Density Dependence And Its Effects In Ecosystems Environmental Sciences Essay

Describe the difference between the footings critical figure and transporting capacity for an ecosystem. Elaborate on the construct of denseness dependance. How does the denseness dependance affect the critical figure and carry capacity in an ecosystem? Critical figure refers to the smallest possible figure of beings required in a given species that is indispensable to prolong the population in a executable province so that it can stay in being. A lessening in this minimal population base will hold negative impacts on the staying lasting members which may take to their eventual extinction.Transporting capacity refers to the largest possible figure of persons of a species that an environment can prolong for an indefinite period of clip, without considerable negative effects on the given being and its environment. In other words, it is the sum of resources that is available in the environment that can be maximally exploited by the organisms nowadays at that place, that will lend to the beings ‘ well-being, without inauspicious effects on the ecosystem. An addition in the carrying capacity will usually take to a lessening in the ecosystem ‘s ability to back up life in the long tally, which will take to population lessening, and frailty versa.Population denseness is the figure of persons per unit country in an environment ; the population denseness determines the possible effects of certain environmental factors on continued population growing. These factors are separated into two types, viz. : Density dependent – literally means dependent on denseness, this phrase refers to the addition or lessening in the strength of the effects of environmental factors on a population in proportion to the denseness of the population. ( more beings means more competition and less nutrient available for the remainder and frailty versa ) Density independent – literally means independent of denseness ; this phrase means that the effects of some environmental factors do non depend on the denseness of the population. ( sudden unbearable environment alteration, all organisms dies irrespective of population size ) Population normally remains within a certain scope when environmental factors are density dependant. As population denseness additions, environmental opposition intensifies, and finally causes an addition in mortality that leads to a lessening in population. As population denseness decreases, environmental opposition diminishes, leting the population to retrieve. In the terminal, it is alterations in the environmental opposition ( Carrying capacity ) that allow populations to increase or diminish, and this can change annually due to environmental conditions. If population exceeds the transporting capacity, so the population experiences a J-curve clang. If the population is depleted below the critical figure, the lasting members become more vulnerable and extinction may be ineluctable. However, in density-independent instances where a peculiar modification factor moves outside an being ‘s scope of tolerance ( such as a fire or deep freezing ) , the being dies irrespective of population size, critical figure or the transporting capacity of the ecosystem. Q2. Define Biological Wealth we ‘ve discussed in category. How do the two sorts of value affect the biological wealth? Please supply some illustrations of our day-to-day life for each sort of the value and explicate how we evaluate those values Biological wealth is represented by the biodiversity ( described by life scientist as â€Å" entirety of cistrons, species, and ecosystems of a part † ) found on Earth. It is by and large used to mention to the natural biological wealth that supports human life and wellbeing. Biological wealth is viewed based on 2 sorts of value: 1. Instrumental Value – defined as the value something has because it may turn out utile in obtaining other things of value Biological wealth has instrumental value because it can be used to profit human existences. Many of these items-food, shelter, medical specialty, transit, and clothing-are themselves extremely prized for their part to human wellness and wellbeing. Examples of Instrumental values include:I. Beginning of nutrient, stuffs, agribusiness and developmentMany people around the universe depend on these biological beginnings for their nutrient, shelter, and vesture. Materials such as wood, gum elastic, fibres and oil can be obtained straight form biological beginnings. To feed and house a turning human population, more land is being transformed from wilderness into agricultural, excavation, lumbering, and urban countries for worlds. two. Beginning of Medicine A important sum of modern and traditional medicative merchandises are derived, straight or indirectly, from biological resources. three. Global Health Benefits Natural ecosystem services that reduces pollution, purifies H2O, prevents eroding, regulates clime and C sinks.four. BusinessBusiness Development – the foundation of some concerns are based on providing goods and services ( lumber, paper, nutrient and medical specialty ) obtained from the environment.v. LeisureLeisure – include activities like boosting, bird-watching and picture taking in biologically rich topographic points. 2. Intrinsic Value – value for its ain interest Non-material benefits that can be attained from the environment include aesthetic, cultural, spiritual and religious values, cognition and instruction. Philosophically, it could be said that biological wealth has built-in values for human existences. However, intrinsic value can be subjective and it is hard to delegate basic value to such state of affairss. The thought is that our judgements of intrinsic value are tied to existent state of affairss. The hedonic definition seems to be appropriate in this respect, for illustration, hedonism provinces that pleasance is the lone thing with positive intrinsic value and trouble the lone thing with negative intrinsic value. So working from here, pleasance is derived by the people when sing the aesthetically-pleasing signifiers present in a natural environment, religious values such as peace and enlightenment can be achieved through religious connexion on sacred sites, some faiths give Godhead acknowledgment to selected species ( cattles are considered holy in India ) , culturally, certain animate beings are revered as spirit ushers by the Native Americans and knowledge can be gained through observation and survey of the interactions within the system. Effectss However, irrespective of the abovementioned values assigned to biological wealth, the available biological resources are still being progressively exploited with small respect of their impact on the environment ( ensuing in degraded ecosystems and increased biodiversity loss, species loss being accelerated by human activity ) , the focal point being on short-run additions and non the long-run effects, therefore ensuing in a go oning loss of biological wealth. This tendency can non go on as the well-being of future coevalss depends on the preservation and careful direction of our biological wealth so as to protect and heighten their biodiversity.Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, SingaporeThe Wetlands Waltz I want to waltz in the wetlands, The swamps, the fens and the bogs, ( oh, the bogs ) . Yes, I want to waltz in the wetlands, With the birds, and the fish and the toads. I want to waltz in the wetlands, a topographic point where nature gets by, And IaˆÂ ¦ will cryaˆÂ ¦ will shout when the wetlands are dry. Yes IaˆÂ ¦ will cryaˆÂ ¦ will shout when the wetlands are dry. by The Ecotones Songs from the Water World Introduction Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is located in the Northwest of the chief island of Singapore. The name is of Malay beginning, with Sungei intending â€Å" River † and Buloh intending â€Å" Bamboo † . Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a Rhizophora mangle swamp. The distinguishing characteristic of a Rhizophora mangle swamp is that it is dominated by low trees or tall bushs, normally over 30 % screen, turning on clay flats in tropical coastal countries where the tidal scope is little. The roots of the Rhizophora mangle workss extend out into the clay flats, and trap silt which accumulates to organize the swamp. These swamps support a broad assortment of works species and offer protection for several animate beings.A wetland is defined as a land where the H2O tabular array is at, near or above the surface or which is saturated for a long adequate period to advance such characteristics as wet-altered dirts and H2O tolerant flora. ( Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation, 1996 ) . â€Å" The H2O may be fresh or saline, acidic or basic, depending on the beginning † ( Carter, 1997 )Wetlands play an indispensable ecological function and have resources of economic, cultural and scien tific value, but they are normally drained to make room for agricultural nutrient production or alternate land usage. Wetlands carry out a scope of ecosystem maps ; they include flood control, stabilisation of dirt and storage of C. Wetlands besides produces nutrient, fuel, wood, medical specialty and edifice stuff.Wetlands are one of the most biodiverse of all the ecosystems. Their biodiversity includes different species of works life, fish, reptilians, amphibious vehicles, mammals and avifauna of occupant and migratory birds. Wetlands are beautiful ; excessively small of this sort of natural Eden exist and they can be a tourer attractive force and recreational sites for bird-watching and picture taking. Wetlands are a recharge part for H2O ; Wetlands shop extra H2O or rainfall for release through recharge of rivers and groundwater aquifers at times when there is a drouth. â€Å" The recharging of aquifers, raises the H2O tabular array doing groundwater easy accessible † ( Kenya state paper, 1998 ) . Without the wetlands, the country would lose some of its finest trees, and non merely those that grow within it. The H2O table extends everyplace, and the roots of the workss grow towards it – but the wetlands keep the degree accessible. Wetlands besides act as a H2O purification system, filtrating out the surface run-off deposits, organic affair and foods.Components of WetlandsA wetland possess three types of status, the country should hold a typical wetland hydrology, flora, and dirts. Hydrology An equal and uninterrupted supply of H2O is indispensable for wetlands to be. The H2O beginnings for wetlands include atmospheric H2O, precipitation, ground-water flow and surface-water flow. The land is characterized with wetland hydrology if the country is either for good or sporadically inundated, or there is a recurrent, sustained impregnation of the upper portion of the substrate to make an anaerobiotic environment. This continuance and frequence of impregnation must at lower limit, be able to keep the flora or other beings of wetlands, such as