Robin Hood Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Robin Hood Case Analysis Essay Robin Hood Case Analysis BY JAZZY08 In the Robin Hood case, we can easily apply the principles of a business organization. Robin was the CEO of the Merrymen. He made all important decisions and a few lieutenants serve in roles that have been delegated such as information gathering, discipline, finances and provisioning. These make up the top management in the organization. This is associated with the Fayolism theory developed by Henri Fayol who proposed that managers perform particular functions for the growth and success of the organization. The four tasks that have been delegated as well as Robin Hoods personal vendetta against the Sheriff serve as the basis for many problems encountered by the Merrymen. First year, did well because they were a small organization experiencing little problems, growth was steady, revenues were consistent due to stealing from the rich, no major competitive forces were established in the industry and Robin Hood and the Merry men had the support of the stakeholders (peasants and farmers) because the men saw to it that the people were taken care of as well as their equal hate for the Sheriff . According to Henri Mintzberg what is expected of a manager is described through management roles. Robin as the CEO possesses the decisional roles which entails the important decision making and choices. The Merrymen acquire informational roles through information gathering and finances as a few of their delegated tasks and finally, the peasants and farmers possess the interpersonal skills that are very symbolic in nature because of their absolute interest and support in the efforts made by Robin and the Merrymen. Their peasants and farmers are the main reason for their formation rob the rich-give to the poor). Over the years, Robin Hood was faced with many issues that needs to be addressed. He believed that the strength and manpower of any army was in its numbers and so the band is growing too large with insufficient resources to sustain it. There is also a decline in the Merrymens vigilance as it is so hard to keep track with the larger numbers which may cause them to be unprepared if the Sheriff were to place a surprise attack on them and discipline is hard to enforce resulting in less control. This issue needs to be resolved in order for the men to work well with one another before a case of mutiny outbreaks (Robert. L. Katz; human skills). The Sheriff is growing stronger and becoming better organized because of his owerful allies as well as the support of the evil Prince John. Just as the numbers of Merrymen are growing, travelers are beginning to find alternate routes through the forest to avoid apprehension, causing a decline in the bands revenue stream. This is the major problem that Robin Hood needs to overcome. If he cannot steal the rich peoples money, he has nothing to give to the poor which can cause a strain in the relationship with his stakeholders. Also, with no money, Mr. Hood will not be able to maintain his group of Merrymen, and they will become weaker making themselves susceptible to attacks from the Sheriff. The two satellite problems facing Robin Hood are the intensive threat of competitive rivals and threats to suppliers. The core problem is rivalry, Prince John and the Sherriff are Robins main rivals and pose a definite threat to his operation. They are in direct competition with each other, and their actions have to constantly be monitored which is going to be difficult due to the their persistent efforts to capture Robin Hood and his Merrymen. Suppliers are a high level threat, because at any point those who support Robin Hood could be captured by Prince John and the Sherriff, thus cutting off supplies. Also, the bargaining power of suppliers is high simply because of the business Robin is involved in(robbing). His business is illegal and therefore a high level threat to anyone who supplies to him. Threat from buyers is currently a low level threat because an objective of Robins is to give to the poor. They have no reason to pose any threat unless at some time Robin Hood begins to tax them. The threat of new entry is also low given the legality of this endeavor. Individuals will likely be more willing to Join Robin Hood as opposed to forming their own faction. Although it is bviously more common to have a threat of new entry when in control of the market while making a profit, in this particular situation it is relatively low given Robin Hoods rapport within the forest. The threat of substitute products has been identified as a low to moderate threat. The residents of the forest are assumed to be the customers. The variable that make them a threat include: the perceived possibility that Robin may fail. In the event of this transpiring, the most probable alternative would be the majority of the people leaving the forest. This is a low to moderate threat because lthough Robins current status is relatively stable; his customers face the real possibility of being forced into making alternative decisions. This, along with the changes in the external environment is making the bands business model obsolete. These changes must be addressed along with the structuring and training of the ever-growing band of Merrymen. In short, Robin needs to select a new strategy and rally the Merrymen behind the cause because the current strategy is becoming timeworn at a hurried pace. Robin Hood and his men need a new mission, objectives, and strategy. Their vision is belonging to a kingdom with an honourable King who treats everyone fairly. His new mission should be to free the people from Prince John and return King Richard to the throne. Robin Hood and his band are in need of a fresh strategy in response to external happenings. For instance in the situation where the travelers are beginning to avoid the forest, despite added cost and inconvenience, to protect their belongings. Also, Robins plan to force the Sheriff out of Nottingham by causing unrest is not working. Indeed, the Sheriff is using powerful connections to apply added pressure to Robin and the Merrymen. To further complicate matters, some of the barons that appointed Prince John to the throne are now campaigning to clandestinely raise the ransom to free King Richard. These barons have offered