African American Stereotypes Essay

A stereotype is a popular belief about specific types of individuals. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups based on some prior assumptions. African Americans have been perceived to be someone they are not in the media, history, and in everyday life. Although some stereotypes are true, many are harmful and inaccurate. African American stereotypes are generalizations about the behavior of African Americans originated mainly in American culture and derived from how slave owners used to view slaves. African American stereotypes allow someone from getting to know a person their self. If someone has one bad interaction with an African American, they will limit their selves from getting to know how African Americans truly are. They will base every other African American off of that one bad altercation. The most damaging features of African American stereotypes are the influence they have on young African Americans. Young people tend to limit them selves because of stereotypes. African Americans are unaware that they play into and help to reinforce the African American stereotype. They believe that the African American stereotypes imposed upon them, will limit them in life. The stereotype that â€Å"African Americans will complain that the system is set up to prevent black people from attaining certain positions†, is very common. If they accept these stereotypes and believe them they will limit them selves. Barack Obama who holds the highest office in America is a good example of how this stereotype is false. Some stereotypes are set up to be positive, this does not make the practice of perpetuating these African American stereotypes right. At A & N University students (African Americans and Caucasians) were asked to give some stereotypes of African Americans. The current African American stereotypes are thought to be criminal, poor, athletic, religious, musically gifted, loud, dumb, lazy, simple-minded, obnoxious, talk with slang, opinionated, and dress urban, wear baggy pants, and have cornrows. Kool Aid , Chicken, and watermelon was also thought to be a specialty meal in their household. They were thought to live in the lower class neighbor hoods, have one parent, multiple siblings, be rather street smart versus ook smart, involved in gangs. When a group of African American children were asked in a local Baltimore elementary school what they wanted to become when they grow up they had many common answers. Many boys wanted to be a professional basketball player, football player, and become a rapper. Few wanted to be doctors, police officers, fire fighters, entrepreneurs, and nurses. Many African American males are thought to be thugs, drug dealers, high school dropouts, deadbeat fathers, janitors, trash man. A thug is someone who is going through struggles, has gone through struggles, and continues to live day by day with nothing for them. † (Tupac Shakur) No young man wants to grow up and become a thug. Tupac Shakur said that the African American trend of sagging pants is an un organized protest. The sagging pants is a part of someone attitude. It is their way to relate. It is a form of character. A young mans father may not sag his pants but, he may see his idol sagging his pants and want to relate to or admire him. Morehouse professor Bryan T. Marks held a panel at Morehouse College about African American stereotypes. He said that there are more black men enrolled in jail rather than jail. He also stated that African Americans are the most religious, but most likely to get a divorce. There are more black men in jail and prison than in college, but there are more college-age black men in college than in jail and prison. Statistics show that there were an estimated 791,600 black men in jail and prison in 2000 and a count of 603,032 in college in 1999. The more reliable U. S. Census Bureau reports were that 816,000 black men in college in 2000. When people think of black men in jail they use the entire age range of black males when making these comparisons. The age range for college-going males is generally 18 to 24, not the 18 to 55 (and up) range of the jail and prison population. Viewed this way, the ratio of black men in college compared with jail and prison is 4-to-1. Black slang is a form of informal spoken language whose origins are most often associated with African Americas. Slang is a way for young African Americans to express themselves. Many other races copy their expressions because they think it is cool. Some commonly used terms are words such as; gangsta, bling, grills, hang, hood, benjamins, dopes, aight, holla, crib, playa, roll up, straight, yo, and shawty. The Stereotype that Black women have bad attitudes is very common. In fact, it’s been around so long that it has earned the name, Angry Black Women Syndrome. Do Black women have attitudes? My guess is that most black women would fall into the unique personality type. That is a person characterized as quiet, determined, independent, serious, and interested in trying to better her self. â€Å"The idea that Black women are a species of neck rolling, lip smacking, finger snapping, ball busting sub-humans come from? People, who have no contact with Black women outside of retail shopping, see Black women going off on their husbands, boyfriends, kids, co-workers, even bosses with no constraint, remorse, or respect for authority and societal norms on sitcoms, talk shows, reality shows, news clips and even commercials. â€Å"

