The Protestant Reformation essays

The Protestant Reformation essays Martin Luther was the most important person in the Reformation of the Catholic Church. He was a German monk. He posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral. This showed how he stood up against the church and criticized it for all of its faults. He criticized the Catholic Church for the sale of indulgences, and the failure of the church to meet the needs of the people of Europe. The church at this time was unable to satisfy the people spiritually and intellectually. He felt that only two of the seven sacraments were true to Christianity, as was written the Bible. He became the leader in the rebellion against the Catholic Church, and the leader in the formation of the Protestant Religion. His ideas and revolt against the church helped the people of Europe to break free from the power of guilt that the Catholic Church held over them. Though he was a major religious reformer, Luther did not want to reform society. The Protestant Reformation that he started was simply a release from Catholicism for Europeans, and into a free, less complicated religious life. Ulrich Zwingli was the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland. He led the Protestant religion to its stature of popularity with the Swiss. By 1518, Zwingli, like Luther, protested the sale of indulgences. He was a strong believer and enforcer of the belief that if an idea could not be supported by an ancient scripture, then it should not be believed or practiced. With Zwingli's reforms in the church in Switzerland, the people began to question society, much like the followers of Luther. They began to question transubstantiation, saints, celibacy, and sacraments, as well as other religious ideas. Zwingli's influence opened up new doors for reform and thinking for the Swiss people, much like Luther did for a majority of Europe. John Calvin was another Protestant reformer from Germany that created the new religion of Calvinism with...

Galileo Galilei Essays (1048 words) - Galileo Galilei, Free Essays

Galileo Galilei Essays (1048 words) - Galileo Galilei, Free Essays Galileo Galilei subject = European History title = Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei was born at Pisa on the 18th of February in 1564. His father, Vincenzo Galilei, belonged to a noble family and had gained some distinction as a musician and a mathematician. At an early age, Galileo manifested his ability to learn both mathematical and mechanical types of things, but his parents, wishing to turn him aside from studies which promised no substantial return, steered him toward some sort of medical profession. But this had no effect on Galileo. During his youth he was allowed to follow the path that he wished to. Although in the popular mind Galileo is remembered chiefly as an astronomer, however, the science of mechanics and dynamics pretty much owe their existence to his findings. Before he was twenty, observation of the oscillations of a swinging lamp in the cathedral of Pisa led him to the discovery of the isochronism of the pendulum, which theory he utilized fifty years later in the construction of an astronomical clock. In 1588, an essay on the center of gravity in solids obtained for him the title of the Archimedes of his time, and secured him a teaching spot in the University of Pisa. During the years immediately following, taking advantage of the celebrated leaning tower, he laid the foundation experimentally of the theory of falling bodies and demonstrated the falsity of the peripatetic maxim, which is that an objects rate of descent is proportional to its weight. When he challenged this it made all of the followers of Aristotle extremely angry, they would not except the fact that their leader could have been wrong. Galileo, in result of this and other troubles, found it prudent to quit Pisa and move to Florence, the original home of his family. In Florence he was nominated by the Venetian Senate in 1592 to the chair of mathematics in the University of Padua, which he occupied for eighteen years, with ever-increasing fame. After that he was appointed philosopher and mathematician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. During the whole of this period, and to the close of his life, his investigation of Nature, in all her fields, was never stopped. Following up his experiments at Pisa with others upon inclined planes, Galileo established the laws of falling bodies as they are still formulated. He likewise demonstrated the laws of projectiles, and largely anticipated the laws of motion as finally established by Newton. In statics, he gave the first direct and satisfactory demonstration of the laws of equilibrium and the principle of virtual velocities. In hydrostatics, he set forth the true principle of flotation. He invented a thermometer, though a defective one, but he did not, as is sometimes claimed for him, invent the microscope. Though, as has been said, it is by his astronomical discoveries that he is most widely remembered, it is not these that constitute his most substantial title to fame. In this connection, his greatest achievement was undoubtedly his virtual invention of the telescope. Hearing early in 1609 that a Dutch optician, named Lippershey, had produced an instrument by which the apparent size of remote objects was magnified, Galileo at once realized the principle by which such a result could alone be attained, and, after a single night devoted to consideration of the laws of refraction, he succeeded in constructing a telescope which magnified three times, its magnifying power being soon increased to thirty-two. This instrument being provided and turned towards the heavens, the discoveries, which have made Galileo famous, were bound at once to follow, though undoubtedly he was quick to grasp their full significance. The moon was shown not to be, as the old astronomy taught, a smooth and perfect sphere, of different nature to the earth, but to possess hills and valleys and other features resembling those of our own globe. The planet Jupiter was found to have satellites, thus displaying a solar system in miniature, and supporting the doctrine of Copernicus. It had been argued against the said system that, if it were true, the inferior planets, Venus and Mercury, between the earth and the sun, should in the course of their revolution exhibit phases like those of the moon, and, these being invisible to the naked eye, Copernicus had to change the false explanation that these planets were transparent and the sun's rays passed through them. But with his telescope Galileo found that Venus did actually exhibit the desired phases, and the objection