Robin Hood the chance to help in this mission in exchange for future amnesty. While the return of King Richard and the ousting of Prince John is what Robin wants, the risks involved in such a deal are very high. The mission of the gang is rob from the rich and give to the poor. However, the true goal of the organization is to remove the amoral Sheriff from office, as evidenced by the consideration of Robin to institute a fixed transit tax. A more appropriate mission would be rid Nottingham of the corrupt King John and Sheriff. The gang also needs to outline some objectives, as this has not been done in the past. For example, each Merryman shall produce enough loot each day to pay for his own food. The band does need a new organizational structure as a result of the lead for change in structure would possibly be promoting more lieutenants in order to monitor the men more effectively and keep the men clear of their strategy. Maybe the group could form smaller camps that are part of the whole for organizational stability and spread across the entire forest of Nottingham. Robin Hood could Join with the barons to collect the ransom to release King Richard, receive amnesty and a resolution to the campaign against the Sheriff. It is risky because the barons could offset his efforts and if the plan proves to be unsuccessful, Prince John will unleash his vicious and volatile side to ensure Robin Hoods demise, but it is less risky than doing what he is presently doing which is nothing. In assisting them, he has more support against the Sheriff. If he continues to do nothing he will eventually end up caught by the sheriff, run out of supplies or mutiny will break out among his men. Robin Hood must weigh the benefits and risks of the following : forming a strategic alliance with the barons to rescue King Richard , expanding the organization into areas outside Sherwood Forest ,killing the Sheriff as a defensive strategic move or switching to a fixed transit tax as an offensive strategy move. A SWOT analysis will help determine some strategic alternatives and how the band can attempt to fulfill its mission and achieve its goals. Robin Hood can use the SWOT analysis to identify where he is strong and vulnerable, where he should defend and attack by scanning both internal and external environments. The group has grown spontaneously in its numbers. Manpower is the largest resource any group can have and the number of the Merrymen is formidable. Robin Hood is also a strong leader. For any one-single man to organize a group of this caliber, strong leadership skills must be present. The brand recognition the Merrymen posses has also been a strength. Because the group is so popular, it has allowed them to make a difference in their community. This popularity has also gained the group access to the resources of the surrounding towns and communities. The cost of training and producing their product is also a trength as well as their skills of being well trained fghting men. According to Robert. L. Katz, managers need three essential skills, in being well trained men, they must acquire Job- specific knowledge and technigues needed to proficiently perform work tasks (technical skills) They simply steal to obtain the capital they need and training costs are small outside the capital needed to supply the arms and feed the Merrymen. Most of the combat supplies are probably stolen as well. Moreover, new recruits are coming in and the men are being reunited in the enmity against the Sheriff. The first major weakness I have identified is Robin Hoods personal grudge with the sheriff. This has a great potential to cloud his overall view and influence judgments that may otherwise may not be for the good of the group. Even though the group was born from this idea, it has seemingly surpassed Just over-throwing the sheriff and transformed to a scope much larger. This personal vendetta may not take this into account and cause ill-formed decisions. The second major weakness I have identified is the alliances Robin Hood has made. This problem encompasses a few of the other weaknesses the Merrymen have. At first, the recruitment looked for viable candidates that fit a certain criteria. Now, the Merrymen will accept anyone who is willing to serve the cause hence there is a lack in familiarity with all the organizational members. Because of this single change in recruitment procedures, the now laxed recruitment process, another issue has arisen; exceeding the food capacity of the surrounding lands. This is simply a numerical problem that is encountered when you let anyone Join a group that relies so heavily on natural resources. The food shortage has also resulted in a depletion of the Merrymens financial reserves. Since the land can no longer provide the resources the group needs, they have turned to trade and purchasing. The large number of the group has also caused a space problem. The next major sets of weaknesses I have identified are a result of the looting and raids the Merrymen participate in. This raised the question to Robin Hood of what alternatives are available to help the group raise funds. Robin Hood favored taxation of the travelers and local towns people rather than looting and raiding but this concept was met with much resistance. His lower management argued that taxation would turn their closest allies against them and ould virtually put them in the same category as the Sheriff. A major opportunity present that is not coupled with the weaknesses the Merrymen have is the proposition of freeing King Richard. Securing the release of King Richard, if successful, would be very beneficial to the Merrymen. This is potentially another source of income for the Merrymen and would shine beneficial political light on the group. If the group were to fail, the retribution would be detrimental. Instead of fghting Just one sheriff and his men, the band would potentially have to take on the entire army commanded by Prince John. The opportunities present are forming an alliance with the barons in order to bring King Richard back to Nottingham and expanding the Merryman into the forest spreading revenue base. The sheriff, of course, was the source of the major threats to the Merrymen. At first the campaign was successful but over time the sheriff and his forces are growing larger and better organized causing increased