Deconstruction Final

Leadership's contingency theory focuses on the importance of a leader related to heir situation, (Morehouse 2010, p. 123); transformational theory focuses on a process that changes and transforms people, (Morehouse 2010, p. 200); and authentic leadership focuses on leadership being morally grounded and responsive to needs, (Morehouse 2010, p. 237). Aristotle Rhetoric discusses how a leader must be able to observe and discern what persuasion might be effective using deferent internal arguments. Aristotle defines pathos as emotions of the listener, ethos as character of the speaker and logos as logic or reason.Leaders must master rhetoric skills In both written and verbal communications to succeed. Immunization that strikes a positive chord with the listener Is Important in order to guide a team to achieve a goal. Each leader in 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society had a clear goal and understood how to drive their group that goal. 12 Angry Men is in a sass's courtroom, where 12 men fro m various backgrounds and different personalities, find themselves deciding the fate of a teenage boy accused of murdering his father.The vote must be unanimous and without doubt, with a guilty verdict resulting in the death of the young man facing trial. Dead Poets Society Is In a 1 puffs all male boarding school, (Walton Academy), which prides Itself on excellence, tradition, honor, and discipline. Walton Is rolled In Its' educational methods and Is not open to today's ‘talking outside the box' mentality. John Keating is a new poetry professor and a Walton alumnae, who wants to Inspire Nils young men to KICK at ten world Transiently, to â€Å"suck ten marrow out AT life†, (Oxford University Press USA, 2011), and find their own place in the world.With 12 Angry Men, Juror #8, (Fond), was not the assigned Jury leader but emerged as the primary leader within minutes of the group sequester. Fond's situation allowed his leadership traits to apply with success. Fond's leader ship was due to his ethical need for a Jury decision without reasonable doubt. Fond is authentic when presenting his reasoning for the not guilty vote. After casting the single not guilty vote, Fond used inductive reasoning to ask questions that triggered a battery of emotional and logical discussions ensuing internally and externally with each man.Fond appealed to each of the 11 other Jurors by asking probing questions and his first being â€Å"l Just want to talk†¦. Let's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first† (Lumen, 1957). This inductive statement is also an appeal to emotions of others, asking them to engage before making such a pivotal life decision. Fond was using pathos or emotions to persuade. This results in the group allowing a one-hour deliberation before taking a second vote. Fond requested the second vote be secret ballot, showing his supportive skill, to allow those not quite comfortable to vote their conscience .Juror #9, (Sweeney), is the first to change his vote to not guilty, basing it solely upon Fond's single stand signifying character the eldest of the group. Fond was using ethos or hereafter to persuade. After Sweeney's not guilty vote, Fond continues his appeal using logical arguments, presented in a manner that promote respect of others, statements as â€Å"suppose that†¦. † And â€Å"is it possible. Fond is appealing to those quieter, possibly of lower social status and unsure to voice their thoughts.Fond's rhetoric of emotion, character, and logic appeals to each Juror in differently and draws them into to his goal of discussing the trial and ensuring their decision is without doubt. Fond begins to gain their respect and supportive input into the discussions. Juror #5, (Clunking), relates to the accused as he grew up in similar situation and once he moved to reasonable doubt, assists in logically arguments with how a switchblade knife is used. Clunking physically ac ts out how a person would use a switchblade. Fond transforms other Jurors into leaders and supporters of reasonable doubt argument.Fond questions the fact that the knife used to kill the father is unique, he wonders if there could be other similar knives to the group. The knife that killed the father is brought to the Jurors and as the group discuss its' uniqueness. Fond resents a second knife identical to the knife of evidence. This one act of logic presents reasonable doubt. Another example of logical argument is the eyeglass marks on the female witnesses' nose. The female witness identifies the young man at night as the murderer; noise awoke her and she saw the young man from her window. The female witness had nose marks but no glasses during the trial.Fond asks Juror #4, (Marshall), who wears eyeglasses if anything else besides glasses could make nose marks like found on the female witness. Marshall says no. As Fond gathers support, en moves Trot Inactive to actively reasoning W alt social arguments, presents more passion and his own thoughts causing reasonable doubt. An example of his passion is specific to El train argument. Fond goes to great lengths on asking if someone is able to hear other noises over the El Train, if there was enough time for the elderly male witness to make it from his bed to the door while the El Train passed.Fond counts off the length the elderly male witness would have to walk from his bedroom to the apartment door, would the old man be able to make the distance in the time of the El train passing. This is an appeal to logic and contradicting to the witnesses' statement. Fond exhibits contingency theory aspects, maneuvering through the discussions with the other Jurors, due to his position of power because of logical arguments. Fond rewards or punishes Jurors based on their level of support with his attention level.Fond accepted a cough drop from Juror #2, (Fiddler), but refused gum from juror #7, (Warden); offered water to Sween ey but not to Juror #10, (Begley). 12 Angry Men is biased in presentation, (I. E. All white male Jury, Puerco Rican/ minority accused, effectiveness of America's Judicial system, Juror personal biases), and within some of Fond's arguments, (I. . Ignoring some aspects of discussions). Each Juror also brought some personal bias to the story: Juror #g's (Cob) intolerance of most anything or Juror #ass's, (Begley), racists aspect of us/them mentality.Fond's character bias appears through ignoring of topics he did not agree with or did not help his reasonable doubt argument, (ignoring the thought of sunglasses also causing nose marks the same as eyeglasses). With Dead Poets Society John Keating was a leader due to his situation of being a Walton Academy professor. At the same time, his leadership is contingent upon the needs of his ‘key students. Todd is new to Walton but is following in his older brother's valedictorian status, which causes self-doubt. Neil desires control over hi s own life but his father is dismissive and overbearing.Charlie is the most outspoken of the group but desires more freedom. Knox is painfully shy. Keating starts his first class off extraordinary; challenging students to think for themselves, be daring, communicating they are powerful men who have a wonderful life to live. Settings first class is interactive and passionate; he is interested in the boys and their thoughts. Keating presents poetry in a different light; it is what ascribes humans. Keating challenges the boys to live life to the fullest by showing them past alumnae pictures and stating, â€Å"They're not that different from you, are they?Same haircuts. Full of hormones, Just like you. Invincible, Just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, Just like many of you; their eyes are full of hope, Just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? † (Hok iest Dead Poets Society, 2011). This question alone invokes emotion and logic, which are woo of Aristotle internal arguments, (pathos, and logos). He is appealing to their youth to KICK toward transformation of all. ten Torture.I Nils Deigns ten teacher-student connection Ana Keating is interesting to the boys. The boys find Seating's old yearbook where he has Dead Poets Society, (DIPS), as an activity, which prompts them to ask about it. Keating tells the boys is it a secret club where boys meet in a nearby cave to read poetry, discover life and become true to themselves. Neil decides that the group should start DIPS up again, find their own place in the world, allowing poetry to inspire. The boys initiate a new DIPS, with Todd Joining as long as he does not have to read poetry aloud.Keating is using inspired motivation to enable his students to grow and expand their minds beyond the rigid Walton walls. DIPS is a method allowing the boys to challenge their own beliefs and be creati ve, which is intellectual stimulation. DIPS meetings ensue in a nearby cave at night where the groups of boys begin to read poetry, share their thoughts and dreams, discuss subjects, allow rebellious behavior, and bond. This is a step in team building, support, and starting to lead heir own lives. The boys are building trust, collaboration, and are transforming into leaders of themselves.As the movie progresses, Keating gains more stamina and enthusiasm because of the boys' responses. Keating uses unorthodox yet inspiring ways of pushing the boys to self-awareness and thinking for themselves. Keating presents how individuals in a group conform without awareness by having the boys march as a group, at first discordant, but soon in unison. Keating berates Todd to create a poem off the cuff in front of the class and Todd succeeds. Keating expresses his pride with Toddy's success: â€Å"Don't you forget this†, (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011).Keating has each stud ent stand on his desks to see the room from a different perspective. All these acts touch on transformational leadership points: idealized influence, motivation, or intellectual stimulation. The students themselves continue to transform, becoming more like independent and freethinking. Neil auditions for a play and secures a part knowing it will displease his father. Knox is interested in a girl named Chris, who has a popular football player boyfriend. Nook's vision of dating Chris is clear and as he finds self- inference secures a date with Chris.The group is supportive of each other via various examples: Neil tossing Toddy's duplicate birthday gift from his parents into the wind, the boys attending Nil's play, and the boys supporting Knox in his quest for Chris. The boys are cohesive. Seating's inspiring direction in the hands of young men is unregulated and without the tempering of experience. The boys do not understand where to draw the line in the quest for becoming individuals . Charlie sends a letter from â€Å"DIPS† to Welter's administration requesting acceptance of women. Welter's administration is splashed and demands the culprit for punishment.Charlie admits guilt, does not supply DIPS memoir names, Ana receives punishment. Keating attempts to point out expression must be tempered with logic with â€Å"There is a time for daring and a time for caution, and a wise man knows which is called for', (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011). Keating suggest Neil tell his father, (Mr.. Perry), how he feels about acting and that he wants to take part in the play. Mr.. Perry disapproves of Neil participating in the play, however, Neil does not tell Keating this. Neil participates in the play. Mr..Perry removes Neil from Walton and tells him he will attend military school and become a doctor. Neil is not self-assured enough or experienced enough to withstand his father's rule and commits suicide. Mr.. Perry blames Keating for his son's death a nd request a school inquiry. The school headmaster, and to a degree the parents, coarse the boys to sign documents stating Keating is the cause of Nil's suicide. Walton Academy dismisses Kitten. The next day the headmaster takes over Settings somber poetry class during which Keating enters to secure his belongings.As Keating is leaving, Todd stands upon his ask exclaiming â€Å"†Oh captain, my captain†, (Weir, 1997). Todd finds his voice, his inner leader and expresses his support and appreciation to Keating with this one act of defiance. In conjunction, Toddy's statement is an emotional and character appeal to the boys to do the same. One by one the boys forever changed by Keating stood on their desks. Dead Poets Society biases appear in presentation and in characters. Walton Academy is a learning institution that is not open to other methods of teaching.It appears the means is more important than the end, which is not true for all educational institutions. The movie d oes not explore fully the impact Keating had on other professors. In a short snip toward the end, Keating sees another professor taking his class outside which alludes to his impact but no farther. Keating bias is realism and idealism, shown by his action of ripping out the first chapter of the poetry class book, which is the realistic method of poetry. Keating is not open to teaching poetry methods. 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society are not only entertainment movies but also lessons in leadership and rhetoric.