characteristic physical and chemical characteristics of wetland substrate. â€Å" Field indexs of wetland hydrology include: ocular observation of flood, H2O borne debris deposition peculiarly in above land flora, H2O borne sediment sedimentation on workss and other perpendicular objects, drainage forms within wetlands including scouring, and H2O stained ( blackened or grey ) † ( ITRC, 2005 ) . Hydric Soils Hydric dirts are dirts that are sporadically or for good saturated with H2O. The boggy dirt is normally lacking in O. These dirts are wet, dark-coloured, is high in alimentary content and in organic stuff. Field indexs of hydric dirts include histosols, which are organic dirts or any deepness of organic stuff on bedrock ; sulfidic stuff ( H2S ) in mineral dirts breathing the odor of the icky egg ; and cut downing dirt conditions as indicated by gleyed dirt. ( ITRC, 2005 ) . Geomorphology Most wetlands originate in topographic depressions, lands with a lower lift than the environing countries, these include wetland basins, lakes, pools and river vales. These depressions may be created by a series of natural happenings such as glacier motion, air current, H2O moving ridges, or tidal action ; or by procedures linked to tectonics, remission, or prostration. Sometimes wetlands can organize on a incline, this occurs in topographic points where the H2O tabular array intersects the land surface in countries where the land is inclining. â€Å" Standing H2O in wetlands is either the consequence of surface implosion therapy or rock outcrop of the H2O tabular array, which is the top of the saturated zone where pore force per unit area peers atmospheric force per unit area † ( Freeze and Cherry, 1979 ) . Hydrophytic Vegetation The prevailing flora consists of aquatic plants or H2O adapted works species and is classified into â€Å" obligate † or â€Å" facultative † groups. These works species are specifically adapted to turn in moisture, anaerobiotic dirt conditions. Obligate wetland workss ( OBL ) have roots that are good adapted to H2O and saturated dirts, they are found merely in wetlands ( more than 99 % of the clip ) . Facultative wetland workss can digest standing H2O or saturated dirts and occur in wetlands 67-99 % of the clip. The recognized criterion for judging an country to be a wetland requires that the prevailing flora are made up of more than 50 % of Obligate Wetland Plants ( OBL ) , Facultative Wetland Plants ( FACW ) , Facultative Plants ( FAC ) , and Facultative Upland Species ( FACU ) .Supply your observation/guess on how this ecosystem evolves to its current position.Since Sungei Buloh Wetland is by definition a coastal, seawater, mangrove swamp located in Asia. It is poss ible to presume that in the yesteryear, it was likely to be a au naturel country where salt H2O meets land, and are flooded by day-to-day tides. The H2O in the country is likely slow-moving and slightly sheltered, which allows deposition of deposit and organic stuff to take topographic point, every bit good as workss to take root.Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is to day of the month bordered by Rhizophora mangle woods. Mangroves are normally the first species to turn on tropical shores as they can propagate successfully in a marine environment because of particular versions. This mangrove species may hold originated in the Indo-Malayan Region, sing the fact that there are more mangrove species present in this part than anyplace else in the universe. It was found that mangroves colonized this country around 6820 BP, as sea degree rose following the last glacial upper limit and a variable thickness of Holocene littorals, claies and peats were deposited over the land surface ( Bird et al , 2004 ) . A bare coastline is an inhospitable environment ; mangrove workss are the primary replacements in this instance because of their ability to last in seawater enables them to colonise coastal countries where no other assortments of tree can last. Mangrove workss bit by bit restore the dirt by perforating and air outing it. They start with seting down shoots into the substrate, which trap and clasp deposits in topographic point which prevents clouding and silting of Waterss every bit good as accumulate a bed of dirt. Their roots map as an ground tackle, and since they grow in dirt with low O, are adapted with aerial roots, which allow them to absorb atmospheric O. As they grow, they produce new rootlets at in turn higher degrees above the high tide degree ( Collins 1990 ) . As dirt quality improves, a gradual consecutive community of workss that were ab initio less tolerant of the original environment will get down turning in the country, finally making a flood tide wetland forest ecosy stem. Ocean tides, freshwater overflow and inland rivers provide foods such as nitrates, nitrites and minerals to nurture the flora of this wetland. In add-on, the Rhizophora mangle wood acts as a vegetive buffer zone against eroding along coastline and promotes deposition of deposit and alluvial stuffs. Coastal wetland swamps are extremely productive and supports a big figure of beings. Mangrove leaves serve as the foundation of the nutrient web and provides nutrient for direct feeders such as pediculosis pubiss and fish. Their decaying leaves initiate the debris nutrient web. The interweaving roots of Rhizophora mangle workss act as aquatic baby's rooms for the immature of fish and shellfish every bit good as nutrient and protection against larger marauders. A figure of animate beings besides use this ecosystem as a home ground, shacking in the canopy, roots, clay or H2O. A big assortment of bird species, which includes migratory birds besides feed on the rich zoology of pelecypods, pedi culosis pubiss, worms and mollusk. Sing that abovementioned province is still observed in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, it is extremely likely that a flood tide ecosystem has been reached and there is a dynamic balance between all of the species and the physical environment.What is human ‘s function in the ecosystem succession/evolution procedure and what are the responses from the ecosystem to the perturbation?Back in 1820, mangrove forest originally covered an estimated 13 % ( 7,800 hour angle ) of Singapore ( Corlett, 1987a & A ; 1987b ) . Today, less than 5 % remains. Bird et Al. ( 2004 ) found that the Rhizophora mangle from Sungei Buluh wetland modesty to Kranji Dam, a mere 87 hour angle, represented the largest integral Rhizophora mangle forest left on mainland Singapore. Harmonizing to the Straits Settlement Government Gazette Reports of the Botanic Gardens, 1890, the Sungei Buloh country was a forest modesty from 17th April, 1890, but ceased to be a forest modesty on 4th April, 1938, ( Straits Settlement Government Gazette, 1938 ) . During this clip period, due to a lifting rural population, shrimp agriculture became the pillar of those settling the seashore, and development of nutrient, fuel, poles and wood were allowed in the modesty. From 1946 to 2001, aerial exposure used to analyse Rhizophora mangle alterations brought about the decision that development generated important alterations in the distribution of Rhizophora mangles. In 1946, the Sungei Buloh mangrove forest was reduced to 117.3 hour angle. However, following this period of clip, the Rhizophora mangle was able to actively colonise the coastal mudflats, adding 6.24 hour angle of Rhizophora mangle screen until 1980. Unfortunately in 1980, 50 % of the entire country covered by Rhizophora mangles was cleared for aquaculture. The resulting building of Kranji Dam in 1980 brought about a subsequent lessening in sediment supply, which initiated eroding along the shoreline. Consequently, the vegetive boundary has receded by up to 50 metres in 2001. In 1986, a group of devouring birdwatchers from the Singapore Branch of the Malayan Nature Society noted the surprisingly big assortment of bird species including migratory birds in the wetlands. Acknowledging the ecological value of this country, they wrote a proposal to the authorities inquiring for its saving. This suggestion was taken up by the authorities and finally, 87 hour angle of wetlands was given the position of nature park in 1989. Subsequently, the country was carefully developed to let visitant handiness and was officially opened on 6 Dec 1993 by so Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. The Rhizophora mangle wood is now renewing under the protection provided by the Nature Reserve.How/what can we make to do this ecosystem sustainable?In order to keep the wetland ‘s biological diverseness and productiveness and to let wise usage of their resources by human existences, preservation and sustainable usage of this wetland and its resources is of import. Sustainable usage is ba sed on cognition of environmental, socio-economic and policy factors. From this, some guidelines can be developed for sustainable wetland direction.Sustainable Wetland Management – some factors to seeFrom hypertext transfer protocol: //wetlands.hud.ac.uk/sustainability.htmThey include: 1. Creation of public consciousness on the importance of wetlands for the environment. Educate the populace on the function of wetlands in deposit and eroding control ; saving of H2O quality, cut downing pollution ; care of surface and land H2O supply and part to climatic stableness. 2. Promote understanding and acknowledgment of the maps and values of wetland home grounds. This includes their esthetic, cultural, spiritual, societal, economic, educational and recreational value. 3. Conservation of bing wetlands and their biodiversity This includes Restoration and recovery of altered wetlands and alternate wetland direction determinations that includes: non-intervention ( but includes monitoring ) ; limited intercession ; active direction. 4. Research on wetland Proper surveies should be carried out on the values, maps and use of each type of wetland, every bit good as its ecological position and agricultural potency that can be exploited without impairing its maps and transporting capacity. 5. Survey of developments that are likely to hold an impact on wetlands. This is to forestall the continued debasement, transition and disregard of wetlands. 6. Sustainable direction of wetlands Through the development and exchange of cognition about sustainable utilizations. 7. Formulation of policy on wetlands Consultations can be carried out among authorities, academic establishment, and community-based organisations to make policies and statute law, which includes impact appraisal and rating to modulate wetland usage. 8. Factors impacting the achievement of long-run direction aims With the designation of the long term intent, all important factors which may impact or impede their accomplishment should be identified. This include natural factors such as natural sequence in flora, precipitation induced fluctuation in H2O degree and clime alteration ; and human-induced factors such as perturbation, pollution and development.