direct competition. They have received the funding they need to disrupt the Merrymens operations. The plan the group first used forecasted that a perpetual state of unrest would cause the Sheriff to be removed from his osition, however the opposite happened and the sheriff used the unrest to secure reinforcements and funding for the campaign. This was a result of his close strategic alliance with Prince John. Moreover, Prince John is very paranoid and could act irrationally by sending his spies to offset the Merrymen. Additionally, aligning with the barons is very risky as they could deceive Robin. Several recommendations have been developed for the Merrymen to aid in the success of the group. It is the belief that the current strategy is one that can again be successful but many changes need o be implemented to ensure this strategys success. I recommend that Robin Hood align with the barons. He should help them collect the ransom that would free King Richard. In order for this to work, Robin Hood would have to sell this idea to the Merrymen and the farmers and the townspeople and change the policy of outright confiscation of goods. He has to convince them that the fixed transit tax will go towards their Kings ransom. Robin acquires the conceptual skills required of any manager to perform proficiently according to Katz, he is looking at the bigger picture which he believes everyone will benefit from. conceptual skills). This will help everyone feel loyal and patriotic to one common cause. The citizens already do not like the Prince John and they would likely unite together and support any strategy lieutenants to help the already overworked ones that he has, given the state of discipline and other problems. Robin has considered killing the Sheriff but it would not end the campaign because it has grown beyond the scope of Just the Sheriff, but decided against it because it would only satisfy his thirst for revenge without improving the matter. The next Sheriff would undoubtedly be Just as bad if not worse ecause the Sheriffs association is devoid of values. Also, with the Sheriffs high- powered friends and increasing resources, the chances of succeeding in the slaying are dim because this would more than likely anger Prince John into dealing out very harsh punishment that could terminate Robin Hood and his men. If there is an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the Sheriff, retribution will be fierce. The Merrymen need to build off the strengths it has. The quality of the manpower is an area of concern. Implementation of the original recruitment process or an advanced recruitment process is the first necessary fix. Just letting anyone be a participant of the group has been the source to several of the issues plaguing the Merrymen. Candidates should have a particular set of skills to allow entry. If there is a food shortage, pre-screen candidates for skills such as farming. Discipline has been identified as another issue. This can be eliminated through the better screening process and better training. For this all to work, there must be a better management system put in place. The external threats, weaknesses and opportunities the Merrymen have are formidable but proper action can be used to manage these. The ack of food and provisions can first be solved by recruiting farmers and hunter/ gathers to the group who solely focus on these issues as well as enforcing that the men produce enough loot each day for his own food. This would also help eliminate the expenses the group incurs as trading and bartering for provision could be gradually eliminated. Since revenues are in decline, any money-saving action is beneficial. Concurrent with this issue, expansion of the raiding area is a must. Though Robin feels as though he is losing control of the band, he admits to not knowing half of the men and is finding it hard to enforce discipline. They have the opportunity of limiting the size of the band which maintains discipline and solves food scarcity which basically curtails growth. This strategic move will deem them weak and powerless against the Sheriff and Prince John. The more manpower they have, the greater chance they have of carrying out the mission. The band should extend their operations throughout Sherwood Forest in order to rejuvenate revenues, which at present are in decline. They may also be able to access supplies more readily which previously would have been obtained from outlying villages, thus reducing costs. This also allows them the opportunity to continue robbing in an adjacent region which is consistent with the original organization and its growing size. The part of the group that conducts raids should also work very closely with the intelligence gathering portion. Once again, proper recruitment and training will result in a part of the group who can focus on this important aspect. The intelligence can be used to know when and where raids are conducted and what moves the sheriff is making. However, all the groups need to be properly trained in combat for when the need arises. These groups should continue to be managed separately.. In this instance, time is of the essence. As the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men learn Sherwood Forests resources have been depleted by the large amounts of recruits that inhabit the area, and this has seriously drained the bands financial reserves, however, this does give the men a greater asset in their numbers. The case seems unclear about where the Merrymen see themselves over the next few years, but one thing is clear, if they wish to survive, they will have to take immediate action. If the band is successful overthrowing Prince John, they will have to work in close onjunction with King Richard to shape a society which functions equally for members of all socio-economic classes (assuming this is their goal). The central issue faced by Robin Hood and his Merrymen is how to win their fght against the Sheriff of Nottingham. We recommend partaking in this venture though because we see the benefits outweighing the risks. However, this must be a carefully planned and executed venture. Robin Hood and his band should organize an attack on Prince John in order to eliminate the Sheriffs authority over Nottingham and its occupants. If successful, the Merrymen will return to their law abiding life.

