arrive s. Task 2 The phenomenon of human decision making is influenced by rational behavior and does not always follow a fixed course (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi 2014). There are individual differences in the cognitive process, which aids in the decision making process. The role of analytics is immense in the decision making process. The business analytics consists of the study of various patterns of data through operations and statistical analysis and the application of these to customers and the business (Croskerry 2013). The business analytics deals with the technologies, skills and practices for the continuous investigation of the past performances of business so that insights to the business can be gained. The business insights help in the business planning, which in turn helps in the decision making process. Role of Business analytics in business The business analytics play an important role in the business scenario (Holsapple Lee-Post and Pakath 2014). The cognitive analytics is a powerful tool to bridge any gaps between the data structure and the reality of decision making, which is an everyday function of the managers. The data and information is a vital part of the decision making process. The cognitive analytics is an additional part of cognitive computing (Holsapple Lee-Post and Pakath 2014). The cognitive computing comprises of machine learning, language processing, and the related infrastructure. There is a need to massive data processing and the ability to analyze various sources of data. The analysis of data can be essential for gaining business insights and various crucial parameters about the organization. The cognitive analysis depends on the information technology tools to generate the required hypothesis (Holsapple Lee-Post and Pakath 2014). The hypothesis is drawn after the consultation with connecting informa tion sources, which are relevant. Decision making process and the Probability theory The analytical decisions are driven by the organizational data (Power Sharda and Burstein 2015). The use of direct observations, figures, charts, facts are the basis for successful decision making. The decisions cannot be taken on whims and fancies. It should be directly related to the statistical figures and the current situation of the business. The decision makers use surveys, questionnaires and other means for the purpose of data collection (Power Sharda and Burstein 2015). The collected data is tabulated and put into appropriate software, which is suitable for the specific types of data. The tabulated data is then analyzed thoroughly. The decision maker should consider all the pre-determined parameters, before beginning the process of data analysis. The probability theory is an important component in the decision making process (Berger 2013). The managers need to take decisions, which are related to uncertainty. The decisions need to be made on appropriate assumptions. This theo ry helps the manager to deal with investment issues, introduction of a new product, stock decisions, individual investor and others. Techniques of analytics The descriptive and inferential techniques of analytics are important for business (Devore 2015). The descriptive techniques involve the description and summarizing the collected data in a meaningful manner. This technique helps the decision maker to understand the explicit details of the data in a clear manner. The purpose of the descriptive techniques is to present the decision maker with a visual picture of the implications of the data. In the absence of the descriptive techniques, the decision maker would face difficulty in the analysis of the raw, unstructured data. The inferential techniques make use of a limited segment of the data and not the entire data (Kern 2014). The purpose of the inferential techniques allows the decision maker to make generalizations regarding the sample population. The sample should represent the population accurately. The inferential techniques deal with the estimation of parameters and the testing of relevant hypothesis. Conclusion The decision making is a vital part of the human beings. It applies to both the personal as well as professional life. The decision making is not an independent function; rather it is interconnected to other variables like data, information, analytics and others. The efficient decision making would ensure individual success as well as organizational success. References Berger, J.O., 2013.Statistical decision theory and Bayesian analysis. Springer Science Business Media. Croskerry, P., 2013. From mindless to mindful practicecognitive bias and clinical decision making.N Engl J Med,368(26), pp.2445-2448. Devore, J., 2015.Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences. Cengage Learning. Elwyn, G., Frosch, D., Thomson, R., Joseph-Williams, N., Lloyd, A., Kinnersley, P., Cording, E., Tomson, D., Dodd, C., Rollnick, S. and Edwards, A., 2012. Shared decision making: a model for clinical practice.Journal of general internal medicine,27(10), pp.1361-1367. Glscher, J., Adolphs, R., Damasio, H., Bechara, A., Rudrauf, D., Calamia, M., Paul, L.K. and Tranel, D., 2012. Lesion mapping of cognitive control and value-based decision making in the prefrontal cortex.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,109(36), pp.14681-14686. Holsapple, C., Lee-Post, A. and Pakath, R., 2014. A unified foundation for business analytics.Decision Support Systems,64, pp.130-141. Kern, S.E., 2014. Inferential statistics, power estimates, and study design formalities continue to suppress biomedical innovation.arXiv preprint arXiv:1411.0919. Power, D.J., Sharda, R. and Burstein, F., 2015.Decision support systems. John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Seligman, M.E. and Csikszentmihalyi, M., 2014.Positive psychology: An introduction(pp. 279-298). Springer Netherlands. Tamir, M., Bigman, Y.E., Rhodes, E., Salerno, J. and Schreier, J., 2015. An expectancy-value model of emotion regulation: Implications for motivation, emotional experience, and decision making.Emotion,15(1), p.90.