Does left hander are more intelligent than right hander Essay

Does left hander are more intelligent than right hander - Essay Example I believe this will be an intriguing topic to look into. In his book Chris McManus(2003) who is a psychologist tried to explain some of the myths surrounding left-handed people. He states that even though there are claims that left-handed people can be more creative, there is not enough scientific evidence to support such thesis. Another myth, proclaimed by Geschwind, is that left-handed people are more prone to immune disorders. McManus (2003) processed and studied data taken from 21 000 patients. He concluded based on the research collected that lthere is no evidence to conclusively state that more left-handed people develop or suffer from immune system disorders than right-handed. Another myth is that left-handers have been persecuted. In his book â€Å"The Puzzle of Left Handedness†, Rik Smits (2012) notes that there existed an inexplicable prejudice against left-handed people. Certainly in the past, there was a deeply rooted bias. Right was thought to be good and left was believed to be evil. This can be observed across many cultures. Muslims for example use their right hand to eat with and the left to wash wish. There are also linguistic traces. â€Å"Right-hand man† meaning the most important person standing next to the boss and â€Å"having two left feet† are only handful of expressions, demonstrating this preconception. To debunk the myth that left-handed people are somehow treated harsh in life Smits (2012) looks at some statistical facts that 5 out of the 7 US presidents were left-handed. This clearly indicates that persecutions were no longer applicable for left-handed people in this modern era. Moreover they appear to be as succ essful and powerful as the right-handed. One of the established facts is that left-handed people are less likely to be dominated by the left-hemisphere which is responsible for the language. For example language function is located in the left-hemisphere of the brain, thus people suffering from head

Individual Rights and Social Order Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual Rights and Social Order - Assignment Example Additionally, it was necessary to safeguard the overall well-being of the community. The Commission also observed that in fulfilling this function, a system of justice tends to possess a divided role. Some of the roles were certain prevention of activities and the apprehension and formal processing of individuals, who have committed illegal acts in the society. According to Beames and Stonehouse (2007), a good society is one that nurtures both social values and the rights of an individual. A significant facet of good societies is that they find a healthy tension between individual needs and the needs of a group. Social order lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from individualism. Social conservatives are more interested in reinforcing the moral order. They prefer legislation use, rather than relying on normative means of impacting the behavior of an individual, to promote the values they hold. Examples of normative means that can influence individual behavior include leadership, moral voices within the society and education. Individual rights is the act of seeking to protect the personal freedoms of an individual within the criminal justice system, while social order is whereby the societys interest take precedence over the rights of an individual. Numerous laws and regulation have been put into place to balance the two sides throughout the American history. People are guaranteed the right to free assembly and free speech. However, those rights guaranteed by the Constitution may be limited when those actions harm others. For instance, when the actions of a citizen become violent, the authorities have a duty to halt the violence ant to shield the society. Governments considered to be democratic promote the freedom value but must also place limits on the freedom of an individual. Actions that might cause harm or alarm are forbidden for the common good. For instance, a person has the freedom of speech,