The Saying Actions Speak Louder Than Words English Language Essay

The Saying Actions Speak Louder Than Words English Language Essay Multicultural education programme is aimed to develop the knowledge about diverse cultures, therefore the author of this Bachelor thesis focuses her attention on this subject. Non-verbal communication should be understood not only with the language of hand or facial expressions but also when a person speaks: eye contact, smile, pauses in speech and the distance between interlocutors as well as other factors are important. Sen argues that in the context of multicultural communication, it becomes imperative that we train ourselves in decoding the non-verbal signs in a communication progress (2004: 163). Clayton suggests that non-verbal communication should be discussed in three areas, related to the individual, to language, and to the context (2003: 115). Non-verbal communication related to an individual involves eye contact, touching, posture, gestures and facial expressions (ibid.: 115-118). Non-verbal communication related to language includes vocal qualities, intonation, and the use of silence (ibid.: 119). The last one, non-verbal communication related to the context is discussed by olfaction, clothing, sonal appearance, artifacts as well as feeling about space and attitudes toward time (ibid.: 120-123). Some people believe that words are most important in speech because sometimes they do not notice how important non-verbal communication could be and that it can say more about someone than words. The person can lie when he is speaking but his behavior as for instance, embarrassment, always tells the truth. The principles of non-verbal communication between representatives of different cultures can help to overcome the incomprehension even without the knowledge of language. Discussing eye contact one should notice that it is the tool for contact establishment. In business field the direct eye contact means a sense of confidence. Nevertheless, the author of the research believes that Russians do not prefer to fix eye contact for a long time. In American culture vice versa it is the way how people usually behave. According to Clayton, direct eye-contact implies truth and honesty in the dominant Anglo-American culture (ibid.: 115). Another significant aspect of non-verbal communication is gestures. Feyereisen and de Lannoy quote Kendon (1986) and McNeill (1985), [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] gestures and words both relate to the mental representations that constitute thinking (Feyereisen and de Lannoy, 1991: 2). Individuals of diverse cultures can interpret some universal gestures differently. When one thinks about the word yes or no it means nodding and shaking the head. (Clayton, 2003: 117) Still in some countries, for instance in India or Bulgaria, the gesture no means the agreement (ibid.: 117). From these examples of gestures use it can be seen how differently communities can interpret the meaning. Further, within a multicultural environment, every culture forms a single notion of established manners, greetings, gestures and handshakes use. It is very often considered that a certain nation can use gestures more frequently than others. The author of the present research provides an example from the respondents answers (see Appendix 2; question nr. 11), one Latvian student wrote, usually Russian people within talking use many gestures. This type of behavior can confuse diverse cultures representatives where the active use of gestures is not welcome. Latvians, for instance, do not prefer to use a lot of gestures in their oral discourse, especially with strangers. A direct eye contact and outwardly restrained behavior are the most characteristic features for them. They also do not prefer to smile quickly greeting other persons. It is important to analyze how representatives of different cultures behave being in one group. Some foreigners, for instance, Americans or Italians being in Latvia could be confused with the type of unfriendly behavior of native people. Americans and Italians always smile greeting others but this could be atypical for the natives of other countries. The author knows from her own experience that Russians in Latvia differ from Russians in Russia especially by use of gestures. This signals that being in one group or living together in one country [Russians in Latvia] affects all those natives not only adopting the choice of words or sentence patterns from the Latvian culture, but also behavior, gestures and attitudes. To sum up, Russians in Latvia are more composed in behavior than Russians in Russia. It is typical for them in Russia to use a lot of gestures that are accompanied sometimes by a loud voice and very fast talking. Russians in Latvia were being socialized to the typical cultural behavior of Latvians. The process of adaptation of some features of non-verbal communication is developed since representatives of cultures always cooperate and affect each other being in one group. Feyereisen and de Lannoy quote Halliday (1973) and Levinson (1983) pragmatics also draws attention to the social conditions in which gestures occur (Feyereisen and de Lannoy, 1991: 24). The context of the verbal emission, gestures included, must be taken into account to understand the meaning of utterance (ibid.). Thus, every gesture occurs in appropriate context and conditions. As an example, Asians always smile when they are embarrassed. They usually demonstrate a neutral expression when angry, that makes impossible to understand their emotional condition. American people always keep smiling in order to show that everything is going well. The awareness of cultural differences in non-verbal communication leads to understanding the behavior of other people. Nevertheless, it is sometimes difficult to find a way how it is better to act. The above-mentioned suggestions are considered to be very important and everyone should understand that if someone behaves differently and sometimes incomprehensibly this can mean that he/she is coming from another culture. Clayton arguing about students nonverbal communication differences in the classroom, asserts that [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the loudness of a students response may be a sign of sincerity; the belligerent-sounding comment may be awkward intonation; [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the quest for more personal interaction may indicate an unconscious need for closer contact with authority; the wince under our affectionate pat on the back may mean discomfort with physical touch; [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] an inappropriate smile may mask shame, embarrassment, or fear [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] (2003: 128). Finally, everyone should be more attentive to others in order to communicate successfully; especially it is important during the process of education. Clayton adds that teachers cannot know all nonverbal languages of other cultures but she assumes that what we can do is [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] to lay aside our own cultural blinders, be sensitive to a variety of responses, be open to and affirming of different interpretations, and hopefully learn from our students [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] (ibid.). To conclude the author of the research would like to emphasize that: the awareness of cross-cultural differences leads to acceptance over cultures; the individual becomes more open-minded; the ability to interpret cross-cultural differences and use this knowledge in practice helps to act in a positive way;