Organization and Management_theories Essay

Organization is a complex and intricate framework whose nature, behavior, effects, consequences and incidents are broad and ambiguous. It is not automatically comprehensible and manageable as any person dealing with it remains uncertain of what the organization is all about. This is so simply because the behavior, conditions and status of the organization is contingent or dependent upon individual members. Hence, one must first have to determine the basic traits, behavior, disposition, aims, and positions of each member before one can truly have the rudimentary idea of an organization which could guide and lead towards its dealings for a better and more effective management policies. Managing an organization requires a basic framework, plan, strategy or principles on how the manager will deal to his or her subordinates. These framework, plan, strategy or principles should be possessed by the manager, and should be well defined with a sense of concreteness and direction, before he or she can deal with his or her subordinates. The success of the manager’s plan or the fulfillment of his or her objective is basically determined on how efficacious and sustaining is his methods of management towards the subordinates. The manager must devise and establish such a framework, plan, strategy or principles which would best fit to the basic structure and environment in which he is managing, and one that is acceptable, favorable and bearable by all subordinates. This paper concerns the need for a manager to have an instrumental and conceptual knowledge in everyday practice. This includes the assessments of various frameworks critically analyzing some management and organizational methods and theories that may be utilized and applied as a management policy. The manager may not contend only to use one method, but resort to various methods could before practical and efficacious in reaching for the intended output. The manager therefore, must possess a sound and rational discretion, this being the condition sine qua non, in order for him to make use of the various management theories and methods which he may deem fit, convenient and effective within the premises and circumstances of the establishment or enterprise which he or she is managing or dealing. Critique on the Classical Models The classical thinkers like Plato waxes some ideas though profoundly and abstractly laid down in his The Laws and The Republic. He advanced the idea that a leader must necessarily possess a general idea of everything to the extent that he or she must know the basic function of each unit in the community. Plato would suggest that managers must be acquainted to his or her subordinates, especially their strengths, talents, skills, ability and capacity so as he may designate and assign them to such a job where such subordinate or member of the community is best fitted and productive. The explicit theory of the one best way to organize is normally ascribed to the â€Å"classical† theorists, notably Frederick Taylor and Max Weber, but it is, as we have seen, much older, even if it then only concerned social organization. Taylor’s model sprang from factory production and Weber’s from the offices of public administration, but they had a lot in common—notably a reliance on standardization of work, control of quality, fine-grained division of labor, and a strict hierarchy. They both strongly believed that the organizational models they proposed would prevail and eventually supplant all others because they were the most efficient. Weber’s interest was not in organization per se, but in the role it played in politics and economics in general. His discussion of bureaucracy therefore centered on its legal and political ramifications, as well as its part in the general rationalization of society—a result of the growing hegemony of rational means-ends relations. Weber viewed bureaucracy as the epitome of this development, working with supreme efficiency, and believed it would supersede all other organization forms. In Weber’s eyes, this development was not necessarily in humanity’s interest—on the contrary, he saw in the efficiency of bureaucracy a frightening potential to lock us into an â€Å"Iron Cage† of machine-like existence. With Weber’s own definition of sociology in mind, it is difficult to understand how he could be so sure of the inevitable and total domination of a single organizational structure. In that definition, he bases sociology squarely on an understanding of individual action and interaction, based on individuals’ subjective understanding of their situation and the purpose of their own actions (Fivelsdal 1971). Supra-individual concepts such as structure, function, and system are rejected as causes. One should think that human variation would make room for more than one structural form, and at least that its grim advances could be blocked by a pervasive tendency among disgruntled individuals to choose (for subjective reasons) other solutions. Henri Fayol and later Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick emphasized formal authority and the role of direct supervision (Mintzberg 1979), but the spirit of their work was the same as Taylor’s. You might even say that they were not really presenting theories of organization at all, but recipes—indicating the best solution for every type of activity, just as Plato did in the meticulous details of The Laws. The early theorists’ belief in the existence of final, superior solutions and their inescapable triumph can be viewed as an expression of their times—of the rapid progress of science and technology; the immense success of the mass-producing factory, the general increase in rational attitudes; and a rather naive belief in the simpleness of human affairs and their resemblance to physical systems. Buckley (1967) has suggested that such theories represented a continuation of the â€Å"Social Physics† the central notion of which was that man was a physical object, a kind of advanced machine; that behavior and social relations were subject to natural laws of the same kind as the laws of physics; and that man and society could be analyzed and managed accordingly. In politics and history the Marxian visions of inevitable social transformations embodied much of the same spirit, even if the underlying analysis was more sophisticated. The belief in the rationality and inevitability of things was thus a reflection of the contemporary beliefs in progress and technology, and the notion of the one best solution also appeals to our natural thirst for simplification—a faith in a â€Å"one best way† is much more reassuring than the acknowledgment of a bewildering array of optional solutions. As such, this view lingers on today—both in the minds of managers and in the offerings of consultants. Implied in this view is a notion of technological determinism—if there is a one best way of organizing, there must also be a one best way to utilize any new tool. Such a one-to-one relationship between a tool and its optimal use means that the tool itself will, by necessity, have strong bearings on organizational design. It is quite obvious that Taylor included tools and machinery in his designs for factory organization, and that the properties of those tools and machines were important determinants for the design of jobs and the relationships between them. The connection may not seem just as plain when we look at Weber and his theories of bureaucracy—there do not seem to be so many tools in use. However, the most important organizational tool in history (at least before the computer) has probably been the art of writing, and Weber’s bureaucracy is explicitly based on written procedures and written information. In other words, if bureaucracy is the one best way to organize administrative work in a literate society, and it presupposes the use of writing, the properties of writing (as a tool) must be regarded as one of the most the most important determinants of bureaucratic organization—maybe even the most important. In Scott’s (1987) classification of theoretical schools, both scientific management and Weber’s theory of bureaucracy are closed, rational system models. They presuppose that organizational actors are fully rational in all their decisions, that they always strive to achieve the organization’s expressed goals, and that the structure and functions of an organization are independent of its environment. Simon’s Bounded Rationality In the development of organization theory, the belief in the â€Å"one best way† and the closed, rational model of organizations (Scott 1987) gradually came under attack after World War II. One of the early attackers was Herbert A. Simon, who developed a new theory of decision making, opposing the reigning concept of unbounded rationality in organizational and economic matters. Simon attacked both the economists’ image of â€Å"economic man† and the â€Å"rational manager† of the earlier management theorists. Although he seemed to accept the notion that there was an objective, theoretical â€Å"best way† in a given set of circumstances, he denied the possibility of finding this solution in practice. Simon’s great common-sense realization was that humans operate with limited information and wits in an exceedingly complex world, and that they have no choice but to simplify, to operate with a bounded rationality, to satisfice—not maximize. The basic realization of an objective â€Å"best way† is not a practical possibility, even if it may exist in theory. The objective, practical goal of organizational members is therefore never to find the optimal solution (even if they may think so themselves), but to find one that is good enough for their ends—which usually also means good enough for the organization to survive. It also follows that there must be many such solutions, and that different people and different organizations will more often than not choose different solutions. Scott (1987) also classifies the theory presented in Administrative Behavior as belonging to the closed, rational system model. This seems a bit unjust, since several passages in the book discuss interactions with the environment (for instance, the discussions in Chapter VI, â€Å"The Equilibrium of the Organization†) and fully document that Simon does not believe that an organization is an island to itself. However, the theory of decision making that is developed in the book largely treats organizational decisions as something internal to the organization, and this may perhaps merit Scott’s classification. Because the environmental connection is more pronounced in the book coauthored with March (March and Simon 1958), the theory presented there is classified by Scott as belonging to the open, rational system models. These models represent organizations as predominantly rational systems, but they recognize that organizations are continuously dependent on exchanges with their environment and must adapt to it to survive. Transaction Costs Analysis Another approach in the open, rational systems category is the transaction cost analysis developed by Williamson. However, Williamson’s interest in organizational structure centers on questions of organization size and the degree of vertical integration. He argues that the cost of exchanging goods or services between people, departments, or organizations will decide whether or not a function will be incorporated into the organization. The primeval, â€Å"natural† state of business activities can be seen as a situation with individual producers exchanging goods and services through the market. If markets or tasks (or both) grow so complex that the cognitive limits of the producers become overloaded or if the transaction costs increase for other reasons, there will be a pressure to increase the level of organization in order to overcome these difficulties. Applied on the current situation, this implies that existing organizations will try to internalize transactions if they believe they can execute them more efficiently than the market or if they become so complex that market-based solutions become intractable. For instance, an auto manufacturer will develop or buy its own dealer network if it believes it can sell more cars or fetch a bigger profit that way; an aluminum producer will buy into bauxite mines if it believes that this will shield it from dangerous price fluctuations. Technology has a part in transaction theory insofar as it changes transaction costs in the market, inside the organizations, or both. Since information technology has a great potential for changing the conditions for coordination—both within and between organizations, it should be of great interest to the transaction cost perspective. The Several Best Ways: The Human Relations Movement The human relations school brought the individual and the social relations between individuals into focus. People in organizations were no longer seen only—not even mainly—as rational beings working to achieve the goals of the organization. It was discovered that they were just as much driven by feelings, sentiments, and their own particular interests—which could be quite different from what classical theory presupposed. Moreover, the new studies also showed that there was an informal structure in every organization, growing from the unofficial contacts people in the organization had with each other. This informal structure could be just as important as the formal one for predicting the outcome of decision-making processes—sometimes even more important. There were a number of main themes investigated by the different approaches within the human relations school, and most of them are still actively pursued by researchers. The most basic is the insistence on the importance of individual characteristics and behaviors in understanding organizational behavior. This easily leads to an interest in the effects of different leadership styles, as well as in the effects of race, class, and cultural background. Formalization in work is strongly repudiated on the grounds that it is detrimental to both worker commitment and psychological well-being, and participative management, job enlargement, or, at least, job rotation is prescribed. In fact, human relations theorists have always been eager to promote changes in organizations to produce what they see as more humane work places, and they claim that the less formal, more participative organization will also be the most productive. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to criticize at least the most ardent proponents of these views for prescribing â€Å"one best way† solutions just as much as the classical theorists (Mohr 1971). With their emphasis on humans and their psychological and social properties, the human relations theorists were not especially interested in tools and technology except as a source of repressive formalization. However, even if we might say that they inherited a belief in optimal solutions from the classical theorists, their theories implied that it was human needs and qualities, and not technology, that dictated the optimal organizational forms. In other words, it was in their view possible to design and operate organizations principally on the basis of human characteristics, and thus thwart what others viewed as technological imperatives. Woodward Among the new research projects were Woodward’s pathbreaking studies of a number of manufacturing companies in the southeast of England in the 1950s (Mintzberg 1979, Clegg 1990), in which she showed how three basic production technologies strongly correlated with a corresponding number of organization structures: Bureaucratization increased as one went from unit or small batch production via large batch or mass production to continuous-process production. First, this discovery led to renewed faith in technological determinism: there now seemed to be not one best way to organize, but rather a best way for each class of production technology—in Woodward’s case, unit production, mass production, and process industry. The Multitude of Ways: Sociotechnics In England a group of researchers developed a distinct framework, which in addition to â€Å"action† approach, they also proposed that â€Å"the distinguishing feature of organizations is that they are both social and technical systems† (Scott 1987, p. 108). The core of the organization represented, so to speak, an interface between a technical system and a human (social) system. This implied that, in order to achieve maximum performance in an organization, it did not suffice to optimize only the technical or the social system, nor to search for the best match between existing technological and organizational elements. The goal should be a joint optimization of the two—creating a synergy that yielded more than could be achieved simply by adding the two together. Their preferred organizational solutions emphasized co-determination, internalized regulation, and workgroup autonomy. They also discovered that changes at the workgroup level did not survive for long without compatible changes in the overlying structures—a discovery that was also made in a series of experiments with autonomous workgroups in Norwegian industry in the 1960s, inspired by the Tavistock group and directed by the newly founded Work Research Institute in Oslo (Thorsrud and Emery 1970). During their projects they also learned that the environment impinged on intra-organizational activities to a much larger degree than they had anticipated. Sociotechnics, for me is here taking a position that is particularly relevant for information technology, even if sociotechnics was established as a theoretical framework before computers started to make themselves felt to any significant degree. When working with information technology in organizations, it is of utmost importance to be aware of the intimate interdependence between the computer-based systems, the individuals using them, the manual routines, and the organizational structure. Any serious attempt to optimize the use of information technology must acknowledge this reciprocity. It is therefore quite remarkable that sociotechnical theory has remained so much out of fashion for the last decade, just the period when the use of computers has really exploded. One reason may be the general lack of interest in information technology that has plagued the social sciences overall; another is that those who were interested within the sociotechnical tradition tended to be drawn toward research on the cognitive aspects of computer use, especially the (literal) user interfaces of computer systems, neglecting the overlying question of the broader interaction of humans and computer systems in structural terms.