Dream Team - Media Analysis Essay Example for Free

Dream Team Media Analysis Essay George and Lennies dream is the most commonly mentioned in the novel, they want to live the American dream and have their own land and home. Although Crooks tells them he never seen a guy really do it their determination is beyond that of normal men. They crave the freedom from ordered working life and less responsibility. George desires the relief from the burden of supervising Lennie, on the ranch he constantly has to watch him to ensure he is no danger to himself or others. He talks of how he could live so easy without Lennie and it seems to be a private dream of his to marry and raise a family without the childish weight of Lennie upon him. He has cared for Lennie for a large part of his life and wants happiness for both of them without the strain of rules and the risk of characters such as Curley. Lennies only dream at first glance seems to be having his rabbits, however at a closer look the rabbits are his way of relating to their entire dream, he connects all other aspects of free life with them such as growing crops to feed them. He loves hearing the story of how its gonna be, his own dreams are based on what George tells him is good and bad. Candy is desperate to join in with Lennie and George and their dreams have become his. Since his dog died he has nothing left on the ranch to encourage dreams and he seems to have given up, the chance to be part of a reasonably realistic project motivates him again and he is willing to give everything to be part of it, Id make a will an leave everything to you guys case I kick off. All of Candys dreams seem to have be worn away by life on the ranch, the loss of his hand also seems to symbolise a large loss mentally for without his hand he cannot realistically dream of working his own land and living alone. For Candy life on the ranch seems to be a reminder of lost dreams rather than hopeful ones and this could explain his eagerness to be part of Lennie and Georges. He is also aware that he is old and becoming closer to the end of his job and possibly his life. Theyll can me purty soon. Jus as soon as I cant swamp out no bunk houses theyll put me on the county. He dreams of ending his life in happiness and not in poverty and discomfort surrounded by bad memories. Curleys wife is in many ways like Lennie and George, she tell her dream like its real and could happen at any time to escape the loneliness of the ranch. She tells as many people as she can about her dream as though she wants to make it more real for herself. Her conversation with Lennie reveals her desperation to make this dream come true, she hangs onto the man who could put her in pitchers, so sure he did write to her and someone else ruined her dream. It is these fantasies she uses to escape her life which is heavily restricted by her husband who wants to control her to comply with his own dreams, she wishes to be free to fulfil the life she desires. Her way of telling the story of her dream is almost sad as she clings to any glimpse of it so desperately it is clear how unhappy she is. All the dreams expressed by these characters are what drive them in the novel and can determine how they express their feelings and how they act. Niki Holdsworth Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

A Virtual Training Environment Essay -- Gaming

Technology has become a huge part of the way we live. As the years move on, we are becoming more technologically advanced, and part of that progression is due to the fact that we are using avenues that we would have overlooked 20 years ago. One of these avenues is the use of video games in nonconventional ways, like supplementing a real class room for a virtual one, to help ease some of the social anxiety of those with Aspersers and Autism, and to assist in the training our troops, utilizing a safe and cost effective environment. Unfortunately, these methods have been questioned, by those weary of the dominant presence technology has taken in this new generation of youth; however, all of these pathways are helping solve a real problem with aid of virtual environments. One innovative way virtual environments have been implemented is the use of video games to aid in making learning and teaching situations more comfortable. This new style of education is made possible with the use of virtual classrooms in the massive multiplayer online game, MMO, Second Life (SL). Through the use of this fully virtual world, we are now able to teach tangible skills to others. In â€Å"Using Second Life to enhance classroom management practice in teacher education†, Jennifer Mahon et al. explored this theory. They established that, â€Å"Overall, the results of this study suggest that using SL for a simulation of classroom management is promising (130)†. Because is it always easier to learn in an atmosphere where one feels relaxed and comfortable, this use of Second Life shows great potential. By using online games this way it is allowing not only new teachers, but veteran teachers as well to gain or brush up on skills they need as educators interacting with... ...re will prosper. Works Cited Bauerlein, Mark. The Dumbest Generation: how the digital age stupefies young Americans and jeopardizes our future (or, don’t trust anyone under 30). New York: Penguin Group Orvis, A Karin, et all. â€Å"An Examination of the Role Individual Differences Play in Videogame- Based Training.† Military Psychology 21.4 (2009): 461-467. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Mahon, Jennifer, et al. â€Å"Using Second Life to enhance classroom management practice in teacher education.† Educational Media International 47.2 (2010): 121-132. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 APR. 2012. Mitchell, Peter, et al. â€Å"Using Virtual Environments for Teaching Social Understanding to 6 Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders.† Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 37.3 (2007): 589-599. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 APR. 2012.