Lower And Higher Cognitive Processes

Lower And Higher Cognitive Processes In cognitive psychology, lower and higher cognitive processes are cognitive processes that governs the way different abilities, for example, perception; attention; thinking; problem solving, are being used. However, each of the processes has their unique characteristics when applying the abilities. Lower cognitive process occurs in an automated manner with lower level of consciousness while higher cognitive process exercises mental activities voluntary with controlled awareness. Nevertheless, this essay aspires to investigate the differences of each process through the introspection and examples in order to help us understand how different each process can be. The Use of Lower and Higher Cognitive Processes in Looking At Experiences Our brain lays two very important processes that govern different abilities, the higher and lower cognitive processes, in fact both processes have different characteristics that can be explicitly observed, while higher cognitive process have a more general, non-automatic, mediated memory, controlled awareness and constructive thinking characteristic, whereas, lower cognitive process a more specific, involuntary automated and unconscious characteristic, thus, lower cognitive processes are instructed and run by higher cognitive processes, (Kalyuga, 2009; Fernyhough, 1996). Nevertheless Stuart-Hamilton (1995) analysed that both lower and higher cognitive processes are linked processes as lower cognitive process is a simple and basic process which governs basics task, for example, pattern recognition, thus, with the incorporated information from the lower cognitive process, the higher cognitive process is in charge of the collection of the information. At the same time, there are differe nt levels of processes to process the received stimuli from the variety of analysing of sensory aspects to semantic and theoretical processing (Eysenck, 1990). In my past twenty-one years, I have experienced quite a number of events which are unforgettable while some were memorable and some were regrets and if there is a chance to turn the clock back to my young age, I will definitely change how I think and how I manage things. While advice was given from peers and matured people around me, I will end up deciding what I want the most and ignore what they have said when I was younger. Nevertheless, there were times where I will look into these experiences and ask myself questions like why do I want to do that and how did I manage to do it. When I was in primary school, I hate to do assignments so almost everyday after school, I will hide my assignments somewhere, places where it cannot be seen, for example, under my bed, behind the cardboard or mixing them with other books. When my mum comes back from work, I will usually say that there were no assignments for the day and I will be allowed to play at the playground or with my toys. The follo wing day, I will tell my teacher that I have forgotten to bring my assignments in order to get away and if the teacher asked again about the assignments, my answer will often be, I loss it and I cant find it anywhere, but the fact is, it is hidden somewhere. However, every half a year, my parents will receive a phone call from my teacher saying that I have not been hand up my assignments for the past few months and my mum will start searching my room. At my surprise, she is able to find most of the books and worksheets and I will be forced to finish all of them in one or two nights. This experience became a continuous cycle for few years of my primary school days. Looking back at my lower cognitive process during my experience, what I want to do is just purely playing and because of that reason, I can even hid and lie to my teachers and parents about it so that I am free from any assignments. I presume that my brain has a certain perception about assignments which causes me to run away from it and what I want is just to play and enjoy myself. According to Margaret (2005), the utilization of perception is through receiving a stimuli by a persons senses while prior knowledge is retrieved to facilitate interpretation. Thus, perception involved physical items where beliefs and concepts are involved about the items and the outlines are being maintained by memory (Hamlyn 1994). Nonetheless, the features of both the stimuli and the prior knowledge are combined by perception (Margaret, 2005). Symbolic activity is also a classification of percetion as a symbol represents something other than itself, in my case, assignments symbolises boredom (Sekular Blake, 1994). Perception is an active process as the perceiver needs to execute certain actions to perceive with the behaviour being steered by the process which motivates a higher level of activity, for example, when I receive my assignments, I will either choose to do it or hid it somewhere and not do it (Sekular Blake, 1994). This gave me an idea of why I will dislike studying so much and even though my parents know about what happened numerous times, I will still continue to do hide my assignments and run away from it. I start to look into the higher cognitive process about how it think during my experience for example, why will I choose to hid my assignments and what made me to have this thought in my mind, why do I hate studying and doing assignments so much and enjoy playing much more, why did I not think that my teacher will call my parents to inform them about the situation. According to Ruggiero (1998), thinking is engaging our minds whilst being in charge of its activity and it is a process that helps us to find an answer to a question, to come to a conclusion and to learn, however, consciousness is not often required to appear during the process of thinking. Making decisions and forming beliefs are part of the thinking where it helps us to eliminate our uncertainties while decision making helps us to reach our goals and our beliefs will determine the actions that are beneficial for us to reach the goal as belief allow us to believe very robustly about something which we determine that it is the truth (Baron, 2008). So for my experience, my belief has caused me to believe that assignments are boring and hiding it was the action that beneficial in order to escape from it. Resistance to change and