A.A. Milne Publishes Winnie-the-Pooh

A.A. Milne Publishes Winnie-the-Pooh With the first publication of the childrens book Winnie-the-Pooh on October 14, 1926, the world was introduced to some of the most popular fictional characters of the twentieth century - Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore. The second collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stories, The House at Pooh Corner, appeared on bookshelves just two years later and introduced the character Tigger. Since then, the books have been published worldwide in over 20 languages. The Inspiration for Winnie the Pooh The author of the wonderful Winnie-the-Pooh stories, A. A. Milne (Alan Alexander Milne), found his inspiration for these stories in his son and his sons stuffed animals. The little boy who talks to the animals in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories is called Christopher Robin, which is the name of A. A. Milnes real-life son, who was born in 1920. On August 21, 1921, the real-life Christopher Robin Milne received a stuffed bear from Harrods for his first birthday, which he named Edward Bear. The Name Winnie Although the real-life Christopher Robin loved his stuffed bear, he also fell in love with an American black bear that he often visited the London Zoo (he sometimes even went into the cage with the bear!). This bear was named Winnie which was short for Winnipeg, the hometown of the man who raised the bear as a cub and later brought the bear to the zoo. How the real-life bears name also became the name of Christopher Robins stuffed bear is an interesting story. As A. A. Milne states in the introduction to Winnie-the-Pooh, Well, when Edward Bear said that he would like an exciting name all to himself, Christopher Robin said at once, without stopping to think, that he was Winnie-the-Pooh. And so he was. The Pooh part of the name came from a swan of that name. Thus, the name of the famous, lazy bear in the stories became Winnie-the-Pooh even though traditionally Winnie is a girls name and Winnie-the-Pooh is definitely a boy bear. Other Characters Many of the other characters in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories were also based on Christopher Robins stuffed animals, including Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo. However, Owl and Rabbit were added without stuffed counterparts in order to round out the characters. If so inclined, you can actually visit the stuffed animals that Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and Kanga were based on by visiting the Central Childrens Room at the Donnell Library Center in New York. (Stuffed Roo was lost during the 1930s in an apple orchard.) The Illustrations While A. A. Milne hand-wrote the entire original manuscript for both books, the man who shaped the famous look and feel of these characters was Ernest H. Shepard, who drew all the illustrations for both Winnie-the-Pooh books. To inspire him, Shepard traveled to the Hundred Acre Wood or at least its real-life counterpart, which is located in the Ashdown Forest near Hartfield in East Sussex (England). The Disney Pooh Shepards drawings of the fictional Winnie-the-Pooh world and characters were how most children envisioned them until Walt Disney bought the film rights to Winnie-the-Pooh in 1961. Now in stores, people can see both the Disney-styled Pooh and the Classic Pooh stuffed animals and see how they differ.

Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut Essays

Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut Essays Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut Paper Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut Paper Love, Death, and War in J. D Salinger’s â€Å"Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut† J. D Salinger was best known for his portrayal of isolationism and the loss of innocence in his literary works. Like many Modern artists of the 1950’s, such as his good friend Ernest Hemmingway, Salinger was highly interested in reflection of the individual as well as the disconnectedness between adults and children (Calloway 3). In his short story, â€Å"Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut†, Salinger uses the themes of love, death, and the war to reflect the emotional detachment between Eloise and her own life, as well as her relationships with her husband and daughter. Eloise and her college roommate, Mary Jane are introduced to the reader at the same time, the beginning of the story. Both women have left college before finishing for reasons related to men. The setting for much of the plot resides within the living room of Eloise’s house. The language Salinger gives Eloise mirrors her critical and somewhat cold attitude. As the two women position themselves comfortable on the couch, they begin to discuss past classmates and relationships. We are first introduced to Eloise’s relationship with her mother-in-law. Though the information regarding this relationship is brief, we are able to gather that they do not get along. I dont have one damn thing holy to wear. If Lews mother ever diesha, hashell probably leave me some old monogrammed icepick or something. The manner in which she speaks about this reflects her carefree attitude. After Mary Jane attempts to inquire about the relationship between Eloise and her mother-in-law, the young woman quickly changes the subject. As their conversation continues, involving other classmates and their husbands, they are interrupted by the introduction of Ramona, Eloise’s young daughter. Salinger wastes no time in feeding the reader the relationship, or lack thereof, that Eloise has with her daughter. Upon Ramona’s entrance into the house, she commands her to go into the kitchen so that Grace, the servant can help her take off her goulashes. â€Å"Ramona, Eloise shouted, with her eyes shut, go out in the kitchen and let Grace take your galoshes off (Salinger). It seems as though Mary Jane is more excited to see the young girl then her own mother is. Eloise does not ask to see the girl, nor speak to her, and the reader is unaware of where the girl might be coming from and how long she was out. This clues us into Eloise’s detachment from Ramona. Upon sending Ramona to be tended to by Grace, she shifts the focus back to the alcoholic beverage, which serves as a plot device and focal point throughout much of the story(Witalec). Mary Jane begins, after insisting that she does not need another drink, to inquire about Lew, Eloise’s husband. Eloise gives critical replies about how their child looks nothing like her, and how Ramona, Lew, and her mother-in-law could pass for triplets. The fact that she is separating herself from her family, in such an outright and obvious manner, exemplifies the disconnectedness that Salinger uses in much of his work. Surprisingly, when Mary Jane asks for a kiss, Ramona quickly replies â€Å"I don’t like to give kisses† (Salinger). This could be seen as a result of the lack of affection that the young girl is missing, the same way Eloise seems to lack affection. Also, the fact that she has conceived an imaginary friend, Jimmy, who is lacking both a mother and a father, could be comparable to the lack of emotional involvement she might experience from both parents(Smith 639). However, the young girl exhibits a type of love for her imaginary friend, and Eloise seems to be critical of the confidence that her daughter places in Jimmy â€Å"You just think so. I get it all day long. Jimmy eats with her. Takes a bath with her. Sleeps with her. She sleeps way over to one side of the bed, sos not to roll over and hurt him (Salinger). Eloise lacks this type of confidence and love in a partner within her life, which may be the result of her criticalness of her daughter and Jimmy. Again, Eloise slides the attention back to alcohol, insisting she refill Mary Jane’s glass and that she stay longer. As the story progresses, we are finally introduced to Eloise’s past love history. She abandons her critical nature and attitude when describing the man of her past, who made her laugh. â€Å"He could do it when he talked to me. He could do it over the phone. He could even do it in a letter. And the best thing about it was that he didnt even try to be funnyhe just was funny (Salinger). The language she uses gives the reader the image of her lying on her couch as she reminisces about her past experiences with him. Salinger invites us into her emotional memory bank, and constructs the dialogue within this very scene in such a way that places Eloise mentally by herself remembering things that once made her happy, and making everything at that moment obsolete, in the same way a lover might recall their past love experiences (Smith 648). It is at this very point within the plot that we become aware of not only her relationship with this other past man, but also where the name â€Å"Uncle Wiggily† was derived from. This name is of significance to her. However, her train of thought is interrupted by Mary Jane reminding Eloise of the current martial situation she’s in now, â€Å"‘Doesn’t Lew have a sense of humor’ Mary Jane said† (Salinger). Her response to the questions of her husband does not run as deep as the memories she has with the other man. Quickly, she answers the question, again in her critical and sarcastic tone, almost as if disregarding she even has a husband. Again, she recalls moments her and her past love have shared together. Eloise reflected a moment, and then said, It wasnt always what he said, but how he said it. You know(Salinger). The fact that