Planned Approach to Change Essay

The work of Kurt Lewin dominated the theory and practice of change management for over 40 years. However, in the past 20 years, Lewin’s approach to change, particularly the 3-Step model, has attracted major criticisms. The key ones are that his work: assumed organizations operate in a stable state; was only suitable for small-scale change projects; ignored organizational power and politics; and was top-down and management-driven. This article seeks to re-appraise Lewin’s work and challenge the validity of these views. It begins by describing Lewin’s background and beliefs, especially his commitment to resolving social conï ¬â€šict. The article then moves on to examine the main elements of his Planned approach to change: Field Theory; Group Dynamics; Action Research; and the 3-Step model. This is followed by a brief summary of the major developments in the ï ¬ eld of organizational change since Lewin’s death which, in turn, leads to an examination of the main criticisms levelled at Lewin’s work. The article concludes by arguing that rather than being outdated or redundant, Lewin’s approach is still relevant to the modern world. INTRODUCTION Freud the clinician and Lewin the experimentalist – these are the two men whose names will stand out before all others in the history of our psychological era.  The above quotation is taken from Edward C Tolman’s memorial address for Kurt Lewin delivered at the 1947 Convention of the American Psychological Association (quoted in Marrow, 1969, p. ix). To many people today it will seem strange that Lewin should have been given equal status with Freud. Some 50 years after his death, Lewin is now mainly remembered as the originator of the 3-Step model of change USA. Address for reprints: Bernard Burnes, Manchester School of Management, UMIST, Manchester M60 1QD, UK (Bernard.Burnes@umist.ac.uk).dismissed as outdated (Burnes, 2000; Dawson, 1994; Dent and Goldberg, 1999; Hatch, 1997; Kanter et al., 1992; Marshak, 1993). Yet, as this article will argue, his contribution to our understanding of individual and group behaviour and the role these play in organizations and society was enormous and is still relevant. In today’s turbulent and changing world, one might expect Lewin’s pioneering work on change to be seized upon with gratitude, especially given the high failure rate of many change programmes (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001; Kearney, 1989; Kotter, 1996; Stickland, 1998; Waclawski, 2002; Wastell et al., 1994; Watcher, 1993; Whyte and Watcher, 1992; Zairi et al., 1994). Unfortunately, his commitment to extending democratic values in society and his work on Field Theory, Group Dynamics and Action Research which, together with his 3-Step model, formed an inter-linked, elaborate and robust approach to Planned change, have received less and less attention (Ash, 1992; Bargal et al., 1992; Cooke, 1999). Indeed, from the 1980s, even Lewin’s work on change was increasingly criticized as relevant only to small-scale changes in stable conditions, and for ignoring issues such as organizational politics and conï ¬â€šict. In its place, writers sought to promote a view of change as being constant, and as a political process within organizations (Dawson, 1994; Pettigrew et al., 1992; Wilson, 1992). The purpose of this article is to re-appraise Lewin and his work.. The article begins by describing Lewin’s background, especially the origins of his commitment to resolving social conï ¬â€šict. It then moves on to examine the main elements of his Planned approach to change. This is followed by a description of developments in the ï ¬ eld of organizational change since Lewin’s death, and an evaluation of the criticisms levelled against his work. The article concludes by arguing that rather than being outdated, Lewin’s Planned approach is still very relevant to the needs of the modern world. LEWIN’S BACKGROUND Few social scientists can have received the level of praise and admiration  that has been heaped upon Kurt Lewin (Ash, 1992; Bargal et al., 1992; Dent and Goldberg, 1999; Dickens and Watkins, 1999; Tobach, 1994). As Edgar Schein (1988, p. 239) enthusiastically commented: There is little question that the intellectual father of contemporary theories of applied behavioural science, action research and planned change is Kurt Lewin. His seminal work on leadership style and the experiments on planned change which took place in World War II in an effort to change consumer behaviour launched a whole generation of research in group dynamics and the implementation of change programs. 978 B. Burnes  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004For most of his life, Lewin’s main preoccupation was the resolution of social con- ï ¬â€šict and, in particular, the problems of minority or disadvantaged groups. Underpinning this preoccupation was a strong belief that only the permeation of democratic values into all facets of society could prevent the worst extremes of social conï ¬â€šict. As his wife wrote in the Preface to a volume of his collected work published after his death: Kurt Lewin was so constantly and predominantly preoccupied with the task of advancing the conceptual representation of the social-psychological world, and at the same time he was so ï ¬ lled with the urgent desire to use his theoretical insight for the building of a better world, that it is difï ¬ cult to decide which of these two sources of motivation ï ¬â€šowed with greater energy or vigour. (Lewin, 1948b) To a large extent, his interests and beliefs stemmed from his background as a German Jew. Lewin was born in 1890 and, for a Jew growing up in Germany, at this time, ofï ¬ cially-approved anti-Semitism was a fact of life. Few Jews could expect to achieve a responsible post in the civil service or universities. Despite this, Lewin was awarded a doctorate at the University of Berlin in 1916 and went on to teach there. Though he was never awarded tenured status, Lewin achieved a growing international reputation in the 1920s as a leader in his ï ¬ eld (Lewin, 1992). However, with the rise of the Nazi Party, Lewin recognized that the position of Jews in Germany was  increasingly threatened. The election of Hitler as Chancellor in 1933 was the ï ¬ nal straw for him; he resigned from the University and moved to America (Marrow, 1969). In America, Lewin found a job ï ¬ rst as a ‘refugee scholar’ at Cornell University and then, from 1935 to 1945, at the University of Iowa. Here he was to embark on an ambitious programme of research which covered topics such as child-parent relations, conï ¬â€šict in marriage, styles of leadership, worker motivation and performance, conï ¬â€šict in industry, group problem-solving, communication and attitude change, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-racism, discrimination and prejudice, integration-segregation, peace, war and poverty (Bargal et al., 1992; Cartwright, 1952; Lewin, 1948a). As Cooke (1999) notes, given the prevalence of racism and antiSemitism in America at the time, much of this work, especially his increasingly public advocacy in support of disadvantaged groups, put Lewin on the political left. During the years of the Second World War, Lewin did much work for the American war effort. This included studies of the morale of front-line troops and psychological warfare, and his famous study aimed at persuading American housewives to buy cheaper cuts of meat (Lewin, 1943a; Marrow, 1969). He was also much in demand as a speaker on minority and inter-group relations Kurt Lewin 979  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004(Smith, 2001). These activities chimed with one of his central preoccupations, which was how Germany’s authoritarian and racist culture could be replaced with one imbued with democratic values. He saw democracy, and the spread of democratic values throughout society, as the central bastion against authoritarianism and despotism. That he viewed the establishment of democracy as a major task, and avoided simplistic and structural recipes, can be gleaned from the following extracts from his article on ‘The special case of Germany’ (Lewin, 1943b): Nazi culture . . . is deeply rooted, particularly in the youth on whom the . . . future depends. It is a culture which is centred around power as the supreme value and which denounces justice and equality . . . (p. 43) To be  stable, a cultural change has to penetrate all aspects of a nation’s life. The change must, in short, be a change in the ‘cultural atmosphere,’ not merely a change of a single item. (p. 46) Change in culture requires the change of leadership forms in every walk of life. At the start, particularly important is leadership in those social areas which are fundamental from the point of view of power. (p. 55) With the end of the War, Lewin established the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The aim of the Center was to investigate all aspects of group behaviour, especially how it could be changed. At the same time, he was also chief architect of the Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI). Founded and funded by the American Jewish Congress, its aim was the eradication of discrimination against all minority groups. As Lewin wrote at the time, ‘We Jews will have to ï ¬ ght for ourselves and we will do so strongly and with good conscience. We also know that the ï ¬ ght of the Jews is part of the ï ¬ ght of all minorities for democratic equality of rights and opportunities . . .’ (quoted in Marrow, 1969, p. 175). In pursuing this objective, Lewin believed that his work on Group Dynamics and Action Research would provide the key tools for the CCI. Lewin was also inï ¬â€šuential in establishing the Tavistock Institute in the UK and its Journal, Human Relations ( Jaques, 1998; Marrow, 1969). In addition, in 1946, the Connecticut State Inter-Racial Commission asked Lewin to help train leaders and conduct research on the most effective means of combating racial and religious prejudice in communities. This led to the development of sensitivity training and the creation, in 1947, of the now famous National Training Laboratories. However, his huge workload took its toll on his health, and on 11 February 1947 he died of a heart attack (Lewin, 1992). 