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Its Political Issues

For many oil companies, the Gulf represents some of their most profitable and promising properties. The White House is seemingly making an increased show of pressuring BP, but President Obama is facing political heat from within his own party for what some say has been a lackluster response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Since the spill began, there has been some intense political debate regarding BP's responsibility, the government's response, and the extent of the environmental damage.Matthew Dowd, political consultant and chief pollster to former President George W. Bush, said the incident is likely to pose a huge political problem, similar to what President Bush faced after Hurricane Katrina. Administration officials also said the government will make changes to the way it allows offshore drilling, including new measures for the permitting process, new safety requirements for offshore rigs, and what was described as â€Å"strengthened† inspections for drilling ope rations.Having taking at least partial ownership of the crisis, the Obama administration is redoubling efforts to crack down on BP, sending a letter to CEO Tony Hayward complaining that his promises to provide complete and timely information on the spill â€Å"have fallen short in both their scope and effectiveness. BP has already agreed to set aside $20 billion over several years to pay for claims resulting from the oil spill. The company has paid the U. S. government $390 million for the cost of cleanup and received an additional bill for $128. million from the Obama administration. Obama and his senior White House staff, as well as Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, are working with BP's chief executive officer Tony Hayward on legislation that would raise the cap on liability for damage claims from those affected by the oil disaster from $75 million to $10 billion. However, WMR's federal and Gulf state sources are reporting the disaster has the real potential cost of at least $1 tr illion.Critics of the deal being worked out between Obama and Hayward point out that $10 billion is a mere drop in the bucket for a trillion dollar disaster but also note that BP, if its assets were nationalized, could fetch almost a trillion dollars for compensation purposes. There is talk in some government circles, including FEMA, of the need to nationalize BP in order to compensate those who will ultimately be affected by the worst oil disaster in the history of the world. The Obama administration also conspired with BP to fudge the extent of the oil leak, according to our federal and state sources.After the oil rig exploded and sank, the government stated that 42,000 gallons per day was gushing from the seabed chasm. Five days later, the federal government upped the leakage to 210,000 gallons a day. Obama aides stressed that BP would bear the cost of the spill, including the cost of plugging the well, cleaning shorelines and paying for government air and water tests. Separately , fishermen and others anticipating environmental damage filed class-action suits against the company. On a day when the stock market rose broadly and sharply, BP's stock price fell more than 8 percent to $52. 56 a share.In the minds of politicians and strategists, the oil has practically become a giant ink blot, a Rorschach test in which each of the opposing sides sees proof of â€Å"the larger narrative. † Florida Sen. Bill Nelson called on Obama to step back from his expanded offshore drilling plans. In a letter to the president, Nelson said he would file legislation to ban the Interior Department from following through on Obama's proposal for new seismic and drilling activity. He said the gulf spill â€Å"may be an environmental and economic disaster that wreaks havoc for commercial fishing and tourism along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Reference : http://www. nytimes. com/2010/06/30/us/politics/30polmemo. html? pagewanted=1 http://political. com/content/bp-oil-spill http:/ /abcnews. go. com/GMA/Politics/bp-oil-spill-political-headache-obama-democrats-slam/story? id=10746519 http://washingtonexaminer. com/politics/white-house/political-problems-oil-spill-may-stick-obama http://edition. cnn. com/2010/US/09/14/bp. justice. legal. action/index. html http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/29/AR2010042902290. html

Disability Discrimination Essay

Physical disability discrimination is when people are being treated less fairly because of their disability such as broken leg, deaf, or blind. People can be discriminated direct or indirect. Unfair treatment means that a disable person will be treated disadvantaged in the society and doesnt have the same opportunity or choice as a non-disable person in situation like employment, education, and access goods, services and facilities. Personal Experience I have no personal experience in physical disability discrimination but I have found a story about customers getting rejected by a restaurant because a person is in a wheelchair and the waiter is unwilling to rearrange the table for the customer. He is being discriminated because the waiter wouldn’t treat him the same as other customers and service them, the waiter doesn’t want to give service because he is disable. Main Views Christian ChurchesThe Christian churches views about disability discrimination are based on what is written in the bible. Christians think that everyone should be treated equally no matter if a person is disabling or not as bible referred in John 13:34 â€Å"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. This means that there should be no discrimination in this world because everyone should love one another as god has loved us. Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. This verse show that god has destroyed the barriers (e.g. differences) and the dividing wall of hostility between people, therefore people should all be treated the same and everyone should be friendly to each other, no one should ever be discriminated against for their disability, everyone should be equal despite their ability. God indicates that if we verbally abuse someone that means we are harming a person that is created in Gods image, which means that we are mistreating someone that God loves and who Jesus gave up his life for. â€Å"People with Disabilities are called, like all people, to respond in faith to the God revealed in Christ. People with disabilities have gifts which contribute to the building up of the whole body of Christ. Through people  with disabilities Christ may work and bear witness to himself.† (Include Me In – Uniting Church of NSW)This quote is said from Uniting Church of NSW, its said that disability people have different contribution to the community to us, they put in something else for Christ, their disability is helping Christ to work and bear witness to himself. They are contributing equally to those who are not disabled so therefore they should be treated equally. Political View Disability discrimination Act is being created by the government in 1992 to prevent discrimination of a person with disability in public areas. The Disability Discrimination Act allows the Attorney-General to make standards on particular topics. The standards give more information about what needs to be done to ensure people with disability are not discriminated against.The Discrimination Act shows that the government really cares about how people with disability is treated and make sure they do not get further discrimination when they travel around public area. It is against the law to discriminate someone with disability. The two standards of discrimination act is disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport and Disability Standards for Education to let disable people feel free to travel with public transport and educate just like other kids. The government view is to get everyone in the society equal no matter if they are of a different culture or if they have disability. Value Analysis For this issue the political views and Christian views are similar, they are all trying to support people who suffer from disabilities in the society to not get discriminated by other people without disabilities. Christians tries to get their views across by the church and use extracts from the bible to show that god wants us to treat everyone the same, and people with disabilities contributes to Christ just as much as everyone else. Government tries to get their views across by giving out laws about disability discrimination so now in the society people with disabilities are being treated fairly. Example, theres ramps and lift build for public transport for the disabled and there is special school build for people with disabilities. Both government and Christian is trying to make  people with disabilities feels just as normal as the rest of us and not letting them feel left out because there is something different about them. My Decision I think that the government and Christians is doing a really good job at making people with disabilities to live like everyone else and fit in the society. Bible gives a really good outline as to what we should and should not do; the bible says that we should not discriminate against the disabilities because they are just the same as us and sometimes they might do a lot more contribution to the society than us, they shouldnt be discriminated. I think that we should actually learn a lesson from people with disabilities; they have a very high spirit in life, they dont give up on life just because they have disabilities, they are very brave to live through everyday with something missing from them. I think disability discrimination should be stopped and government and Christians should continue raise awareness throughout the society to let other people know people with disabilities is not much different from the rest of us. Bibliogr