Salinger lets us in on these reflections from Eloise is again, emphasizing the connection she has with Walt and the memories, rather than obtaining the connections she should have with her husband. She mentions Lew as if he is insignificant. This relationship lacks everything that she had with her past love. Her reasoning behind not telling her husband about him comes off more as an excuse so that he may never know her true feelings and the apparent loneliness she exhibits (Kennedy). She also refuses to answer seriously to the question of why she chose to marry Lew. The theme of war is then introduced, as Mary Jane presses Eloise to explain how Walt, her love, had been killed. Tension in the plot thickens because we are seeing the break down of Eloise’s character. War and lost love become pivotal elements in Eloise’s apparent unhappiness. She begins to cry while explaining what had happen to him while he was away at War. Oddly enough, he was not killed while in action, instead in an incident involving a stove. As she told this story, she clutched the glass that was resting on her chest. Salinger swiftly incorporates the meaning of alcohol in her life once again, as her sort of comfort for the hurt she lives with. â€Å"She put her hand around the empty glass on her chest to steady it† (Salinger). As the story begins to conclude, the theme of lost or dead love is heightened when Ramona explains that Jimmy was killed. Eloise, instead of showing sympathy towards Ramona, asks what happened and quickly commands the girl to be sent to her room. Secondly, Grace asks for her own husband to stay the night, being that the weather was frigid; Eloise denies her request, therefore separating the husband and wife for the night. While this love is not dead, Eloise is causing a physical disconnect between the two. She then goes into Ramona’s room where she sees the young girl laying on the bed, all the way at the edge, so that her new imaginary friend has room to sleep. She attempts to separate the two by insisting that Ramona sleep the right way and physically grabs her ankles to position her to how she wants her to lay. It is in this very scene, after Eloise shuts off her daughter’s bedroom light, that the themes of love, death, and war completely break down the character of Eloise (Witalec). â€Å"She picked up Ramonas glasses and, holding them in both hands, pressed them against her cheek. Tears rolled down her face, wetting the lenses. ‘Poor Uncle Wiggily,’ she said over and over again† (Salinger). Salinger brings the story to a closing by having Eloise kiss her daughter, and walk out of the room. This is the first sign of affection from mother to daughter that we see. At the very end she seemed to confide in Mary Jane, asking her about a dress she had once worn. This has symbolism in itself, being that Eloise did not attempt to confide in her husband, we are unaware if he is even home or not by now. In a way, Mary Jane, who had been friends with Eloise for so long and knew her throughout her relationship with Walt, could serve as a type of connection left to the woman’s past memories, and that is why she returns to her at the end of the night (Kennedy). Salinger clearly demonstrates the isolation Eloise displays within her relationship with her own husband and child. He gave Ramona two different confidants within the short period the story takes place, while Eloise cannot find the connection between herself and her own spouse (Witalec). The themes of love, death, and war all seem to consume Eloise, effecting how she reacts to the people who are supposed to be closest to her. Much of the feelings she felt were common among the society of post-war times, and Salinger successful illustrates this to the reader. Work Cited Calloway, Catherine. 15 Fiction: The 1930s to the 1960s. American Literary Scholarship (2002): 1-26. Project Muse. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. Kennedy, J. Gerald. Modern American Short Story Sequences: Composite Fictions and Fictive Communities. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995 Salinger, J. D. Uncle Wiggily in Conneticut. Nine Stories/ J. D. Salinger. New York : Bantam, 1989. Smith, Dominic. Salingers Nine Stories: Fifty Years L ater. The Antioch Review (2003): 639-649. JSTOR. Web. 16 Nov. 2010 Witalec, Janet. Jerome David Salinger. 65 (2004): 290-339. Literature Criticism Online. Web. 16 Nov. 2010

Tangible Property of Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tangible Property of Wal-Mart - Essay Example Similarly, the enactment of state and federal legislations that protected workers from workers exploitation led to a stronger employee’s awareness of their rights and duties. In the contemporary world, various governments have put in place adequate measures to ensure that employees are not under any form of discrimination. In cases of discrimination against color, region, nationality among others, strict measures should be taken on employers. Based on the emerging technology, it is significant for managers of small and large organisations to improve their security systems as a major way of protecting their tangible properties. This paper seeks to identify major employment relationships and their legal considerations, discrimination issues and their legal consideration as well as measures that a Wal-Mart manager should take to identify and protect the tangible property rights of his organisation. Employment relationships and associated the legal considerations One form of emplo yment relationship is permanent employment relationship. This refers to the arrangement whereby workers are compensated by their employers. In addition to the basic salaries, the employees are eligible to receive health care benefits, sick off and contribution to retirement plans among others. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is one of the legal consideration that established minimum wages and salaries for permanent employees (Burkhauser et al, 1989). In addition, the occupational Safety and Health Act is focused at promoting security within the work place. Private employment entails working arrangement whereby the employment relationship is between private employers and the workers. According to 1985 Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), voluntary or involuntary termination of the employee’s duties should not deter him or her from continuing with his or her health insurance. Employees Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is an additional regulation that se ek to prevent frauds within private pension funds. ERISA stipulates that the sponsoring employer cannot invest more than 10% of the pension’s funds in his or her securities. Discriminatory issues and the associated legal considerations One of the major types of employment discrimination is disparate-treatment. This is a situation whereby an employer discriminates a particular employee on the bases of his race, sex, religion or nationality. The second type of discrimination is the disparate-impact discrimination. This occurs when an employer discriminates against an entire protected class within the organization. For example, if a rule is set that all the sales executives should be 5.8 feet tall regardless of their gender, there is a possibility that more males will be hired as compared to females. This amounts to disparate-impact discrimination. Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating their employees on the basis of education, color and housing. Other aspects prohibited by the act include discrimination in hiring, promotion, payment of fringe benefits and job training Methods for managing legal risk arising from regulatory compliance issues

History of Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History of Organized Crime - Essay Example While the author follows this purpose with single-minded intent, her level of success varies. Regardless of the full extent of authenticity, the book provides a number of interesting anecdotes and a good general overview of the climate that allowed the mob to flourish. If not complete gospel, it at least provides one with interesting insights into the life of an infamous figure in history. Edmond’s biography about Virginia Hill attempts to follow Hill’s life from beginning to end. It thus attempts to not only offer a connection between her later life and the difficult home life se had as a young child (while also trying to create a semi-sympathetic character). August 26, 1916, one Onie Virginia Hill, the seventh of ten children, is born to W.M. â€Å"Mack† Hill in Lipscomb, Alabama. Mack is essentially a horse trader whose little success went straight to alcohol; his wife Margaret begins working to try and provide a more stable income. Mack’s inebriation grows directly in proportion with longer periods spent at home with the children, and a young Virginia follows her mother’s example by allowing the man to be the undisputed ruler of the household. Around the age of seven, Virginia defends herself against her father by throwing a skillet of hot grease on him†¦ her following taunts so enrage him that his anger is vented on Margare t instead. Virginia recalls this moment as her first self-assertion†¦ seeing how quickly her father withdrew and feared her from this, Virginia chooses to never take such abuse again. Virginia’s biggest concern at the time is losing her father’s love, but soon realizes she has nothing to lose. She cites this realization as the guideline for the rest of her life: she cannot allow herself to be emotionally vulnerable, and therefore decides to never â€Å"love† a man. To some degree, this becomes the guideline of Hill’s life. Somewhere in the 1920’s Margaret Hill took the children and moved to

Example Answer On Multinational Corporations And Complexity

Example Answer On Multinational Corporations And Complexity Multinational corporations (MNCs), in their effort of globalisation normally face complexity that caused by multiculturalism and geographic dispersion. There are three characteristics of complexity in globalisation. 1) Multiplicity reflects the need of MNCs to be responsive to different viewpoints, public opinion concern and government rules and regulations. 2) Interdependence will means all operation and business activities are interrelated that can not be treated alone. 3) Ambiguity means the lack of information clarity that will lead to difficulty in interpreting events and people. Complexity in the international operating environment will then lead to various global challenges. It is difficult for MNCs to achieve organizational effectiveness and sustainable competitive advantage locally as well as globally if it is operating without an efficient and systematic HRM practices that align with the business strategy. Paine Co. which is building its international presence is facing some HR issues and challenges that typically will happen in MNCs. From the case study, the following main HR issues had been identified. TABLE 1: MAIN HUMAN RESOURCE ISSUES FACED BY PAINE CO. A. Communication Do not have a clear view of the corporate mission statement and vision set within the group. Lack of communication channel between the management and the employees. Do not have get-together among staff for idea exchange and employees feedback sessions. B. Recruitment, selection and retention Decentralised recruitment policies. Do not have good image branding and company reputation. C. Performance management and reward system Do not have well designed performance review and appraisal system. D. Training and development Do not provide staff intensive training for all new employees. Do not have further on-job or off-job training for improvement of skills and knowledge. Do not have interchanging of staff between subsidiaries. Communication being one of the most important components in human life is also the key of success for HR management. Effective communication is essential throughout an organization to ensure transpire of all information and knowledge sharing can be achieved. Communication is also vital for the organizational objectives setting. Effective communication between the employer and employees can lead to a greater understanding in achieving organizations goal. Study by Lindholm, N. (2000) found that it is important to communicate the company goal and job objective clearly to the host-country employees in MNCs to increase their job satisfaction. Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric Co. (GE) had introduced the informal culture across the company. The Informal by Jack Welch means violating the conventional chain of command, creating communication across all layers of the organization and everyone can talk to the boss. During his tenure as GEs CEO, Jack Welch organized a lot of corporate events that provide opportunities to all the employees to get-together and at the same time the management can communicate the company values and vision effectively to the employees. Besides that, Jack Welch also made unexpected visits to plants and offices abroad as well as scheduled luncheons with his managers to achieve good leading, guidance, and influence the behaviour of complex organization. The weakness in communication within Paine Co. can be seen in a few contexts. The communication problems started from their international expansion with some of the subsidiaries running on decentralised basis. There are no common strategies and objectives been set and communicate across all subsidiaries in the overall business operation. There is also no interchange of people between subsidiaries which can help to promote knowledge sharing and team spirit. Collecting workplace feedbacks from employees can facilitate in creating two-way communication which is important in an organization. Annual staff opinion survey is one of the methods that can be introduced to collect feedbacks from employees. In Paine Co., the occasion that consultants from France made direct complaints to their MD bypassing their local manager had shown the lack in proper channel of communication within the organization. Besides that, Ferguson as the MD of Paine Co. did not emphasize on knowledge sharing and t eam work but only see personal results and performance as the key factors of determining the business success. Therefore, overall synergy can not be achieved for a greater sustainable competitive advantage. Human assets are important for service industry as their people are core part of the source of services that have direct visibility from a customer point of view. Stringent recruitment and selection processes must be implemented to ensure the right people are to be engaged. Employers reputation and corporate branding are other crucial factors that will affect the recruitment and selection process. Highly talented people are always looking for their employer of choice in seeking their job for better career advancement. Singapore Airlines (SIA) for example had been the employer of choice for many educated young people due to their reputation as a service leader in the airline industry. On the other hand, SIA adopts a highly rigorous and stringent selection process which the applicants are required to meet various criteria from outlook appearance, age ranges, academic qualifications as well as physical attributes. The stringent selection process is to ensure the right people bee selecte d for the right job and at the same time improve the service quality of the organization. In this case, Paine Co. failed to carry out the best-practice in the recruitment and selection strategies. The company has had problems in developing a brand with a good company image in Germany, both for clients and staff. While facing the problem in recruiting good staffs, at the same time it also fails to retain the talented young employees. These have affected the efficiency and smoothness of the project and business operation and at the same time will incur higher cost for recruitment purpose. As recruitment and retention of employee is another challenging task in IHRM. Employers need to select the right people and put them to the right jobs, as well as managing their performance effectively and at the same time retain the quality employees from leaving the organizations. Only the right people will take the organization where they need to go. Hadhiphanis (2010) highlighted three issues that need to be considered by management when recruiting employees: Value of experience and s kills for the proposed position; behavioural and technical competencies based in making hiring decision; and pre-screen candidates before interview. While for retention of staff, Hadhiphanis (2010) again suggested that three strategies need to be carefully implemented in order to ensure the company provide better value to their employees as compare to their competitors. Options of remuneration, fringe benefits and rewards system to employees. Clear in communicating expectations and ability to gauge the performance against expectations. Rotational assignments, career development and planning as well as financial support (job-related and non-job related) to employees. The implementation of good staff recruitment and retaining strategies will not only build good employees capability for today but also for the future. Paine Co. should identify the needs of their employees and should not assume employees in every country having the same needs. Most of the time, the employees needs are reflected in the social-economy and culture of the country. Besides that, employees needs will not be the same all the time and review should be carried out periodically to ensure the HR practices are being implemented correctly to suit the current conditions. As for the performance management and reward system (PMRS) in Paine and Co. Although employees bonus and rewards are performance based, the final decision still subject to the senior management discretions without going through a proper appraisal and performance review system. Therefore their bonus system is not well-regarded. Performance management (PM) was defined as a HRM process involving constant evaluation of individual and corporate improvement progress against the predetermined objectives which are correlated to the company business strategy (Dowling et al., 1999 cited by Lindholm, N., 2000). The extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, understanding of