Moving and Handling

Arega Arutiunian NVQ level 2 – Moving and Handling . How to Transfer a Weak Patient from Bed to Chair/Wheelchair . Lying in bed for a long period of time is generally depressing and boring for most patients. Being transferred on a chair enables the patient to execute some slight movements that is beneficial in improving circulation. As for being transferred on a wheelchair, it serves as a way to transport a weak patient on hospital areas , to the bathroom or in the lounge room . First i must inform the patient about the procedure. If the patient wants to be transferred on a chair, i will explain the details .And if there is a need for him to be transferred on a wheelchair, i need to explain the purpose and destination of the transfer. Using a nice tone of voice and right body language. Informing the patient will facilitate cooperation and will make him feel that he is being respected rather than being controlled. Position the chair or wheelchair next to the bed facing the foot of the bed. I need to bring the chair as close as possible to reduce the distance of the transfer. If a wheelchair is used, i will make sure to lock its brake and fold the foot rests, as soon as my position it near the bed.I need to adjust the height of the bed in its lowest position-this way it will be easy for the patient to step down on the floor, thus, decreasing the risk of injury from falling. I will lock the brake of the bed and then assist the patient in doing side lying position, facing the direction of the transfer. I need to lace one arm under the shoulder of the patient and the other arm supporting the patients’ thigh on the opposite side. Count to three and then carefully swing the legs of the patient over the side of the bed and assist him in lifting his trunk and shoulders until he is in sitting position.If patient is strong enough to do some movements, i can allow the patient to participate on the manoeuvre. I will ask patient to use the leg on the outer side of the bed to scoop the leg on the other side. Than carefully swing both his legs on the side of the bed and then assist him in lifting his trunk and shoulders until he is in sitting position. Place my arms around the torso of the patient for support. Put one arm of the patient over my shoulder -while his other arm is extended on the bed, to help support the position.Instruct the patient to scoot over the edge of the bed until feet is flat on the floor. Widen the distance of my feet, with right foot forward, and the left foot back for an easy shift of my weight as i lift the patient. Maintain the position above, with my arms still supporting the torso of the patient. One arm of the patient should still be on my shoulder and his other arm should still be extended on the bed (palm flat on bed). Slightly bend my knees and lean my body. Then i will instruct the patient to get ready for a push from one arm that’s extended on the bed, as i lift him up to standing position.Count to three as i assist the patient to standing position and he is pushing off from at the same time. Need to raise patient to standing position and keep my back straight. Pivot the patient so that his back is positioned in front of the chair or wheelchair- i need to instruct him to grasp on the armrest for additional support, and then slowly assist the patient as he lowers himself on the seat of the chair. Help the patient in positioning himself properly when seated. I need to make sure that his buttocks are entirely rested on the seat and his back firmly resting on the back support.When in a wheelchair, i should place his arms on the armrests and his feet on the footrests. How to Use a Hoyer Lift to Transfer a Patient A Hoyer Lift is a lifting device or hydraulic lift that is commonly used in nursing homes and other medical facilities to help transfer patients from beds to wheelchairs and back again. Special care and attention needs to be used when transferring any patient using a Hoye r Lift, as injuries and even death may result from improper techniques or use of the lift. Position the sling that comes with the Hoyer Lift beneath the patient to be transferred.In some cases, caregivers will be required to carefully roll the patient from side to side in order to position the sling properly. I need to make sure that the sling is evenly distributed, without wrinkles and is correctly positioned, the seam side of the sling away from the skin of the patient. Need to move the Hoyer Lift so that the extended legs slide under the bed. The legs of the Hoyer Lift are able to open and close to facilitate wheelchairs. I should slide the Hoyer legs under the bed until the swivel bar hook of the lift is directly over the patient's abdomen. Attach the einforced â€Å"O† rings in the sling straps that have been placed around the patient's legs first, connecting to the â€Å"S† hooks of the Hoyer Lift first. Need to make sure that the leg straps (if two are present) are positioned to prevent the patient from slipping out of the sling. Should point the tips of the â€Å"S† hooks away from the patient's face for extra safety. Need to attach the shortest web strap through the hole for the back and head support part of the sling, which will help make sure the patient will have neck and head support when lifted. Then, i must attach the web   straps to the swivel bar.Press the button that will engage the lift and slowly lift the patient, maintaining control of both the sling and the lift. The Hoyer Lift should always be used with two people. One person should be helping control movement of the patient while the other operates the lifting mechanism and opens the legs of the lift for optimal stability. One person should always maintain control of the patient in the sling while the second person operates the lift. Once the patient is centred over a wheelchair or bed, lower the lift and then reverse the process used to place the sling .

Short essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Short - Essay Example Of course students need to know these subjects, if for no other reason than it makes them a well-rounded thinker. However, a better case can be made that teaching them a different language is even more important to their cognitive capacity and their ability to find employment in today’s global economy. Enrollment in foreign language studies today is at its highest level since 1968. Parents and students are realizing the importance of communicating with both allies and adversaries, to interact with them on their terms, not just our own. People in foreign countries appreciate being spoken to in their naà ¯ve language, at least an attempt to and resent the arrogance of some Americans who expect them to speak English. More than half of Europeans speak at least two languages fluently but less than 20 percent of Americans. Until just recently, enrollment in foreign languages classes had been dropping dramatically in public schools reaching a low point in 2008 when only 25 percent of students were taking a foreign language class, only 15 percent of students in rural areas. Only about half of colleges require foreign language credits to graduate, down from two-thirds just a decade previous. This foreign language discrepancy should be concerning. The U.S. needs diplomats, entrepreneurs, b usiness leaders, physicians, technicians, intelligence and military officials, politicians, historians, scientists, artists, managers and writers who can effectively communicate in other languages. Foreign policy experts, vital to the nation’s security, will always be needed and must be able to speak in a variety of languages particularly Farsi (Iran), Mandarin (China) and Arabic, Russian, Bengali (India) among others in emerging economic and military nations. The National Defense Education Act was passed during the height of the Cold war following the launch of Sputnik, the world’s first satellite, by the Russians in 1957. The Act provided federal funds to public schools

Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 21

Questions - Essay Example Contingent liability is the company’s potential debts that arise from the past transactions. Company’s can only verify the existence of this liability by the occurrence of the expected event that the business cannot control. This liability should not be incorporated in the balance sheet. An example of this liability includes the product warranty. If a company promises to replace good with defects without charging the customers, the amount of the returned goods will be contingent liability. It is vital for businesses to distinguish the liabilities. This is because it will make it simple for investors and creditors to evaluate the risks the liabilities caused in the business in the future (Porter & Norton, 2011). The Time Value of Money is the sum of interest a certain amount of money earns within a definite time. According to the concept of time value of money, a certain amount of money one has today has more value than the same amount one expects to get in the future. This is because one can invest the money he has today and earn interests (Peavler, 2012). It is vital for accountants to comprehend the current and the future value concept. This is because it enables them to know the precise worth of the current business money. Furthermore, the concept enables accountants to know the value of the money the business is expecting (Lieuallen, 2008). The concept also enables them to differentiate between the values of savings opportunities that offer returns at varied durations. The accountants should also understand the concepts to advice the business on the amount of money the business should invest by calculating the values of the investments (Storer &Usinger, 2008). The present and future value concepts are applicable to business decisions in various ways. For instance, it is applicable in the business decision regarding the amount of the money the business should put in the