Organizational Culture in Change Management

Organizational Culture in Change Management Introduction The success of a story of a company depends on certain conditions. These conditions can be thought of as mandatory when starting a business. The conditions being referred to are:Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Culture in Change Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Tapping the market of products and services that has little or no competition. Offer services or products that cannot be provided by anyone else. If a product owns a large share of the market, then the organization has no worries regarding its competition. Getting rid of the competition by letting them compete against each other. If the company is the sole buyer of a product, then it is easy to negotiate a price with the supplier. These factors seem like the ideal situation to start a business and would most probably generate high revenue. But, in reality the top leading companies of the United States never eve n applied one of these rules, and yet their stocks rocketed in the capital markets from 1972 to 2002. So the question arises: What was their secret of success? What was the factor that made these companies one of the best companies of all time? The answer is quite simple organizational culture. Discussion It is understood that there is no universally accepted definition of organizational culture; however, we can say that organizational culture is the factors and the points that contribute the surroundings of an organization in multiple ways. These factors can range from the belief of an individual to the acts of an entire group the organization culture of any institution plays a huge role in its productivity. But, applying changes to the organizational culture is not easy it takes a lot of hard work, effort, and can be a time consuming process. A culture that develops within an organization is quite difficult to change and if someone joins the organization they have to adapt to the new culture, and eventually he or she becomes a part of that culture. These employees eventually try to preserve that environment to which they have gotten used to. Those who do not fit the culture usually tend to leave the place. Some institutions tend to penalize the person whose behavior is not in accordance to the culture that prevail wit in that organization. Learning within an organization is a difficult phase, but it is an important one if the person is to maintain his job (Todd, 1999).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Research on the management of organizational culture and organizational control is very limited. Moreover, through studies it has been established that there is a relation between the two it is still not clear to what extent is the effect of organizational culture and how to control or manage it. Little has been known on the phenomenon of organizational culture, and there has still been no proper way known to measure it. While some believe that there is no method to measure organizational culture, others believe that some factors can be taken into account to measure organizational culture (Lawson Ventriss, 1992). A majority of researchers believe that organizational culture can increase the productivity of the company. These researches suggest that changes focused on the organizational culture and the implementation of a proper plan in the right sectors could move the company in the desired direction towards progress (Lawson Ventriss, 1992). The collective efficiencies are one of those facts that can have a huge impact on the financial and productive output of a company, with each individual performing to the best of his or her abilities can improve the culture of an organization and can bring about a positive change in the companies’ atmosphere. However, some scholars believe that attitude of employees towards their job is not the deciding factor towards the change in the organizational culture, but it is in fact the attitude of the CEO that makes the true difference. The CEO is responsible for setting the goal for the organization and making sure that everyone including himself work towards achieving that goal. He should inspire and motivate his employees by bringing out the best out of each of them.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Culture in Change Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His attitude towards employees, the company and his own work is of real impact to bringing change in an organization. Also, the success of a CEO lies with his ability to decide when change in an organization is required and how to bring about that change. In short, the dynamic leadership of a CEO is the true essence of an organizational culture (Tsuia Zhang, 2006). Another author suggests that certai n individual figures within an organization play a vital role in the organization culture and through those individuals a change can be brought about within an organization (Curado, 2006). Defining organizational learning is a topic of great controversy. There is no single acceptable definition, and definitions vary with each author. Organizational learning has been defined by different authors through different means with little or no common grounds between them. But, it is the author’s personal view that organizational learning is a mutual sharing of ideas and resources. Since, organizational learning is relatively a new branch of studies; therefore, there is still time in a standard definition to emerge. It is not only the definition of organization learning that has raised confusion, but also different terms relating to organizational learning are in need of standardization, and just like the definition all these terms are defined by different authors in different ways. U nlike individual learning organizational learning depends upon information possessed by each member of the organization and his ability to interact and share this knowledge with his peers and his colleagues.