980 B. Burnes  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004LEWIN’S WORK Lewin was a humanitarian who believed that only by resolving social conï ¬â€šict, whether it be religious, racial, marital or industrial, could the human condition be improved. Lewin believed that the key to resolving social  conï ¬â€šict was to facilitate learning and so enable individuals to understand and restructure their perceptions of the world around them. In this he was much inï ¬â€šuenced by the Gestalt psychologists he had worked with in Berlin (Smith, 2001). A unifying theme of much of his work is the view that ‘. . . the group to which an individual belongs is the ground for his perceptions, his feelings and his actions’ (Allport, 1948, p. vii). Though Field Theory, Group Dynamics, Action Research and the 3-Step model of change are often treated as separate themes of his work, Lewin saw them as a uniï ¬ ed whole with each element supporting and reinforcing the others and all of them necessary to understand and bring about Planned change, whether it be at the level of the individual, group, organization or even society (Bargal and Bar, 1992; Kippenberger, 1998a, 1998b; Smith, 2001). As Allport (1948, p. ix) states: ‘All of his concepts, whatever root-metaphor they employ, comprise a single wellintegrated system’. This can be seen from examining these four aspects of his work in turn. Field Theory This is an approach to understanding group behaviour by trying to map out the totality and complexity of the ï ¬ eld in which the behaviour takes place (Back, 1992). Lewin maintained that to understand any situation it was necessary that: ‘One should view the present situation – the status quo – as being maintained by certain conditions or forces’ (Lewin, 1943a, p. 172). Lewin (1947b) postulated that group behaviour is an intricate set of symbolic interactions and forces that not only affect group structures, but also modify individual behaviour. Therefore, individual behaviour is a function of the group environment or ‘ï ¬ eld’, as he termed it. Consequently, any changes in behaviour stem from changes, be they small or large, in the forces within the ï ¬ eld (Lewin, 1947a). Lewin deï ¬ ned a ï ¬ eld as ‘a totality of coexisting facts which are conceived of as mutually interdependent . . .’ (Lewin, 1946, p. 240). Lewin believed that a ï ¬ eld was in a continuous state of adaptation and that ‘Change and constancy are relative concepts; group life is never without change, merely differences in the amount and type of change exist’ (Lewin, 1947a, p. 199). This is why Lewin used the term ‘quasi-stationary equilibrium’ to indicate that whilst there might be a rhythm and pattern to the behaviour and processes of a group, these tended  to ï ¬â€šuctuate constantly owing to changes in the forces or circumstances that impinge on the group. Lewin’s view was that if one could identify, plot and establish the potency of these forces, then it would be possible not only to understand why individuals, Kurt Lewin 981  Ã‚ © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004groups and organizations act as they do, but also what forces would need to be diminished or strengthened in order to bring about change. In the main, Lewin saw behavioural change as a slow process; however, he did recognize that under certain circumstances, such as a personal, organizational or societal crisis, the various forces in the ï ¬ eld can shift quickly and radically. In such situations, established routines and behaviours break down and the status quo is no longer viable; new patterns of activity can rapidly emerge and a new equilibrium (or quasistationary equilibrium) is formed (Kippenberger, 1998a; Lewin, 1947a). Despite its obvious value as a vehicle for understanding and changing group behaviour, with Lewin’s death, the general interest in Field Theory waned (Back, 1992; Gold, 1992; Hendry, 1996). However, in recent years, with the work of Argyris (1990) and Hirschhorn (1988) on understanding and overcoming resistance to change, Lewin’s work on Field Theory has once again begun to attract interest. According to Hendry (1996), even critics of Lewin’s work have drawn on Field Theory to develop their own models of change (see Pettigrew et al., 1989, 1992). Indeed, parallels have even been drawn between Lewin’s work and the work of complexity theorists (Kippenberger, 1998a). Back (1992), for example, argued that the formulation and behaviour of complex systems as described by Chaos and Catastrophe theorists bear striking similarities to Lewin’s conceptualization of Field Theory. Nevertheless, Field Theory is now probably the least understood element of Lewin’s work, yet, because of its potential to map the forces impinging on an individual, group or organization, it underpinned the other elements of his work. Group Dynamics the word ‘dynamics’ . . . comes from a Greek word meaning force . . . ‘group . . . dynamics’ refers to the forces operating in groups . . . it is a  study of these forces: what gives rise to them, what conditions modify them, what consequences they have, etc. (Cartwright, 1951, p. 382) Lewin was the ï ¬ rst psychologist to write about ‘group dynamics’ and the importance of the group in shaping the behaviour of its members (Allport, 1948; Bargal et al., 1992). Indeed, Lewin’s (1939, p. 165) deï ¬ nition of a ‘group’ is still generally accepted: ‘. . . it is not the similarity or dissimilarity of individuals that constitutes a group, but interdependence of fate’. As Kippenberger (1998a) notes, Lewin was addressing two questions: What is it about the nature and characteristics of a particular group which causes it to respond (behave) as it does to the forces which impinge on it, and how can these forces be changed in order to elicit a more desirable form of behaviour? It was to address these questions that Lewin began to develop the concept of Group Dynamics. Group Dynamics stresses that group behaviour, rather than that of individuals, should be the main focus of change (Bernstein, 1968; Dent and Goldberg, 1999). Lewin (1947b) maintained that it is fruitless to concentrate on changing the behaviour of individuals because the individual in isolation is constrained by group pressures to conform. Consequently, the focus of change must be at the group level and should concentrate on factors such as group norms, roles, interactions and socialization processes to create ‘disequilibrium’ and change (Schein, 1988). Lewin’s pioneering work on Group Dynamics not only laid the foundations for our understanding of groups (Cooke, 1999; Dent and Goldberg, 1999; French and Bell, 1984; Marrow, 1969; Schein, 1988) but has also been linked to complexity theories by researchers examining self-organizing theory and non-linear systems (Tschacher and Brunner, 1995). However, understanding the internal dynamics of a group is not sufï ¬ cient by itself to bring about change. Lewin also recognized the need to provide a process whereby the members could be engaged in and committed to changing their behaviour. This led Lewin to develop Action Research and the 3-Step model of change. Action Research This term was coined by Lewin (1946) in an article entitled ‘Action research and minority problems’. Lewin stated in the article: In the last year and a half I have had occasion to have contact with a great variety of organizations, institutions, and individuals who came for help in the ï ¬ eld of group relations. (Lewin, 1946, p. 201) However, though these people exhibited . . .  a great amount of good-will, of readiness to face the problem squarely and . . . really do something about it . . . These eager people feel themselves to be in a fog. They feel in a fog on three counts: 1. What is the present situation? 2. What are the dangers? 3. And most importantly of all, what shall we do? (Lewin, 1946, p. 201) Lewin conceived of Action Research as a two-pronged process which would allow groups to address these three questions. Firstly, it emphasizes that change requires action, and is directed at achieving this. Secondly, it recognizes that successful action is based on analysing the situation correctly, identifying all the possible alternative solutions and choosing the one most appropriate to the situation at hand (Bennett, 1983). To be successful, though, there has also to be a ‘felt-need’. FeltKurt Lewin 983  © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2004need is an individual’s inner realization that change is necessary. If felt-need is low in the group or organization, introducing change becomes problematic. The theoretical foundations of Action Research lie in Gestalt psychology, which stresses that change can only successfully be achieved by helping individuals to reï ¬â€šect on and gain new insights into the totality of their situation. Lewin (1946, p. 206) stated that Action Research ‘. . . proceeds in a spiral of steps each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-ï ¬ nding about the results of the action.’ It is an iterative process whereby research leads to action and action leads to evaluation and further research. As Schein (1996, p. 64) comments, it was Lewin’s view that ‘. . . one cannot understand an organization without trying to change it . . .’ Indeed, Lewin’s view was very much that the understanding and learning which this process produces for the individuals and groups concerned, which then feeds into changed  behaviour, is more important than any resulting change as such (Lewin, 1946). To this end, Action Research draws on Lewin’s work on Field Theory to identify the forces that focus on the group to which the individual belongs. It also draws on Group Dynamics to understand why group members behave in the way they do when subjected to these forces. Lewin stressed that the routines and patterns of behaviour in a group are more than just the outcome of opposing forces in a forceï ¬ eld. They have a value in themselves and have a positive role to play in enforcing group norms (Lewin, 1947a). Action Research stresses that for change to be effective, it must take place at the group level, and must be a participative and collaborative process which involves all of those concerned (Allport, 1948; Bargal et al., 1992; French and Bell, 1984; Lewin, 1947b).