The Desighn evenet managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Desighn evenet managment - Assignment Example Organization of events strongly affects society as a whole. In some countries, this is a serious industry, bringing the state many billions in taxes. You can use it to attract a lot of tourists (such as carnivals in Rio de Janeiro or Venice is visited by hundreds of thousands of people), it becomes a significant source of income for local budgets. Conferences and exhibitions helps the emergence of business contacts and thus spur economic development. has long been an integral part of other economic sectors: hospitality, tourism, show business; some of the functions on the organization of activities was assigned to the sales offices, professional associations (Supovitz, 2005, p.45). This hindered the development of event-management as a distinct form of activity. Now in organizing activities were professional associations, there are specialized literature, certification programs in this area can get a higher education. Gradually the organization of events is becoming recognized industry with its technology, market players, legends and traditions. One of the factors that affect the strategic decision-making is opportunity cost. This is because when someone makes a choice, they will lose the chance of making another choice. For instance if a company decides to make advertisement on the radio, they may not have the opportunity of making another advertisement on the television because of budgetary restrictions. If a company asks the sales staff to look for new clients, they may as well forget about serving the existing customers (Boag & Cuskelly, 2011, p.67). Opportunity cost also affected the final event design pitch because it was the best option so far. Another factor that affects strategic decision-making is the effect on resources. When companies compute their profit benefit from probable decision, they must also consider the general impact on production, human resources, sales and the staff. If a certain product within the

Software Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Software Engineering - Essay Example Some of them are Waterfall model, Spiral Model, Rapid Application Development (RAD) model, Prototyping model, Incremental Model, Concurrent Development Model, Component-based model, Formal Methods model and Fourth Generation Techniques. All these models describe different processes that are used for development of software. Generally for new types of applications, Waterfall model, Spiral Model, Rapid Application Development (RAD) model and Prototyping model are not yet so standardised. For these types of application new models such as Incremental Model, Concurrent Development Model, Component-based model, Formal Methods model and Fourth Generation Techniques is commonly used with the combination with previous mentioned methodologies. These all methods provide the technical specifications for building software. They encompass a broad group of tasks that include requirements analysis, design, program construction (coding), testing, and support. These all tasks are performed for development of software. Next section will cover some commonly used software development methods with advantages/ disadvantages, and where it can be used for development of software (or applications). The Waterfall Model: It is also called as Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) or Linear Sequential Model. It is the oldest and the most widely used paradigm for software engineering. The waterfall method attempts to pin down the requirements early in the project life cycle. After gathering requirements, software design is performed in full. Once the design is complete, the software is implemented. The Waterfall model suggests a systematic, sequential approach to software development that begins at the system level and progresses through analysis, design, coding, testing, and support. [Pressmen 2001] Software is integral part of a larger system or business; therefore initially requirements for

Evaluating Performance through Motivation and Conflict Management Essay

Evaluating Performance through Motivation and Conflict Management Discussion - Essay Example Let me first discuss about the theories of motivation applied to organization’s behaviors and to employees of workplaces. Motivation is etymologically a Latin word "movere"-- to move. It is an internal drive motivating behaviors and determining direction. It is a moving force that motivates organizational behavior. Maslow's â€Å"Hierarchy of Needs Theory† point that motivation is driven by needs and of certain conditions that motivate them to exemplify these needs. This hierarchy features five major areas which start with â€Å"basic needs toward more complicated and self-fulfilling needs. It includes physiological, survival, security and stability. Human being’s social nature needs venue for social interaction to bolster our self-esteem and competence in order for us to develop our full potential for self-actualization. Maslow's believes that unsatisfied lowest-level need has the greatest motivating potential. Alderfer's ERG Theory is also somewhat similar to "Needs Theory† but has only three characters which explains satisfaction and motivation.

Maritime Budgets Struggle Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Maritime Budgets Struggle - Article Example The implied hypothesis is that the decisions taken by the administration regarding maritime budgets in the FY 2011 budget are against the maritime industry in America and insensitive to homeland security. However, it does not throw any light on the performance of the maritime agencies in America. The hypothesis of the author appears to be skewed since it does not mention whether the budget cuts are uniform throughout various programs or specifically maritime agencies have been targeted. Also, the article glorifies the budget cuts and discounts the increase in spending on maritime agencies and programs by phrases like ‘aging academy, and ‘â€Å"difficult tradeoffs† between men and women and machine’ (Bondareff, 2010) The article does not answer the question regarding the impact of the budget cuts on maritime agencies and programs. The central argument of the article is that allocations in FY 2011 budget, to maritime agencies is reduced to make up for the budget deficit. Though it mentions the programs which have been denied funding in the FY 2011 budget, the article does not mention the importance/contribution of those programs to the maritime industry in particular and country in general. It does not mention the progress in the programs from the previous funding; is it the case that the programs were running excellently and now their growth would be stunted due to decreased funding or since the programs were not performing up to the expectations so the funding is decreased. The study undertaken is useful in a limited way in the sense that although it highlights the budgetary decisions of the administration regarding maritime agencies and programs, it does not throw any light on the implications of these decisions and the justifications given by administration for taking such decisions. The study appears to be a collection of

Critical Review of Communicative Learning in teaching methodology Essay

Critical Review of Communicative Learning in teaching methodology - Essay Example Communicative language teaching is critically reviewed. With an emphasis on understanding its basic tenets and the advantages that it offers to the language learning process. Communicative language teaching is an approach towards language teaching. It is entrenched in the belief that the primary purpose of language is communication (Brandl, 2008). Therefore, the approach aims to equip its learners with an ability to communicate. There are two categories of the communicative approach. The weak component involves an overt pedagogy of language forms that develops the learner’s ability to use the same for communication. The strong communicative approach on the other hand inclines towards furnishing the learner with experiences through which the learner develops proficiency in the use the language. According to Richards, there are four principles through which the approach can be understood (2005). These are: the mode of learning of a language, the goals of teaching language, the types of classroom activities that promote learning, and what the roles of teachers and learners are in the classroom. The communicative approach is therefore a broad one that encompasses a wide range of activities which are meant to improve the overall language acquisition process. It is also referred to as the functional approach or the notional-functional approach (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). The end result is learner’s achieving communicative competence. The communicative approach developed as an alternative to the grammar-translation method. This previous approach indulged learners in a frenzy of vocabulary and rule grasping, with the outcome being a limited oral proficiency (Brandl, 2008). In order to atone for this shortcoming, the students would then travel to the language’s country of origin so as to acquaint themselves through practice. Owing to this significant

The Linguistics Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Linguistics Theory - Essay Example Words that relate just by meaning, form lexical relations, can take various forms: synonymy is when all the semantic components of the words are similar; antonyms are created when one component of the meanings differ, and hyponymy is the case of an extra component is added to differentiate one word from the other. The antonym is a lexical opposition. It was traditionally classified as a contrastive paradigmatic construction (meaning a complex lexical construction that unifies with other constructions, resulting in syntagmatic usage). Unlike other paradigmatic relations, antonymy is both a lexical and a semantic relationship. Unlike synonyms and hyponyms, antonyms can only exist in binary form. Some lexicologists use the term opposite to refer to the semantic relation and antonym specifically for opposites that are also lexically related. It is also thought that, unlike synonyms and hyponyms, the antonym can only be a contrast set of only two words. But, depending on the meaning, word s may have different antonyms. Besides the natural binarity of the antonym, there is also the possibility of a brighter spectrum of contrast. For instance, the antonym of happy would be: sad. But â€Å"angry† is also very different from happy and can easily be used to contradict it.Coordinated Antonymy, a discourse –functional category – it indicates exhaustiveness of the scale involved. It neutralizes the difference between normally opposed categories, by considering them and all the instances in between, as being true.