job task and job satisfaction of the employees are mainly influenced by PM practices of a company (Lindholm, N., 2000). PM that is properly planned and implemented will also help in the objectives setting, reducing job errors as well as maximizing employees satisfaction and motivation in achieving not only individual job objective s but also align with the companys business strategy in achieving organizational goals. Evidence from research had shown that cultural differences among countries will affect the elements in implementing PM. PM practices will not be successful if MNCs implement and standardize their PM policies at both home country office and the overseas subsidiaries without consideration the cultural differences among the countries. Hofstedes cultural dimensions theory had been applied by researchers in their studies in relationship between the cultural differences and the transferability of PM as well as job satisfaction in MNCs. Lindholm, N. (2000) suggested that PM system should be modified to suit to the culture of host-country. Modular type PM system that can suit to different cultures in different countries can be developed to improve the job satisfaction and performance of host-country employees. Besides that, the design and implementation of a fair performance evaluation system by taking host-country employees feedback into consideration is crucial to create job satisfaction o f employees in MNCs. IHRM issue is one of the greatest challenges for all MNCs. Even world class companies like General Electric Co. and Black Decker Corp. will face some challenges in managing HRM issues when it first going global. Mendenhall, M.E et al, (2003) had identified the following Big Five global HR challenges for MNCs. Enhancing global business strategy Aligning HR issues with business strategy Designing and leading change Building global corporate cultures Developing global leaders The implementation of good IHRM practices has become very crucial in the success of all organization regardless their sizes and industry (Ulrich, 1997, cited by Nicolaou, N. and Costea, E.S). The fit of this type of culture HR system shall be given more attention in order to create an effective organization. In todays highly competitive globalization business environment, human resource become the main assets of an organization and therefore the implementation of IHRM strategy is the key to the success of the organization and its continuous competiveness in the global market. ANSWER FOR QUESTION 2: Barlett and Ghoshal (2000, cited by Harzing, A.W and Ruysseveldt, J.V., 2004) highlighted the three types of strategic objectives for MNCs are: meeting the challenges of global efficiency; multinational flexibility, and worldwide learning. Porter (1990, cited by Truong, et al, 2010) pointed out that the most significant source of competitive advantage for an economy is a skilled, flexible and well-educated workforce. While Heneman et al. (2000, cited by Truong, et al, 2010) stated that HR is important for all types of organizational sustainability. Many companies had realised the importance of strategic HR practices but only a few can implement it strategically in conjunction with the business strategy to gain competitive advantage (Schuler R.S MacMillan I.C, 1984). The following table shows the core components of HR practices that had been identified and the proposed HRM strategies in order to help Paine Co. in building their corporate business strategy to gain long-term competitive advantage. TABLE 2: CORE HRM COMPONENTS, CURRENT STATUS AND PROPOSED STRATEGIES FOR PAINE CO. HRM Core Components Current Status Strategies Recruitment and Selection Recruitment and selection procedures not regulated or standardised Do not have clear and stringent criteria in selection To use value-based hiring method To carry out proper job analysis and description Specification of minimum criteria in selection Standardisation of recruitment and selection procedures (i.e. interview, psychometric test and social test) Compensation and Benefits Remuneration system not standardised or according to industry standard To carry out industry remuneration review To introduce profit sharing scheme Performance Management and Reward System Do not have proper appraisal review system Rewards do not reflected on the individual performance No relationship between reward policy and corporate business development strategy To carry out KPI as PMRS To create link between goal-setting and performance achievement Training and Development Do not have proper training and development program To have intensive training for new staff To provide continuous training throughout employment Retention of Talents Lack of support from management to staff Lack of communication between employer and employees Lack of motivation Do not have succession plan To create multiple channels for information sharing To rewards the staff with innovative ways To carry out employees satisfaction survey To develop career advancement plan for employees Schuler R.S and MacMillan I.C (1984) suggested two ways for HRM practices to help in gaining organizational competitive advantage: by helping themselves and by helping others. They also clarified that good HRM practices should be first be targeted within the company before implement to the external parties (i.e. customers, suppliers, distributors). Strategic HRM practices should be ideally integrated with the business strategy of an organization in building long-tern competitive advantage. Wirtz, J., et al, 2007 believed that The wrong people are liability. Recruitment and selection is an important process in HRM that will decide whether the right person will be doing the right job at the right place. Value-based hiring method can be utilised by Paine Co. in their recruitment and selection process. A detail job analysis and job functions description should be carried out before determining the selection criteria in their recruitment exercise. Other than qualifications and experiences, criteria like physical attributes, social and emotional competency should also be considered when selecting their