Arts marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Arts marketing - Essay Example lectronic manufacturers among others employ this strategy with studies indicating that it is an efficient approach towards increasing the loyalty of customers. In co-branding, one commodity is associated with a different brand name or in some cases links a commodity with a different person who is not the main creator. A typical agreement to co-brand entails two or more companies deciding to cooperate in order to associate various logos, their color schemes or the aspects that identify their brands to a particular product that contracted purposefully for the purpose of the agreement (Blackett and Boad, 1999, p. 18). The main reason for this is to bring together the strongpoints of the two brands so that the premium customers can increase and be more willing to part with their money, to ensure the product remains resistant to any form of copying from other manufacturers or to bring together the various properties associated with the brands into one product. Over the years, co-branding has taken place in various industries and markets including the feature package associated with Harley Davidson on Ford Trucks as well as Nike pairing with Mic hael Jordan to come up with a special product line that included the Air Jordans which became famous all over the world (Hatch and Schultz, 2008, p. 110). Nike made shoes for running that had the ability to provide the user with instantaneous information concerning the time, distance and speed as well as well as the number of calories they were burning as they ran (Turban and Volonino, 2008, p. 228). In order to achieve this, Apple provided tiny iPods along with a new wireless system referred to as Nike + iPod, which will receive data from a sensor built into the insole of the innovative shoes. This creative development catapulted the concept of â€Å"Smart Shoes† that was developed by Adidas, Nikes rival, that developed a product with a chip device able to adjust the foot cushioning in order to match the needs of the person