Address the simulation Essay Example for Free

Address the simulation Essay Reflecting on one event that created a disruption in my ability to address the simulation was the lack of time towards planning and setting goals related to the facilitation of the given objective. Though the inputs were given ahead of time, there were many technicalities that need to be communicated with the designers and some clarifications concerning the different standards and rules concerning implementation. Such exchanges of correspondence caused a delay in the value of ascertaining the appropriate strategy necessary towards its actual implementation and facilitation. Due to this, it brought about a disruption and limited capacity to effectively carry out the presentation. Analyzing its impact it had on our sector, clearly this lack of time pressured people to work extra harder and longer for the presentation to be completed. Since we are way past the target deadline for specific objectives, we had to rush and create sub-par to average results in each step. In essence, we had to rely on our individual and group capacities in order to effectively generate the expectations accordingly. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay Similarly, it also hindered our functions and efficiency due to the fact that we had to skip or pass through different stages faster than what is expected. At the same time, this disruption also provided a delay in the determination of the feasibility of the application/presentation towards Centerville. Since the project was given in our sector for careful study and analysis, we were given specific time frame and purpose in administering the appropriate expectations. Seeing this, this situation not only brought delay in our abilities but also infused limited value in the contribution of our sector. Such aspect then became crucial in ascertaining what elements are then necessary in order for this problem to be alleviated in prevented in the future instances to come. Discussion 9 Here, the conflict that occurred between the administrator and employee concerning an issue concerning the application of norms and business culture. On one hand, the administrator argues that it should be implemented because it helps carry out effectiveness and increased productivity. However, the employee contradicts this by saying it may prove to be destructive to the company’s image and would likely put them into trouble. Seeing this, the administrator vouched the case into higher authorities for immediate action. It resulted towards higher management favoring the employee. Due to this, the administrator sought to get even by using coercive actions and abuses towards the employee. Analyzing this case, it can be seen that the function and application actions provided by the administrator must have been cultivated by the decision of the upper management to support the argument of the employee. In my opinion, the mindset of the administrator has always been to improve on his tasks and responsibilities accordingly. By accepting these areas accordingly, it can help consolidate better and efficient process. Such actions are only responses towards finding means to induce appropriate tasks and delegate them to employees accordingly (Clawson, 2008). However, due to the inclination towards the employee, the administrator felt belittled and illustrated actions against ethical considerations. At the same time, the same process can also be seen in his capacity to act and react according to his VABE. Here, it contradicts his original responsibility and task of not exercising coercive and abusive actions related to his position. However, due to this inability to be recognized accordingly, he results to such harsh actions because he continues to believe in his arguments as effective. On the other hand, regardless of his original intentions and the outcome of his actions, the manner in which his VABE is applied remains to be destructive and limits his opportunity to become an effective leader (Northouse, 2008). This then creates a shift of values stimulated by one’s personal emotions and perceptions over an issue. Seeing this, the actions of the administrator limit his credibility as a leader because of his capacity to exercise decisions based on his personal interests and feelings. Rather than appealing and using formalized communication, he results to dirty tactics and abuses his power over the employee. Such dynamics then illustrate his limited capacity to address the issue effectively and hamper the relationship not only with the particular employee but to others as well. This then becomes a constraint in outlining appropriate means towards exercising competency not only in his responsibilities but also his capacity to overcome such dilemmas. Discussion 10 Analyzing the implementation of policy and development within our organization, it can be seen that there are formalized processes that allow divisions and managers to actively decipher what are the essential directions and objectives that the company should follow. Again, these amendments and inclusion of rules coincide with the goals, directions, and objectives by the company towards their employees and the workforce. In essence, the development process correlates with the active leadership and style expressed by an individual relatively affects the manner on how rules are implemented and developed accordingly (Kouzes, 2007). Similarly, in terms of defining new ground rules and aspects related to introduction of new policies, there is a corresponding process from its initial introduction towards its implementation within a specific division or to whole of the company. Such dynamics in turn provide appropriate means to correlate and integrate the value of communication (formal) between managers – subordinates and vice versa. Such dynamics then provide better means for careful analysis and study while at the same time makes leaders responsible in ensuring that ethical considerations and operational patterns are addressed efficiently (Clawson, 2008). Given that our organization has specific evaluation process for the validity of expressing options for policy development and change, it can be argued that this remains to be formalized and undergoes specific steps in order to be addressed and looked into. In particular, it tries to designate specific precepts and policies related to the feasibility of the process and how it can be applied to a particular department or division. Though informal means of evaluation are provided such as suggestion and opinions, it does not hamper and impact the decision making among leaders. Rather, these inputs are consolidated and taken into consideration when the process of utilizing its effectiveness within a particular field is sought. References Clawson, J. G. (2008). Level three leadership: Getting below the surface (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Northouse, P. G. (2008). Introduction to leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing Kouzes, J. , Posner, B. (2007). The leadership challenge (4rded. ). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Women And Homophobia In Sports Media Essay

Women And Homophobia In Sports Media Essay Violence and Sport a book written by Michael Smith was an excellent reading that portrayed many different aspects on sports. It will allow the reader to see how violent sports have gotten over time as well as other mainstream issues that occur on not just in the United States but as well as on a global level. It is also noted how violence is perceived as a serious social problem and that there is no doubt that the levels of violence has risen over the past couple of decades and how race, women, and homophobia has played a role in world of sports. This is an ongoing issue even today in the modern age and it will take a considerable amount of time and effort to correct the problems that we are facing in sports dealing with race, women, and homophobia in competitive sports. It was stated by John Walsh, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor of the sports cable network ESPN claims, Sports have moved from being a subculture to becoming a major force in Americas social and cultural landscape. (CNN, 2010) Society demonstrates to be sympathetic to inviting sports into their culture.   The passion over sports issues can rival the intensity of political debates.   According to the U.S. News poll on CNN, this mindset constitutes about a third of the adult population and is mainly comprised of a population who inquire that they play sports at least a couple of times a week or the ones who watch sports matches on television, several times during the week (Banks, 2009). Societys participation in sports involves issues and biases dealing with the minority groups such as; gender, ethnicity and homosexuality. Societys labels and limitations in the sport world are slowly starting to liquefy. The athletic continuum is starting to become a popular way for societ y to express its cultural diversity, awareness and acceptance allowing people to experience a feeling of heimat. According to Banks, the idiom of sports is the way that many Americans and countries feel most engaged and comfortable, talking about racial issues, standards of excellence, comparative worth, even right and wrong. (Banks, 2009) Many countries are moving forward in their positive thinking of sports.   The Olympics was once noted as the war of nations and how it was a sense of belonging to that person representing their particular country. In this day in age it still is. For example when Jusain Bolt won the 100 and 200 and broke the record for both. Many Americans were tied to that record because it was set by an American and now we no longer hold the record the Jamaicans do and is believed to hold for years to come. However, now people enjoy admiring and applauding individual talent regardless of the athletes origin, yet still maintaining that feeling of heimat. Athletics has become a major beneficial and influential power towards any nations society as a whole.   The Bozell poll survey, which is conducted by CNN that obtains peoples opinion, states, that Americans think spectator sports have a positive impact on society and that competitive sports help children to learn valuable life lessons that they will carry with them through their adult life. The poll also reveals that it is a possibility that the lessons of sports provide a positive outlook in other lifes issues.   It is strongly believed with ninety one percent consider participation in sports help people broaden their mind in dealing with those from different racial or ethnic background; seventy-seven percent agree that sports help people to become better parents, and sixty eight percent believe that sports could help people get along better with people of who is of the opposite genders. (Bozell Poll Survey, 2004) The involvement in womens sports is rapidly growing across the globe.   