consultants who are the front-line staff that serve their clients. Therefore, other than structured interviews, psychometric tests and social competency tests should also be included in the screening process to ensure high quality consultants are recruited. By having stringent selection criteria, the uncertainty of hiring the right applicants with the expected qualities will be reduced. In long run, the cost for recruitment and selection process can be reduced due to the increased in efficiency of recruitment and selection process. Besides the selection and recruitment process, Paine Co. also facing problems in managing their compensation and benefits as well as PMRS. It is suggested that profit sharing scheme to be introduced to the consultant advisers and senior consultants. This will encourage employees to be part of the business partners and increase their commitment towards the company performance. While for PMRS, Paine Co. should implement the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system to ensure fair evaluation of performance review and structured appraisal throughout the whole group. Implement of KPI system will not only guarantee fair treatment to all staff but also make the objectives setting and performance management process more effective. Training is one of the key components of success for service industry like Paine Co. For organizations that are seeking competitive advantage through HR, Khandekar, A., and Shama, A. (2005) suggested that they should design their HR systems so that human resources can be utilised efficiently and enabling knowledge been used by employees to maximize their organizational competitive. In this situation, Paine Co. is suggested to plan and provide an intensive training program to all its new employees before they carry out their duties. Intensive training programs are effective HRM tools because it can help the newcomers to master their jobs which probably causing fewer anxieties among them. Besides that, company values, objectives and the expectations from the employer can also be clearly communicated across to the new staff through intensive training. Subsequent off-job and on-job trainings should be planned and provided regularly throughout the employment period to improve knowledge and skills of employees. The training and development program is part of the strategic HR management that is essential for Paine Co. to obtain sustainable service excellence and long-term competitive advantage in the industry. Last but not least, the talents retention is another area that needs to be strategically implemented. Tobia, P.M (1999) mentioned that lowering turnover of staff will increase profits of a company. Besides that, only employees who are motivated and satisfied with their working conditions are able to produce good services and products for better competitive advantage in the industry. Many young consultants in Paine Co. left the company by joining the competitors proofed that its employees are not satisfied with their working conditions as compare to the competitors. Paine Co. need to improve the provision of resources to the employees in carrying out their duties. Implementation of some long-term retention programs such as innovative and fair PMRS; people friendly policies and carry out employees feedback survey will definitely help in reducing staff turnover rate. Opportunity for career advancement is another determinant of retention success. Succession plan and career path plannin g is important to retain talented employees and increase productivity. By implementing all the above proposed HRM strategies will not guarantee the ultimate success of the company in achieving the long-term business competitive advantage if there are no continuous reviews and improvement plans on its strategies. Besides a good HRM systems, products and brand differentiation; focus orientation; global thinking; a sensitive radar system; perpetual spirit of innovations; social and environmental responsibilities are some of the other criteria for MSCs to become a real World Class Company and achieve long-term business competitive advantage. All the above mentioned criteria will need to link people with the strategic needs of the business as people is the most valuable asset of an organization. If the business needs of an organization can be clearly identified and be integrated effectively with the HRM practices, long-term sustainable competitive advantage will not be far from achievable. REFLECTION Planning and formulating the HRM practices with business strategy for competitive advantage will be meaningless if the management do not understand the basic needs of their employees. Therefore, communications play an important role in the analysing and understanding the employees behaviour so that the right HRM practices can be strategized. All employers know what the company goals are, but not everyone is able to articulate their products or services with the market-place effectively to determine the types of employees needed. The needs-matching process to get the right person to do the right job is another great challenge in HRM. Another concern will be the consistency in the implementation of the best HRM practices in an organization. Only long-term consistency in the practices can bring great results and achieve sustainable competitive advantage instead of just short-term success. Commitment from the top management is an important factor that will determine the success. Total organizational commitment can not be achieved without starting from the top and working down. If the top management started to demonstrate good practices, concern and commitment to their job and products, the employees will also begin to follow the same practices and further synergizing their contributions to perform for sustainable competitive advantage. END ABBREVIATIONS GE General Electric Co. HRM Human Resource Management IHRM International Human Resource Management KPI Key Performance Indicator MD Managing Director MNCs Multinational Corporations PM Performance Management PMRS Performance Management and Reward System SIA Singapore Airlines