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Organization learning is lot simpler and less time consuming than individual learning because in organizational learning, one has to observe the culture he is surrounded by and simply pick up information from there on. Another advantage of organizational learning is that it helps to cultivate competent employees, which in return attract clients towards the organization. It is believed that organizations with a better understanding of organizational learning can easily adapt to change providing the organization a competitive edge over other firms (Curado, 2006). On the other hand, Mackenzie states that organization learning cannot be used in a rapid changing environment. Organizational learning is a slow process and needs time to be implemented into the system. Even after the slow implementation of organizational learning there is no guarantee that the organization change would result in the financial benefit or would it result in the financial loss (Mackenzie, 2004). Organizational change is again a topic of great confusion. The facts and reasons for a change in an organization are not clear. Although, most authors believe that the real reason for change is the ever growing influence of information technology on other fields. IT has long been thought as the deciding factor in bringing change to an organization, and the organization culture has long been thought to be the opposing force. The world of business is changing every day, new competition, and changing monetary policies etc. are all things that organizations have to adapt to. In order to increase the life span of an organization, they have to bring about changes to their systems. Burke Litwin (1992) state that for a change to occur three factors must be present. First the trigger that would cause the need for a change, the second fact that must be taken into account is that the miniscule activities within the organization must not be ignored. Third and perhaps the most difficult principle to cope with is the sudden change when the organization least accepts it and is not ready or has not planned for it. No one knows why the sudden change occurs or if there are more than one factor causing this change. There are two ways of implementing change in an organization. Incremental change Radical change Incremental method, to put in simple words, is a change that is brought on in an organization slowly and gradually with the passage of time. Incremental method ensures that change is brought about in an organization without drastically disturbing the existing culture of the organization. Incremental method can be seen taking place in an organization though daily activities of the organization. For the incremental process to work properly, the organization has to define its goals and plan out the process keeping in view the competency and adaptability of the workforce of the organization. To implement incremental change successfully the company has to implement some policies or have to follow some guidelines. Firstly, the company before it starts out has to outline its objectives it intends to achieve from implementing the change and what steps will be undertaken to bring about that change. Secondly, allowing employees to familiarize themselves with the new system. Lastly, enabling a culture that allows growth and which can easily accept change (Myers Hulks, 2012). When it comes to the programs that can be implemented or used to bring change, managers have a range of choice. They could either have custom made programs specifically for their needs or they can buy general purpose programs. It all depends upon the needs of the organization. However, there are certain issues that must be given consideration when choosing the right types of programs. For example, corporate wide programs may be great to help familiarize employees with the inevitable change utilize a lot of resources and can reduce the efficiency of the organization. In the same way, general purpose pro grams can be bought right away without much planning, and they may not serve the purpose as these programs are not specific to the needs of the organization. These decisions have to be made properly after an analysis of the situation or opinion of a consultant to make such decisions on behalf of the company. Incremental change enables an organization to break large problems into small ones. Solving these small problems might not seem effective initially, but a collection of these small problems solved can make a huge difference to the organization (Orlikowski, 1993). Radical change is the change that occurs when the surrounding of an organization changes which in turn has an effect on the culture of the organization, and to negate the effect of that change the organization has to make some drastic changes. Usually, it is advised that radical change should not be managed by anyone within the company because a person needs to be able to set aside his own personal gains when planning t he future change of the company. In the same way as the individual planning, this change must be able to challenge the higher authority’s perspectives. Radical change is a very complex process, which requires high level of competency by the entire team, and not just the individual who is leading the charge. Technology should be implemented only if it is