During the time of 1971-72 roughly thirty thousand women were participating in college sports and by 1994-95 their participation rate sky rocketed to over 110,000.   In high school the involvement levels rose from 300,000 to more than 2 million.   (Hoberman, 1999) Important historical events in history have thrust women into the world of sports.   Upon performing more research it is noted, dating back to the 1800s the first known womens golf tournament is held at the Mussleburgh Golf Club in Scotland among the women who were local fishwives, the first intercollegiate womens tennis club started in 1881 at Smith College, and around 1896 a woman living in Athens ran the marathon. During the 1900s  women were starting to perform in the Olympics in Paris and slowly started to diffuse into other countries allowing more participation from women. The All American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed during the mid 1900s, a sex chromatin test for women athletes was introduced as a prerequisite for Olympic competition, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was organized to enforce sport opportunities for college women, forcing the NCAA to allow women participants in college and soon after Title IX is imposed. (Smith, 2001) Title IX is a huge force towards the positive cultural movement for women in sports in America.   Title IX was passed in 1972 and allowed provided guaranteed equal access and opportunity for women in throughout all college sports.   Recruiting, scholarships and athletic benefits were made widely available.   The new law helped to view the seriousness of the female athletes and helped to destroy the outd ated views of women in sports. Diversity and sensitivity training is starting to become a major focus in high schools, universities and corporations throughout the world. (Smith, 2001)   Several workshops and seminars strive to educate, dispel and aid in rebuild the institutions ideas on gender equality.   Huge strides by the male gender are being made to exercise the appreciate womens roles in sports. An example is the mens wrestling and rugby teams at Northeastern University organize an annual breakfast in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day still today. The Womens Sports Foundation is one of many different organizations striving for gender equality in sports across the nation and globe.   Their main goal is To Promote the lifelong participation of all girls and women in sports and fitness, and to create an educated public that encourages females participation and supports gender equality. (King, 2008) Not only are support groups and foundations fighting for the rights of women in sports but th e media is also attempting to support the growth of female athletes in both college and professional sports. However this is not the only emerging problem within the sport world. Many people have a weird fear and discrimination of people who are homosexual or different than them. Homophobia is emerging as a huge issue in womens sports and not so much in mens.   Although society to a certain extent has become slightly more accepting of homosexuality in general, some women are somewhat intimidated from sport by fear of being classified as a lesbian.   (Smith, 2001) Homophobia is real life issue but serious positive ways of thinking are being made.   Gay rights activists and other supportive groups such as Gay, Lesbian BGLAD, have joined alliances to help fight the discrimination of homosexuals involved in sports.   Gay magazines, newspapers, books and websites help everyone in the society to understand and respect all individuals regardless of sexual preference and are being diffused into different cultures across the world. Because of this many people are being educated of the different rights that homosexuality has and that they are no different from someone who is heterosexual. Some major steps are being taken such as by the man named Eric Gumby Ande rson; the first openly gay high school track coach in America has noted his long struggle to bridge the huge gap between sports and being gay.   Even though Erics gayness was highly criticized with strong opposition he believed that he had something to attest to the world dealing with gay coaches or even gay athletes.   Anderson would like to make an impact on high school athletes anywhere and everywhere. Another act of revealing their true identity and who they are is an article Coming Out Part 1 and Part 2 about a high school, varsity captain football player coming out to the community.   Corey Johnson from Massachusetts did not want to hide his secret any longer from all of his family and friends. However some community members expressed their detestation towards him, the majority of the community accepted him with open arms and little hostility. Coreys teammates were amenable to the situation and Corey continued to be the co-captain of the football team and become a massiv e icon in the gay activist community. Corey Johnsons announcement was seen as a visionary act. Coreys situation is a great moment for society and could possibly  perhaps help to prove to be another positive cultural influence through sports. With Corey and Coach Anderson coming out openly to the public this is believed to prove to be a step in a positive direction. This will help with gay, lesbian, and bisexuals everywhere. Women and homosexuals are just two groups of minorities in sports.   Children and adults of color and poor socio-economic communities have historically been rejected from the world of athletics. (Smith, 2001)   Many different organizations and support groups have been formed to cultivate minority participation in sports. Noted by Michael Smith, Inner City Handball Associates helps children of low economic backgrounds and different ethnicities to become involved in sport.   Their mission is; To give every child the opportunity to explore their full potential and develop an academically disciplined mind and a strong health body.   To help nurture a strong sense of pride and motivate our youth to be the best at whatever they choose to be.   While also encouraging the youth to volunteer, to help rebuild and strengthen their communities creating their own positive role models for future generations to follow.   In the past decades minorities have been place in somewhat of a caste system.   The black athletes were always the football players or the basketball players and the sports like golf and tennis were for whites majority of the time. (Smith, 2001) Minorities absence in sports has drawn the attention of Former President Clinton.   In the article, Clinton Needles Sports World for Not Hiring Minorities, he addressed the fact the minorities are not being hired as coaches and administrators in college and in professional sports.   He also stated, Ive hired hundreds and hundreds of minorities as governor the governor of Arkansas and as presidents of different organizations, Clinton said.   Nobody ever accused me of giving jobs to people that werent qualified. (Constantine, 1997). Advancements for the inclusion of minorities in sports have been noted since then. Major improvements have occurred since then. Some of these examples are an increase in college and professional football coaches as well as basketball, administration positions have been earned by many minority educators, and even now an African American president. When one observes the sport world in the European countries it has changed quite significantly during the past few decades. It use to be that blacks were not allowed to participate with whites in rugby and other sports so they were forced to create their own leagues but were allowed to play against the stronger white leagues. (Goldstein, 1983) However now this is not the case major changes were made and are not like this anymore. Also noted by Clinton is by saying, it is obvious that athletics are leading America towards a better, more harmonious society, and that he hoped that those involved in sports would also learn good life skills and t o make good decisions.   Its important that the lessons they learn carry over to good citizenship, including attitudes about people of different races. (Constantine, 1997) Michael Smith provides some detailing information on minorities entering the NASCAR field that is predominately still white. He highlights the struggle for minorities to break into the stereotypically white world of racecar driving.   Wendell Scott became the one and only African American to win the NASCAR in 1963, afterwards no other African American could follow behind him in his footsteps.   Now African Americans are slowly being turned onto NASCAR not only as fans but also as racers at times. However African Americans still have yet to become drawn in as a major force to perform among the high level of NASCAR. Though racial inequality exists, NASCAR is pushing for a more positive cultural acceptance of diversity in the society of sports. Well we hope the racial climate reflects America.   Thats what we want the sport to reflect. I mean we feel this is possible the most American professional sport there is stated Richard Petty. He also stated that, Whether they are red white or purple theyre welcome to try just like anyone else. At one point in time there were two black race car owners, basketball great Julius Erving and former Redskins running back Joe Washington have spent a few unsuccessful years in the Busch Series, but do not blame racism. (Smith, 2001) NASCAR and most athletic organizations admit willingly that racial equality has not yet been achieved in the society of sports.   Optimistically the trend of diversity could possibly continue in America and make a positive cultural influence in todays society. It is a noticeable trend that other countries athletes are becoming popular in America. This succeeds in not only diversifying sports but also including a globalization perspective to include other countrys cultural aspects of sport and helping with the issue of equality. Many organizations have been formed worldwide to open up athletic opportunities to people of all ethnicities and to serve as an exchange of culture.  Ã‚  Societys labels are progressively losing their footholds in the world of sports. Though it is hard to dispute that Americans and other countries have a long way to fully achieve equality in sports, accept homosexuals in sport, and different races and ethnicities,  I believe that it is safe to say that a movement towards a positive cultural influence of sports in society is obvious. I believe that the book Violence and Sport is a book worth reading and is very educating in dealing with different aspects of life, different sports and different views into how people perceive sport as their sense of belonging or how sport is slowly starting to diffuse into different countries cultures including some here in America where different races are breaking ground in different sports and accepting that person for who they are and not caring of their race, gender, or sexuality.