Cross-Cultural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cross-Cultural Communication - Essay Example In today’s world of cultural diversity, emotions like empathy can really help more than sympathy in improving cross-cultural communication between the native people and foreigners in any place. Bennette (11) says that the communication strategy which is most suitable in context of cultural diversity, is empathy which literally helps people from diverse backgrounds understand and respect each other’s feelings and values. It is suggested that empathy works more magic than sympathy in ensuring successful cross-cultural communication because this makes an individual actually participate in others’ sorrows, rather than merely imagining him/herself in the depressed person’s position. This sort of an empathic attitude really helps in incorporating the necessary element of understanding in cross-cultural communication. Cultural empathy phenomenally aids in communication because in this way, one really seeks to learn and comprehend what viewpoints other person†™s culture presents about myriad issues, and this results in a very strong connection between two culturally diverse people. In a story â€Å"A Town Called Rosewood† written by (Carnes, Tauss, and Blackmun), it is mentioned how race and other such stereotypes mattered greatly in the destruction of a whole town called Rosewood and how its population got homeless and scattered as a result of the horrendous massacre initiated by the biased white people back in 1923. the uncontrollable mess all started when a black man falsely accused and this gave the white neighbors an unjustified chance to crackdown on the town mostly occupied by the less influential black people. Following are two letters addressed to each of the two groups, the native residents of Rosewood and their more influential white neighbors in an effort to inform each party about the values and cultural norms

Maritime Economics of Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Maritime Economics of Australia - Essay Example 88) The current data suggests that Australian ship owners are also foremost in the meadow on new buildings and issuing increased quality and additional services to sea trade. Several of these recently commissioned ships were located under the State flag. During January and February of 2007, 300 new-fangled buildings casing all types of vessels, were added to the Australia's owned navy as 59 modern vessels were added to the 910 ships previously beneath the Australian flag. (Wang J, 2007, p. 91) The Australian owned convoy according to current figures accounts for additional 2,600 ships and its transporting competence being at 218,000,000 DWT, casing 16.5% of the world transportation needs. These figures correspond to about 40 billion US $. (Pallis A, 2007, 84) Australian vessel owners uphold 8.5% of the universal fleet and 16.5% of the planet tonnage. They own 24.1% of the tanker navy, 20.4% of the dry shipment convoy and 9.6% of the complex tanker vessels. (Evans J, 1990, p. 85) The administration of Hellenic owned shipping is performed within the organizational framework of overseas countries such as the Great Britain, City of London thus contributing to the expansion of important commerce centers. Thus Australian shipping acquaintances its foremost development and role worldwide to the intercontinental stock market, the charters' worldwide market and other pertinent economic activities. (Stopford M, 1997, p. 93) COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES Hellenic shipping comprises of ships that are mostly specialized in massive transportation of parched and liquid freight as well as in shipping of traditional general cargoes. These ships account for 95% of Hellenic owned navy while the residual 5% includes cruisers, coastal ships and commercial. (McConville J, 1999, p. 68) Since it is a universal leading power in nautical transportation, Australian owned shipping operates on a globe scale casing the transportation requirements of countries well beyond the Greek state. This flotilla serves the trade requirements of many countries all through the world. Moreover, shipbuilding, repairs, ship scrapping, marine cover and rental take place abroad. (Evans J, 1990, p. 90) Hellenic mercantile shipping has gained all through the years by providing excellent services particularly in the fields of security of steering and at sea, the defense of the maritime environment and in the current form of safety and tradition. (McConville J, 1995, p. 72) Australia having natural gas reserves and the availability of iron ore offer a natural setting for DR foliage which eventually eliminates the need for reliance on imported fragment to the whole Asia Pacific region. (Stopford M, 1997, p. 94) Australian living principles, circumstances of service and wages, and duty rates are considerably higher than those applying to squad employed on most overseas shipping. Australian delivery can never anticipate to compete against these ships. This is because no Australian would recognize wages and circumstances that counterpart those of the lowest levels of emerging nations. (Wang. J, 2007, p.99) COMPARATIVE DISADVANTAGES World delivery is subjugated by flag of conveniences vessels registered in tax havens like Panama and Liberia where they are not necessary to meet

Networking Strategy and professional development Module 1 Questions Essay

Networking Strategy and professional development Module 1 Questions - Essay Example An understanding of the client’s background is essential as it helps the mentor to grow professionally. The other benefit of mentoring in the networking process is that it helps the mentor to gain professional satisfaction through the expertise that he or she shares with the clients (Crawford, 2007). Mentoring can also be regarded as essential as it helps the mentor to add value to his or her career. This is because the mentor gets an opportunity to utilize his or her skills and gain insights from the professional relationships with the mentees. Mentoring in the networking process can also be regarded to be of immense benefits to the mentee. The mentee benefits through gaining expertise from the mentor. Thus, the mentee can sharpen his or her skills. The mentee also gets an opportunity to learn some skills, which may be of immense help in the mentees personal development. In addition, the mentee benefits since he or she gets to know more about the organization, its policies, rules, as well as the culture of the organization (Whittaker & Cartwright, 2000). Networking can be regarded as one of the essential elements when it comes to the building of successful careers. Therefore, any person wishing to succeed in his or her career should consider networking with other professionals in his own field. Networking helps in building successful careers since most jobs may not be advertised. As such, networking is essential as it helps the job seeker to gain awareness and knowledge about a certain job that may be advertised. Networking is also essential in building a successful career as it helps the job seeker to be well prepared for interviews. This is because networking can help job seekers have full knowledge about the requirements of an interview. As a result, they will have an easy time during the interview and they will mostly likely get the job (Dirks, 2009). The most effective networking strategy for job search is becoming members of professional