needed, otherwise it should be avoided. The team must be properly briefed when it comes to the use of information regarding each member (Todd, 1999). Organizational learning is viewed as one of the most important attributes that contributes towards organizational change. When employees within an organization go through learning phase then the company can expect some kind of change. The management needs to closely monitor employees of their organization and try to plan the change accordingly. Organizational learning focuses on both the past and future that a company may face. Analyzing and preparing for the future is also part of organizational learning (Schein, 1990). Preparing for the future refers to change that would be applied to the company. To make sure that the right decisions are taken in this matter, a method called scenario planning is used. Scenario planning basically is a strategy that provides a possible solution for possible scenarios that may arise in the future. Some organizations only allow the management staff to carry out such decisions. While in some companies, the management allows representation from all levels of the company including different departments and sectors. These employees are then briefed and trained on what factors to consider that would affect the change of the company (Geldenhuys Veldsman, 2011). Culture within an organization is passed on to employees from the organizations founders through a set of practices and talks. One way for an organization to determine its culture is by their treatment of employees. Explaining employees about the dos and don’ts enab les the formation of a culture within the organization shared among employees. Usually, introducing innovation disturbs the environment around an organization and that is the true nature of culture it resists change. Organization that is able to successfully apply change need to do so at a steady pace (Schein, 1990). Change is a very complex process and in order to manage change successfully appropriate managerial skills are required, and when it comes to radical change there should be no doubt when enforcing it. Change is not always successful and once the process of change starts the management must see the whole process through. Planning and attention to the details is very important, and employees must be ready to accept a change in the culture that might develop due to change that occurs within the organization. It is also important for the management to be ready for any reaction that might come from employees of the organization (Schein, 1996). Organizations with powerful fina ncial background are more likely to survive a change then that with a less powerful financial background. Changes made from mutual agreement of employees and the management staff is less likely to fail then the change taken based on the decision of just the managerial staff. It is important that the political nature of the organizational culture must be understood before making any major decisions regarding change within an organization. Communication between the managerial staff and employees is of utmost importance (Mackenzie, 2004). Paying attention to small details during the transition is of utmost importance, the neglect of even the smallest nature can cause great problems in the implementation of change in the organization. Every employee must be given a considerable amount of time to work with the change and should be removed from the organization if they are unable to adapt to the change. Bold and brave decisions could be very helpful in bringing about change within an orga nization. New leaders must act as pioneers of change and must remain firm in their decision of change (Myers Hulks, 2012). Conclusion Although, there is vast information regarding organizational learning and knowledge, but the confusion regarding terminologies and definitions prove to be a huge barrier in understanding the subject clearly. Moreover, empirical data is limited on the subject. To overcome these obstacles, there is a dire need for researchers to implement their research in the field and achieve some statistical data to support their theories. These researchers must compare notes and provide some proper terminologies regarding the subject. List of References Burke, W Litwin, G 1992, A Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change, Journal of Change Management, vol. 18 no. 3, pp. 523-45. Geldenhuys, C A Veldsman, T H 2011, A change navigation-based, scenario planning process within a developing world context from an Afro-centric leadership perspective, SA Journ al of Human Resource Management, vol. 9 no. 1, pp. 1-17. Lawson, B R Ventriss, C L 1992, Organizational change: the role of organizational culture and organizational learning, Kenyon College, Vermont. Mackenzie, K D 2004, The Practitioners Guide for Organizing an Organization, Mackenzie and Company, New York. Myers, S P Hulks, W L 2012, Organizational Change: Perspectives on Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Orlikowski, W J 1993, CASE Tools as Organizational Change: Investigating Incremental and Radical Changes in Systems Development. MIS Quarterly, vol. 17 no. 3, pp. 309-340. Schein, E 1996, Three Cultures of Management: The Key to Organizational Learning, Sloan Management Review, vol. Fall, pp. 9-20. Schein, E H 1990, Organizational Culture, American Psychologist, vol. 45 no. 2, pp. 109-119. Todd, A 1999, Managing Radical Change, Long Range Planning, April, vol. 32 no. 2, pp. 237-244. Tsuia, A S et al. 2006, Unpacking the relationship between CEO leadership b ehavior and organizational culture, The Leadership Quarterly, April, vol. 17 no. 2, pp. 113-137.