Idea of selective attention

Idea of selective attention INTRODUCTION: This paper hopes to cover what is selective attention, the types of selective attention and the issues that can be derived from such behavior. Some of the issues will be mentioned and some will be discussed in-depth. The paper will also cover models that will help you, the reader, to understand the negativity that can be derived from this type of behavior, as well as ways that companies can prevent this behavior and the ways that it can lead to demotivation. The paper will also analyze, and discuss the best methods by which this behavior can be combated from a business perspective. WHAT IS SELECTIVE ATTENTION? For you, the reader, to understand what selective attention is, we must first discuss selective perception. Role theory is important for us to be able to under how we perceive others. E.M. Foster once wrote that there are two types of characters and that we must be able to differentiate between them. E.M. Foster said that the test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a convincing way. If it never surprises then it is a flat character. If it does not convincing then it is a flat character pretending to be a round one. It has the incalculability of life in it. The idea of selective perception is based on the idea where one can selectively interpret what one sees and hears based on the persons interest, attitude, culture and background. Given that information, one can safely define selective attention as the ability of one (exercised unconsciously) to be able to chose from different streams of data, for the person to be concentrate on elements that they believe to be valuable and to ignore the others that they believe to be unimportant. It should also be mentioned that selective perception leads to selective attention. We hypothesize that older adults who anxiously expect, readily perceive, and intensely react to social rejection because of their old age (i.e., have high age-based rejection sensitivity) are vulnerable to depression and poor social functioning. This is based from the Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 43, Issue 3, June 2009, Pages 392-398. The basic idea, here, is that selective attention is a process in which an individual can filter one message from a mixture of messages that occur simultaneously. This level of attention also refers to the individuals capacity to maintain a cognitive or behavioural set in the blatant face of distracting or contrasting stimulis. Bearing this in mind, we can then understand how this idea or theory can incorporate the notion of freedom from distractibility. TYPES OF SELECTIVE ATTENTION: Behavior that is goal oriented requires focused attention on goal relevant stimulis. The load theory of attention suggests two mechanisms of selective attention. The first is: Perceptual Selection Mechanism Active mechanism of Attention control PERCEPTUAL SELECTION MECHANISM: This is a passive mechanism, which allows for the exclusion of irrelevant distractor stimuli. This idea is based on the perception of situations from a high perceptual load. This is where irrelevant distractor interference is prevented because the distractors are not to be perceived where there is insufficient capacity to be processed. ACTIVE MECHANISM OF ATTENTION CONTROL: This is more of an active genre, whereby the attentional control is needed for the rejection of irrelevant distractors even if they are perceived (some situations may allow for a low perceptual load). This form of controls relies on higher cognitive functions, e.g. working memory; this is required for the active maintenance of current processing priorities so that we can be sure that low-priority stimulis do not have a control of human behavior. SELECTIVE ATTENTION AND THE ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE: Selective attention has the unconscious ability to affect ones work environment whether one is aware of it or not. Issues such as: Expectation The self fulfilling prophecy Favoritism Stereotyping Demotivation of staff These can affect both the mangers and staff, be it at the boardroom level or the ground floor of any business. THE MENTAL MODEL: Kenneth Craik suggested in 1943 that the mind constructs small scale model that it then uses to predict events and the circumstances that the person is in. The mind constructs these mental models based on perception, imagination, or through the comprehension of discourse. They can underline visual images, but they also have the ability to be abstract, so they can represent events that cannot be visualized. They are akin to the picture theory of language described in 1922 by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Bearing this in mind, one can now understand how expectations can be affected by selective attention. There is an advert on the radio right now about back injuries. It is about people who move heavy loads for a living and they are pressured by their bosses to be quick (external forces). The employee focuses on the job at hand, forgetting about personal safety. This is because the employee has a mental model or he lets the expectations of his boss get to him, hence preventing him from seeing the competitive threats that can be detrimental to him. SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY This is based on the idea that if a person thinks that you are clever or stupid or whatever, people will treat us they way that we feel and act. But the theory also believes that if we are treated in a certain way that we would become or act a certain way. So if one is treated like he/she is clever, they will feel clever and therefore act clever. This is known as the PYGMALION EFFECT. FAVORITISM: Favoritism in the workplace is one of the most Demotivation things a person can experience. In the workplace favoritism refers to someone who appears to be treated better than others and not by any means this is related to their work related performance. Favoritism in the workplace can lead to one person being promoted faster than other persons (unfairly), or being paid more than the other to do the same job, or they have longer breaks or come to work late or leave work early on a regular basis. The end result is the same; they appear to be treated better than you for no valid reason. No matter the reason, the favoritism that ones colleagues are given seems to you correlates more with the fact of who they know and less to do with their ability for the job. STEREOTYPING: Stereotyping is developed under certain conditions. It is based on preconceived ideas forced unto us by culture, other people experiences as well as our own. This can be due to poor communication, lack of understanding, and misunderstanding of someone elses culture. There are different types of stereotyping such as Age Race Religion Gender Political beliefs Ethnicity AGE DISCRIMINATION: Age discrimination or ageism is discrimination against a person or a group because of their age. The term was created by gerontologist Robert N. Butler to describe discrimination against seniors. It should be mentioned that ageism does not affect only the elder members of society but it also affects the younger members of society as well. In the United Kingdom ageism is frequently unnoticed but if a young person is discriminated against he or she may make a claim that the said he or she has been discriminated against. He or she may file this claim under the Employment and Equality Act (Age) Regulations (2006). This act protects persons over aged 50 and over from discrimination in area of employment and education. Regulations such as these discusses age equality in regard to the hiring of new staff, how workers are treated in the work place as well as age equality in relation to the firing and redundancies and retirement as well as the educational equivalents, e.g. NVQS.. RACISM: This is based on the fact that a person can be discriminated against because of their color, nationality or ethnic or national origins. THREE TYPES OF RACIAL CISCRIMINATION: Direct Discrimination- this is deliberate discrimination for example where a specific job is available to people of a specific racial group Indirect Discrimination -working practices, provisions or criteria created on the basis that it is disadvantageous to members of particular work groups. E.g. introducing a dress code without good reason that will discriminate against some ethnic groups. Muslims are a good example of this. Harassment the participation in or the allowing or encouraging behavior that is offensive to people e.g. making racist jokes The Race Relation act (1976) makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against anyone on the basis of racial grounds. Employees are protected from racial discrimination at all stages of employment. GENDER: Gender discrimination or sexism has many legal consequences. Basically sexual discrimination can be loosely defined as an adverse action against another human being. This also considered being a type of prejudiced. The United Nations says that women often experience something called the glass ceiling and that there are no societies where women are treated as equals to men. Glass ceiling is based on the idea that there are perceived barriers to the advancement in employment which is based on discriminations. The Sexual Discrimination Act (1975) says that it is unlawful for any employer to discriminate against anyone based on: Gender If you are married If you have had, intend to have or are having gender reassignment (this refers to someone who supervised by an doctor, who changes the persons their gender) Sexual discrimination laws cover almost all employees and all types of organizations in the U.K. the law cover: Recruitment Employment terms and conditions Pays and benefits Status Training Promotion and transfer opportunities Redundancy It also be mentioned that the Equal pay act also makes it unlawful for the employers to discriminate between men and women in terms of pay and conditions where they doing: The same or similar job Work that is rated as equivalent to a job evaluation study by the employer Or work of equal value In an ideal society we would like to believe that this happen but that is not necessarily true. According to Catherine Rampell of The New York Times, In most jobs, the gap between mens and womens earnings narrows greatly when you adjust for factors like career path and experience. But at the top of the income scale jobs paying more than $100,000 the salary gap between equally qualified men and women is still vast. The article also suggests that sexism can still exist even though laws are put into place to avoid such circumstances. PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE: Four in-depth views were given that are believed to plague an organization due to selective attention. Knowing these issues one can discuss the precautionary methods which can be used as a solution to these problems. SPALTTER VISION: Selective attention can be prevented if we are to use this method. This where the whole view is taken into consideration based on specific elements form a perceptual field. Using splatter vision can help with decision making and would help with the avoidance of issues such as threats and opportunities. If this is done, with an open minded approach they will be able to maintain a peripheral vision. BALANCED SCORECARDS: The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation. The scorecard has evolved from its early uses as a simple measurement framework to a full blown part of strategic planning and management system. The balance scorecard has the ability to transform an organizations strategic planning. The scorecard helps with performance measurement whereby, employees are recognized and promoted based on performance of the past. This process, as the one before, helps overcome the barriers of favoritism and stereotyping. WORKSHOPS: Through workshops companies and managers, will be able to bridge the communication gap that humans have. If we are unaware that we are doing this then we are can hardly be held responsible for natural human behavior. Through workshops we are able to interact with colleagues in a structured environment. We will also be able to create awareness of issues that affect our daily lives. Through the workshop we will be able to help with issues such as: Diversity awareness Comparison compare Create Empathy Help with impression formation Workshops are able to help with camaraderie, bring forth issues as well as to how to deal with them. ANALYSIS: It is natural for humans to gravitate to other humans with characteristics similar or closest to theirs. As much as one would like to think that he/she is above it all, we cannot get away from the fact that we are humans with human faults. The Wiggins 2-dimensional model is defined by eight scale scores of the Interpersonal Adjective Scales-Revised (IAS-R). This study hypothesis that there are 4 biporal factors which can account for the correlations among the 64 adjectives of the IAS-R. On the basis of the Cattell screen test, 5 principal components were extracted from the inter-correlations. Following a direct oblimin rotation, the rotated factors were interpreted as Agreeable-Cold-hearted, Extraverted-Introverted, Calculating-Ingenuous. Dominant-Submissive, and Shy. Thus, 4 of the hypothesized factors were confirmed. The findings suggest that a dimensional conception and the interpersonal circumplex are complementary approaches to understanding the interpersonal behavior domain thi s is according to a study that conducted and published in the Personality and Individual Differences Volume 11, Issue 4, 1990, pages 423-425. Every day we size up people, be it people who we meet for a brief moment or people we know our entire lives. One can tell their mood and through perception be aware of how they are feeling and how they will react in a certain environment. Of the three issues that have been discussed I believe that stereotyping is the worst. This is because of the perception that is brought to the table without the investigatory work being done. Assumption such as: African Americans are lazy Muslims are terrorist Jews are wealthy or artistic Latinos are criminals and poor These are assumption created by stereotyping but if we were to look closely we can see how wrong they are. For example: African Americans are lazy, this a generalized statement but what is the proof to back up such a statement. Jesse Jackson, Barrack Obama, Martin Luther King are African American who have worked hard to change the lives of Americans for betterment. Muslims are terrorist, based on the fact that the members of Al Queida belong to that faith. King Abdullah of Jordon is Muslim so does that make him a terrorist? During World War 2 Hitler believed that the Jews owned all the banks and where into theatre and the arts but Anne Franks Father owned a small fruit preservative factory. The point that I am trying to make is that people are people. They have their own personality. They have feelings. We live in the real world and we cannot label people into boxes and categories that we feel that they belong to. True story, I am from the Caribbean, but when people see me or even have to guess what part of the world I am from they would choose places like India or Pakistan. They stereotype me based on the color of my skin rather than by getting to know me or ask questions. Perception is only quarter of the game the other three quarters comes from asking questions and getting to know the people that you work with. CONCLUSION: Internal and external factors influence selective attention. We can agree that selective attention can be done consciously or unconsciously. But I think that it is done more unconsciously based on the fact that if we are not aware that we are actually performing it. Through awareness, we can combat the issues that have been raised in this paper. Through formal systems such as the scorecard one can find a way to manage the problems that are faced but if one are not aware of the problems then how can one face them. Seminars and workshops are the best way for both manages and staff to be aware of the problems that are caused from unconscious behavior. Companies can also implement through their HR department, strategies from the early stages that will make their entire staff aware of the situations that can be created by this sort of behavior. It is the companies responsibility to inform their staff of the laws that are there to protect people as well to make them aware of their rights as individuals as well. We know that through the self-fulfilling prophecy people can believe what they believe people believe of them. Bearing that in mind we can understand how we can change peoples perception of other people if they would only be given the correct information. Only through trial and error can one correct the issues that are part of our work environment. According to Maslows hierarchy of needs people need to have that feeling of acceptance as time passes by. Acceptance helps with the motivation of staff and the role that it relates to is the companies production. The goal of all companies is for them to produce effectively and efficiently. Motivation of staff plays a big in this facing the issues at hand through the methods that I have mentioned will enable make their employees aware, informed, create prevention but also it will create respect. Respect of the people who they work with and who they work. The people you work with are like your second family (if you are to think of the amount of time that you spend with them). Do we not respect our families, understand and empathize with their need and there problems. We do not stereotype our families because we know them. If we are to put this basic rule into place know people before you judge them. There is a saying never judge a book by its cover, keep that in mind the next time you meet someone new! BIBLOGRAPHY: Interference and Facilitation Effects during Selective Attention: An H215O PET Study of Stroop Task Performance Load Theory of Selective Attention and Cognitive Control, Nilli Lavie and Aleksandra Hirst, University College LondonJan W. de Fockert, University of London Essi Viding,Kings College London http://www.tcd.ie/Psychology/other/Ruth_Byrne/mental_models/(accessed on the 01/02/10) http://www.aboutequalopportunities.co.uk/ageism.html(accessed on the 01/02/10) The New York Times, November 16, 2009, 5:25 pm November 16, 2009, 5:25 pm http://www.balancedscorecard.org/bscresources/aboutthebalancedscorecard/tabd/55/default.aspx (accessed on the 01/02/10) Jon Driver (2001) A selective review of selective attention research from the past century British journal of Psychology, vol. 92, pp.53-78 Mckenna Eugene (2000), Business Psychology and Organisational Behaviour- A students Handbook, 3rd Ed. By psychology Press lt