stereotyping are two things that are in the thinking processes which are very subtle. According to Ruggiero (1998), resistance to change tends to ignore new concepts or procedures in seeing and doing things even before testing them fairly, thus, one of the reasons is laziness. Indeed, advice and even punishments were given to me but because of laziness in me, I ignored and continued my old ways. Whereas for stereotyping, generalization of concepts, locations and people, it creates a good environment for presorted, predetermined, prejudged ideas as each has a compartment for storage with no judgment being placed on (Ruggiero, 1998). Maybe my brain has already stereotyped assignments as boring when I was in school which made it hard to change my way of thinking. Due to my laziness, I end up scoring very badly for my Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and I got into Normal Technical. When I was holding on to my result slip, I was very upset, angry with myself and I really regretted for not studying hard. My family will regularly have lunch with my parents friends on Sundays and I will naturally focus my attention on what they talking about and also listening and playing with the other children. However, they will often talk about their childrens study and their results, so when I hear anything about study I will fully focus on what they were saying while ignoring others. And when it was about the PSLE and what school their child got in, I felt very embarrass, I felt that I let my parents down and I caused them to feel embarrass when they talk about me so I will walk away and do something else. During this period, I loss my confidence is doing things and I had a low self-esteem which caused me to think that I am not as smart as anyone a round me. But as the time goes by and I grew older, I start to learn to cope with my own thoughts and not judging myself on who I am according to how smart I am academically and understanding that I am good with other things. I was even determined to do my O levels and send overseas for two years to complete United Kingdoms General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and I scored fairly well. I was surprise on how I can divide my attention to focused to what the adults were talking while I play with other kids and when I hear about PSLE results, I am able to focus on what the adults have to say and unconsciously ignoring any other messages around the environment. I believe that it is caused by the sensitivity level about the topic which causes the division of my attention and what I choose to focus on. According to Johnson and Proctor (2004), the function of attention helps us to be aware and conscious towards presented messages or objects and also choosing the actions according to the messages or objects. According to Margaret (2005), divided attention is one of the processes of attention which helped us react appropriately to each thing while paying attention concurrently to a few things at the same time, for example, watching television and understanding what is going on while having dinner and knowing what food it is while putting into the mouth. Hence, divided attent ion uses the split-span technique which breaks two full messages into two short messages that the memory span can register the information without rehearsing into the individual ears (Johnson Proctor, 2004). While selective attention is another process which overlooks the other messages while focusing on just one message and selective attention apply dichotic listening, a technique which the individual side of the ear receive two different type of messages (Johnson Proctor, 2004). Through reading these, it made me understand how I can focus on a few conversations at the same time and suddenly when the topic is on studies, I will focus on that conversation while ignoring the others. I look at the higher cognitive process in my experience, I tried to solve the problem from being unable to study and having low confidence to picking up myself and trying hard to study to scored during the GCSE. According Bransford and Stein (1993), the problem solving process has been described as a cycle that contains different phases but it is not required to be arranged in sequence, the problem solver must; 1) discover and be aware of the problem; 2) mentally classify the problem; 3) come out with a solution idea; 4) information rearranging of the problem; 5) solve the problem through designation of information though the psychological and the physical; 6) keep close observation of the process; 7) check for accuracy of the solution that is brought up. There are two different classification of problems; well-defined and ill-defined (Davidson and Sternberg, 2003). Well-defined problems are problems that provide a distinct direction towards finding the solution for is one that is ba sed on the given information, for example, calculating the price for each person from a receipt with a friend while the amount is stated (Davidson and Sternberg, 2003). However, ill-defined problems are problems that does not provides a distinct direction towards finding the solution and in order to make ill-defined problems observable, significant work of gather of information is need, hence, it is possible to generate a number of correct solutions from the generation of solutions by the ill-defined whereas well-defined problems can only generate one solution (Davidson and Sternberg, 2003). In my experience, learning how to overcome my emotional thoughts and not judging myself, are ill-defined problems that I had to find a solution to them in order for me to start a fresh. Success problem solving requires one to be well-versed in the field of study of the particular subject or issue as well as being a competent thinker, however having only prior knowledge does not ensure that the s olution will be found as the answers are usually unfamiliar and foreign to the problem solver, whereas thinking is required, in partnership with the prior knowledge, to help one to apply the known knowledge to the context of the problem (Ruggiero, 1998). Indeed, I gain success in starting fresh as a new person after I have grown older as I am able to think deeper and better and combine what I have learnt to solve the problem of me judging myself according to my academic level. In conclusion, the lower and higher cognitive process are two different cognitive processes which are linked processes that governs different things which helps us in daily activity like, thinking, perception, attention and problem solving. Through my introspection, I realised that my attention and perception which are part of the lower cognitive process, are both were exercised automatically and unconsciously occurring. However, when I looked into the higher cognitive process, I am required to exercise concrete thinking in order to come out with solutions to solve my problems and the think for ways to run away from my assignments as solutions and ideas will necessitate mental activity.