Digital Forensics in the Criminal Justice System Essay

Digital Forensics in the Criminal Justice System - Essay Example The methods of treating digital information while upholding evidential steadiness and integrity can be observed as a complex procedure, but if dealt with it in appropriate manner, it can generate cost effective outcomes for forensics. Based on this understanding, the essay intends to create a case portfolio regarding the collection of digital evidence along with handling or transferring of digital evidence, methods of preservation of digital evidence, analysis of digital evidence as well as preparation of testimonial for the outcome of such analysis. Digital Evidence Digital evidence is regarded as different kinds of digital information, which can be used as proof in any legal proceeding. This type of information exists in electronic form and can be classified as text file, images, audio, video and any other documents. The collection of digital information can be undertaken by appropriation of storage drives, tapping or observing information movement or making digital duplicates of i nformation held. Even though hard copy of digital information is not considered as digital information, it is regarded as the initial point for smearing the use of digital evidence in the future (7Safe, n.d.). Therefore, the digital evidence noticed at the scene was a hard drive, 2 CD disks, a thumb drive, a telephone, and 3 system units. There is also a card reader, monitors, and a modem; however, those objects are not that useful. Collection of Digital Evidence Any case of trail process regarding criminal activity starts with the collection of evidences. In several jurisdictions, digital information is collected throughout explorations, raids or examinations of computer system. Besides, digital information is also collected by forced discovery in any organization or house. In this case, the collection of digital evidence starts with obtaining search warrants (Cartel Working Group, 2010). CD: CDs are regarded as the copy of original information and certain data might be copied from hard drive to CD. Furthermore since, CD is regarded as an in-volatile storage medium, it is also regarded as a vital evidence for the case, and hence has been collected for digital evidence. Card Reader: The card reader is an important forensic evidence examination tool. The key twist with respect to card reader is that there are certain specific SD cards which are only supported and can be accessed with specific card reader. Due to this reason, the card reader also acted as a key digital evidence for the case. Thumb drive: Thumb drive or flash drive has gained much popularity due to its storage abilities and quick data access capability. Furthermore, because of non-volatile information medium, flash drive can possess valuable evidence for the criminal case. Telephone: The telephone was also seized as a part of digital evidence collection. Telephone can provide important evidence regarding any call made by offender. Thus, evaluation of call records might provide hidden contacts, wh ich might be useful for the case. CPU: Finally, three CPUs were also seized for collecting digital information. CPU contains Random Access Memory (RAM) and internal hard disks which store important files and programs. Hence, digital information from these components of CPU can provide great evidence for the criminal activity. Whether forensic agencies attempt to collect available digital information or just a portion of digital ev

Poverty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Poverty - Research Paper Example The global poverty empirical analysis is far from reaching a consensus on remedies and causes of poverty. Nevertheless, as a consequence, philosophers are extremely divided with regard to who might be held responsible for poverty (individuals or groups). Humanity has been privileged to solve various problems such as finding cure for the insidious illnesses and extracting energy from diverse sources. However, they are unable or unwilling to find solutions to the greatest problem (poverty). The termination of the 20th century was characterized by a commitment by several countries to eradicate poverty. The same period was marked by success in the achievement of price stability. Credit was given to the Central Bank as a result of its adoption of new technologies in the conduction of monetary policies. Currently, some central banks have adopted inflation targeting. With this strategy at hand, the rate of interest is the principal tool used by the central banks in their endeavor to impleme nt monetary policy (Helder & Jose, 2007). Impact of Poverty on the Society The impacts of poverty are closely related, so that a single problem seldom occurs on its own. For example, poor sanitation triggers new and old diseases, whilst lack of adequate water and hunger make people continue living in poverty. Communities and societies that are impoverished mostly suffer from discrimination. As a result, they are prawn to poverty cycles. It results in lifelong troubles and handicaps that are transferred from generation to generation – for instance, lack of school education, lack of basic hygiene, and disease transmission (Jones, 2003). Poverty results in extremely low incomes and unemployment – for example, creates the environment where children cannot simply attend school. For those individuals who have the privilege of attending school, they don’t perceive how their hard work can improve their lives. This is because their parents do not improve on their everyda y tasks despite their efforts. Sociological readings have also proved that the impacts of poverty are always transferred from generation to generation. Routine, family values, and living standards leave a minute room for an individual to develop. The enduring need to provide for shelter and food has made individuals to forget other duties such as providing their children with satisfactory life through education. The impacts of poverty are similar, as they do not satisfy an individual need satisfactorily. People living in poverty are often unwell and emaciated, and due to this their lives become shorter. The normal impacts of poverty are lack of opportunities, physical and mental aliments, addiction and drug abuse, increased rates of crime, woman and child abuse, homelessness, education deprivation, and debt pressures. Economic Policy Solution to the Problem To find solutions to poverty, individuals should come up with a strategy that aids those people who are poor for purposes of ge tting them out of poverty and eliminating conditions that enable them to remain in poverty. The policy and strategies should take into consideration the holistic assessment of issues that contribute to an individual wellbeing, such as health care and financial services. Global poverty is the most challenging problem that can be addressed by organizational scholarships. A variety of issues related to poverty have been discussed at the World Economic

Financial Accountants in Modern Era Essay Example for Free

Financial Accountants in Modern Era Essay Professional accountant: A professional accountant is an educated and experienced accountant who is responsible to keep a check on the company’s money flow. Business accountancy is one of the most sought out occupation in the modern day era. He works as the company’s management to determine how well a company is functioning in terms of financial reporting. The government assesses the professional accountant’s reports to determine the tax owed by the company. The evaluation done by the professional accountant is of significant importance since investors and banks study them to determine if the company is worth investing or not. Accounting is a very diverse field and every person involved in it has a prescribed set of tasks. Some deal with financial reports such as balance sheets and income statements whereas others are more concerned with tax planning and compliance. With more practice, one is able to become an expert in the field and can therefore be of great value to the owner as well as the business. An experienced Professional accountant should understand his importance to the business and be able to recognize the limitations he has to work with. He has to make things work his way in order to make the right decisions every now and then. It’s not the many easy decisions that he has to take but rather the few difficult ones that make him an expert in the field. They need to plan across-the-board and execute it without fail. Exceptional professional accountants have a network of accounting contemporaries, who help them solve the situations outside their areas of expertise. Professional accountants with exceptional skills in the field of accounting pick up opportunities that are of some value to the client and acts as a valuable asset for the business as well. In short, the professional accountant is the backbone of the company and a valuable asset who helps keep things flowing in the right manner. Importance of professional accountants in the modern era: The modern day world of business is dominated by globalization, it has become extremely important for organizations to grow and extend their reach beyond national boundaries. As competition is increasing and geographical limitations reducing, it is becoming more imperative for organizations to keep a stringent check on the finances being used and earned. Therefore as a result, the importance of Professional accountants is increasing proportionately. The primary job of a professional accountant is to prepare the financial reports for the organization, analyze them and present the true picture to the people who are the chief decision makers in the company. Considering the gravity of work involved, it is imperative that the professional accountant be someone who is experienced, versatile, of high integrity and competent enough to handle any situation that might arise related to the financial structure of the company. The evaluation done by professional accountants is then used as a basis by banks and the investors to determine whether the company is a profitable proposition or not. A professional accountant is someone who should be able to comprehend each and every situation in the best possible manner and be able to present a clear picture to the management for better decision making. He is able to understand all the limitations as well as the strengths of the company and can therefore advice the management to make profitable decisions. His purpose is not to make money for himself but to work mutually for the betterment of the company and himself. Reference http://www.accountant-search.com/business-accountants.html