Meaning Of French Expression Avoir LEsprit DEscalier

Meaning Of French Expression Avoir LEsprit DEscalier â€Å"Avoir l’esprit d’escalier† - or sometimes â€Å"avoir l’esprit de l’escalier† is yet another weird French idiom. Literally, it means to have the wit of the staircase. So it means nothing really!   Synonyms of Avoir lEsprit dEscalier in French and English In English, you sometimes call this â€Å"escalator wit†, or afterwit. It means to make a witty comeback, to answer someone in a witty (and fast) way. Its something the French really admire and are trained to do as part of our national sport: arguing and debating. To say to make a witty comeback, we use the expression â€Å"avoir de la rà ©partie†. So here, we could say â€Å"manquer de rà ©partie†, â€Å"ne pas savoir rà ©pliquer sur le moment†, â€Å"perdre ses moyens†. Example of Escalator Wit in French and English Moi, je manque cruellement de rà ©partie. Quand je me sens attaquà ©e, je perds tous mes moyens, je bredouille... et puis quand je suis rentrà ©e chez moi, je trouve plein de rà ©pliques fantastiques. Jai vraiment lesprit descalier. I desperately lack the ability to make witty comebacks. When I feel threatened, I lose my cool, I stutter... and once Im back home, I find lots of great comebacks. I really have an escalator wit. Origin of the French Idiom â€Å"Avoir l’Esprit d’Escalier† The philosopher Diderot wrote around 1775: â€Å" « ...lhomme sensible comme moi, tout entier ce quon lui objecte, perd la tà ªte et ne se retrouve quau bas de lescalier  ». Which translates  to: â€Å"The sensitive man such as myself, entirely absorbed by things that are being objected to him, loses his mind and recovers it only at the bottom of the stairs†. He meant that if someone opposed him in a conversation, he was so upset by it that he couldn’t concentrate anymore, and that it’s only once he had left, and reached the bottom of the staircase (therefore too late), that he could come up with a good answer.   French stairs Speaking of lescalier, remember French people do not count their stairs the way Americans do.

Marketing a consumer organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing a consumer organization - Essay Example It began as an effort to help eleven Japanese-American children they had found wandering the streets of Japan as outcasts and orphans, victims of their bi-racial makeup, a cultural taboo. After successfully relocating these orphans, word spread and before they knew it they were instrumental in helping over one hundred such orphans find new homes and new lives. Between 1960 and 1964 they were directly involved in founding nine orphanages, a school as well as a hospital in both Japan and Vietnam. In 1974-75 the organization assisted thousands of orphans that were rescued during "Operation Baby Lift" and brought to the United States for adoption. In 1976 the organization changed its name to "Childrens Village USA." Then in 1978 the organization created a center called The Village of Childhelp West in Beaumont, California and officially became known as Childhelp (Childhelp 2007). The focus of the agency from that time is captured in its Mission Statement: "Childhelp ® exists to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children. We focus our efforts on advocacy, prevention, treatment, and community outreach" (Childhelp 2007). They have several regional locations in Arizona, Atlanta, California, Michigan, North Carolina, San Diego, Tennessee, Virginia and the Washington DC Area. However their outreach and information and assistance programs transcend the traditional boundaries. Furthermore, their web site allows them to assist people in all parts of the world. Additionally, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD) which began in 1982 has received over two million calls since its inception: These calls come from children at risk for abuse, distressed parents seeking crisis intervention and concerned individuals who suspect that child abuse may be occurring. The Hotline is also a valuable resource for those who are mandated by law to report suspected abuse, such as school personnel,

Why has it proved so difficult to create an effective International Essay

Why has it proved so difficult to create an effective International Criminal Court - Essay Example It took several meetings between the superior nations such as France, US, UK, China and the Soviet Union to finally agree on the membership terms, bodies and other arrangements that would be necessary to set up the UN, and ensure that it met its international security, social and economic goals. It was officially formed in 1945 with 50 member states and five nations being permanent members and holding the veto power. By 2007, it had 192 member states (Hanhimaki, 2008). The terms and conditions initially set were to be later reviewed and maybe changed or revised, something that has never happened to date. Any decisions made on international security, economic development or social levels have to be approved by the nations holding the veto power first, directly or indirectly before being approved. This has led to power imbalance in the UN with other nations feeling sidelined and having no powers to disagree. The existence and operation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is one of the issues being disagreed upon by member states. Disagreements surround charges taken to it and how it only handles cases from some states and not from others and especially those holding the veto power, leading to it lacking the impartiality necessary in a court of justice. Its operation therefore lacks consensus making it difficult to exist and perform its roles. The fact that the operation of the court from its inception seems to be controlled by a few members has brought about more questions than answers, and led to creation of issues of mistrust of the so called justice being sought in the court. The ICC comes in to deal with crimes that the national courts cannot be able to handle. This is because of lack of ability of a country to address the heinous criminal acts or because of the lack of a government. The national court may also lack capacity to prosecute their own cases and especially those of higher magnitude because of lack of resources or the lack of