Lewis is portrayed as a nice character but maybe a bit nervous as he :: Free Essay Writer

Lewis is portrayed as a nice character but maybe a bit nervous as he did wish Morse a Happy Christmas even though Morse has been quite horrible. Morse's Greatest Mystery The first impression the reader gets of Morse is that he can appear rather moody. â€Å"Morse banged down the receiver and sat silent† This suggest Morse is fed up with the bank because they are not telling him things .He slams down the receiver which shows he I taking his anger out on other things and he sits in silence maybe to reflect over his thoughts. Clearly, he is very angry and that is why Lewis acts nervously around him because he does not want the blame taken out on him. Morse can be portrayed as aggressive. â€Å" . . . . . . These bloody bank charges † This shows Morse using aggressive language to cope with bad news. People use bad language as another form of an expression of anger or frustration. Morse appears quite angry about his bank accounts so maybe he has been in debt before and something bad has happened. As readers, we get the impression that he is violent and angry which makes him quite a vicious character. Morse appears a bit of a loner. â€Å". . . . . . Morse’s North Oxford flat† This suggests Morse lives on his own in his own flat and through out the passage it never mentions a wife or partner. It seems Morse does not have much of a social life, which is unusual, as this time of the year is usually spent celebrating. Clearly, he is too wrapped up in his work to have a social life. We understand from this story the person he spends most of his time with is Lewis .So that explains why towards the end of the passage they wish each other Happy Christmas even though Morse is not very inclined to show his feelings as he just whispers it back. A different aspect of Morse that we pick up from this story is he can be kind â€Å". . . . Its about the  £400 you withdrew† So this extract shows Morse actually took the  £400 that had been stolen out of his own bank account to give to the hospital. But put it in an anonymous envelope and sent it to Lewis. Morse can be a nicer person and will go to his own expense to help other people. Maybe he did it because he wanted the children at Littlemore to have a good Christmas and a good life because he does not enjoy his.

James Joyces Araby - The Symbol of the Church in Araby Essay -- Joyce

James Joyce's Dubliners - The Symbol of the Church in Araby Joyce's short story "Araby" is filled with symbolic images of a church. It opens and closes with strong symbols, and in the body of the story, the images are shaped by the young), Irish narrator's impressions of the effect the Church of Ireland has upon the people of Ire-land. The boy is fiercely determined to invest in someone within this Church the holiness he feels should be the natural state of all within it, but a succession of experiences forces him to see that his determination is in vain. At the climax of the story, when he realizes that his dreams of holiness and love are inconsistent with the actual world, his anger and anguish are directed, not toward the Church, but to-ward himself as "a creature driven by vanity." In addition to the images in the story that are symbolic of the Church and its effect upon the people who belong to it, there are descriptive words and phrases that add to this representational meaning. The story opens with a description of the Dublin neighborhood where the boy lives. Strikingly suggestive of a church, the image shows the ineffectuality of the Church as a vital force in the lives of the inhabitants of the neighborhood-the faithful within the Church. North Richmond Street is composed of two rows of houses with â€Å"brown imperturbable faces" (the pews) leading down to the tall "un-inhabited house" (the empty altar). The boy's own home is set in a garden the natural state of which would be like Paradise, since it contains a "central apple tree"; however, those who should have cared for it have allowed it to become desolate, and the central tree stands alone amid "a few straggling bushes." At dusk when the boy and his companions... ... like Mangan's sister-her words are trivial and worldly. In a sudden flash of insight the boy sees that his faith and his passion have been blind. He sees in the "two men counting money on a salver" a symbol of the moneylenders in the temple. He allows the pennies to fall in his pocket. The lights in the hall go out; his "church" is in darkness. Tears fill his eyes as he sees himself a "creature driven and derided by vanity, â€Å"whose "foolish blood" made him see secular desires as symbols of true faith. In this moment of disillusionment he feels that he himself is at fault for being so bemused by his ideals that he failed completely to see the world as it is. He has discovered in his Church and in love (both traditional symbols of ineffably sacred loveliness) only a shoddy imitation of true beauty. Understandably his disillusionment causes him "anguish and anger."   

Decline in Reading Skills Among Students

A comparative study by the ministry of education shows a worrying downward trend in reading skills. This is evident from the dismal performance in reading skill test undertaken by the students. Furthermore, according to a comprehensive U. S. -wide study of reading skills by the National Endowment for the Arts. (2007). Americans reading a lot less: a study on reading skills. Retrieved from www. washingtonpost. com . in Washington draws on a variety of sources, public and private, and essentially reaches one conclusion; Americans read less more. Across other continents the same trend is worrying the governments. A look at the societal behavior and education trend would draw various reasons on the downward trend of reading skills. In nations where more than half the population lives below a dollar day, a focus on Africa and Asia, it gets difficult for students in such families to have easy access to reading materials. Poverty is a major factor reducing accessibility of reading materials to the less fortunate. Besdes not being able to access the reading materials, the students would rather spend much of the time trying to assist their family make ends meet by engaging cheap labor or attending to home chores while the parents engage in fending for them. In the long run the trend is passed on to the next generation and the families remain in this vicious cycle. A technological focus of the society shows a higher advance in social media with more of these technological advancement targeting the youth and young who have hit these markets with a bang. The students are more glued to these social media development which increases their networking levels. On the rise is also the rate at which these students have turned to visual media which takes much of their s time. People find it easier to have visual media other than involving themselves in reading which they perceive to be rather tasking. This factor has been encouraged by our institutions which also turn most materials, originally produced for reading, into visual media reducing the chances of one having to read the materials than watching it, which is much easier and less involving. With all the above ,a more worrying trend is the teaching methods and skills passed to the students at school . Current education curriculum focuses more on passing particular test rather than developing students reading culture. The effect is that the students are more interested in passing tests and would want to use other methods to enable them pass the xams. The reading culture developed at the elementary level is eventually destroyed in these student and instead they get focused on other stuff and passing exams. The way students are taught takes, rather a passive line towards reading skills. In conclusion, reading skills among high school students ,is and has been on the decline due to three major factors; inaccessibility of reading material due to poverty, technological advancement in the visual media and social networks which provide a leeway to the students to evade reading and teaching skill which gives reading skills an inactive approach.

Amitrade: a Problem Excercise of Cost of Capital Essay

The course material covered in weeks 4 and 5 should be suï ¬Æ'cient for doing this problem set. The questions below are for the Cost of Capital at Ameritrade case in your course packet. You can ï ¬ nd the data for this case on the course website in a spreadsheet named Ameritrade.xls. Please turn in your problem set solutions by posting them to bSpace as an Excel ï ¬ le or pdf ï ¬ le. Upload a single solution for each group, with all group members listed on the ï ¬ rst page. If you turn in an Excel ï ¬ le, make sure the grader can understand what you did without clicking on any cells. To make that possible, please include cells with appropriate explanations of what you did. This problem set is due by 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 11/28. No late assignments will be accepted. Questions: Assume that the investments under consideration will be ï ¬ nanced with equity only (i.e., no debt ï ¬ nancing). 1. What estimate of the risk-free rate should be employed in calculating the cost of capital for Ameritrade? 2. What estimate of the market risk premium should be employed in calculating the cost of capital for Ameritrade? 3. Ameritrade does not have a beta estimate since the ï ¬ rm has been publicly traded for only a short time period. Exhibit 4 provides various choices of comparable ï ¬ rms. What comparable ï ¬ rms do you recommend as the appropriate benchmarks for evaluating the risk of Ameritrade’s planned advertising and technology investments? Hints for #3: †¢ It does not matter what Ameritrade spends its investments on up-front (advertising and technology investments) since these costs are known numbers, and you are calculating the cost of capital to ï ¬ gure out the present value of the projected cash ï ¬â€šows from later years. What matters is what beta the ï ¬ rm’s assets will have, where the assets are the subsequent cash ï ¬â€šows that Ameritrade gets out of making the up-front investments. †¢ It is probably not useful to use a comparable that has very little data (less than 2 years, say) since the equity beta you estimate based on very little data will be very noisy (you can try it—look at the standard error on your estimated equity beta). Hints for #4: ÃŽ ²E : To estimate the equity betas, here are some hints: †¢ Please regress (raw) stock returns on (raw) market returns—you are not given a time series for the riskless rate, so you cannot run the regression using excess stock returns and excess market returns (over the riskless rate). †¢ You use the market returns from Exhibit 6, but you’ll have to discuss with your group members whether you should use value-weighted or equal-weighted market returns. (The equal-weighted market return sets all the xi ’s to be equal.) †¢ For some of the stocks you are given data for stock prices and dividends rather than being given the stock return directly. Some of the stocks have undergone stock splits.