Collaboration in Professional Practice

Collaboration in Professional Practice Effective Interprofessional Collaboration is key to providing good quality patient centred care This essay will discuss the principles of patient centred care and their relationship to multi-disciplinary team working and identify and explain key concepts of individual and team communication within the practice setting. Reference will also be made to experiences in practice and the effect of these experiences on the patient. My personal experiences of multi-disciplinary team working will be reflected upon, as will my strengths and weaknesses in relation to my skills as a collaborative team member. Patient confidentiality will be protected at all times when reflecting on personal experiences in placement in accordance with the NMC code of professional conduct (NMC 2004). The term patient-centred care refers to the participation and involvement of the patient in the decisions taken concerning their care and treating the person as an individual, recognising the differing needs amongst individual patients (Barrett, Sellman and Thomas 2005). The importance of involving the patient in their own care has become increasingly important over the last half of the 20th century, with more people living into older age than ever before, and with this increase of life expectancy has come an increase of those living with chronic or long-term illness (Department of Health 2001). This has led to a heightened number of people becoming, in many instances, more knowledgeable of their condition than the healthcare professionals that are involved in their care and treatment, and therefore, rather than being merely recipients of this care they are increasingly taking responsibility for the management of their illness by making informed decisions concerning their treatment, alongside those of healthcare professionals (Department of Health 2001). As the significance of patient centred care has been identified it also important to understand the relationship between patient centred care and multi-disciplinary team work, which is that to enable the provision of patient-centred care a number of different professions will need to be involved, as it is not possible for one profession to have all the knowledge required to provide effective care, therefore the multi-disciplinary team must work collaboratively to be effective, with effective communication between professions making this collaboration possible (Barrett, Sellman and Thomas 2005). Furthermore, as healthcare teams are not comprised solely as a solitary department a patient may need to attend clinics in many of the different hospital departments in order to gain the desired treatment. In order to provide the patient with the best quality treatment and care, it is essential that there is high level of effective Interprofessional collaboration between all members of the healthcare team. Ensuring efficient communication between healthcare professionals will not only increase the quality of the service, but it could also help reduce hospital waiting lists for treatments and ultimately, increase patient satisfaction. For example, when considering a department such as radiology it is becomes clear why effective communication between all members if the team is essential. A radiology team is composed of many different interdisciplinary professionals not only doctors, radiologists and nurses working within the radiology department, but it also comprises the individuals w ith whom these members of staff interact within their different, complementary departments. For example, a patient will have been referred to a radiologist from a different department e.g. gynaecology. The patient will also go to meet the staff at the admissions desk, outpatients staff, perhaps ward staff if they are to be admitted. Thus, the coordination of this team of practitioners is vital in order to ensure that the patient is treat efficiently and that their care needs are met. When there is a lack of communication between professions the quality of care will inevitably suffer. There are many examples, and consequences, of good and poor communication and one example is that of a scenario my colleagues and I were asked to consider as part of our online learning for the Collaboration in Professional Practice (CIPP) module, which was of a student nurse attending a ward round with a doctor. In the scenario the student nurse had concerns as to the patient having little opportunity to ask the doctor any questions or allay any concerns that he had, which the student nurse perceived to be due to a number of reasons, including the lack of privacy on the ward and the doctor making it apparent that he was short of time. When she reflected on this incident she felt that she had not communicated with the doctor efficiently and acted as advocate for her patient, therefore, the consequences are that he was possibly left with many unanswered concerns. There were many opini ons relating to this scenario put forward on the group discussion board (see appendix 1) and many of us felt that this emphasised the importance of having a mixed number of professions on ward rounds, including a nurse whose responsibility it is to act as advocate for the patient. The student nurse in the scenario pointed out that she felt she had let her patient down in favour of showing the doctor that she was efficient and good at her job and it could be argued that this need to impress the doctor was due to the hierarchical structure within which hospitals tend to operate, with doctors being at the top of this structure, which could affect communication between doctors and nursing staff. One of the objectives of a study which was carried out by Kinley et al (2001) was the investigation of the quality of communication between senior medical staff and ATN (Kinley et al 2001: 2) (The ATN are appropriately trained nurses) and the study was conducted in retrospect of the plans to implement nurse-run clinics and to give nurses some duties which were previously considered to be that of a doctor. This is of importance and relevance to the provision of patient centred care, as the ability of members of a healthcare team to effectively communicate and articulate any problems, concerns or even advice which one may have in order to help another member of the healthcare team to treat a patient is one of the keys to effective collaboration within the multidisciplinary environment of a hospital (Barrett, Sellman and Thomas 2005). The conclusion made by the research team was that there is no reason to inhibit the development of fully trained nurse-led pre-operative assessment, provi ded that the nurses are appropriately trained and maintain sufficient workload to retain skills (Kinley et al, 2001: 3). However, the qualitative counterpart of the study indicated that the use of ATN for pre-operative assessment was agreeable to patients but there was no indication that there was any improvement in the communication between senior medical staff and those carrying out the pre-operative assessments’ (Kinley et al 2001: 3). Hence, this study could be viewed to be indicative of the fact that if interdisciplinary communication and collaboration was to be improved within the healthcare team and hospital settings, perhaps the abilities of nursing staff to fulfil roles and complete duties previously associated with a doctor, such as completing pre-operative assessments and taking medical histories would be enhanced. I myself have witnessed examples of both good and poor interprofessional collaboration and communication whilst out in practice. For example, whilst caring for an elderly lady in hospital who was recovering from surgery it became apparent that she was suffering from acute constipation. Numerous healthcare professionals worked collaboratively to eliminate her constipation, including doctors, nurses, a dietician and physiotherapist and in the end a satisfactory result was achieved. On reflection of this incident I felt that although there was clearly excellent communication and collaboration between professions, once they were working together in the treatment of this problem, there was also an unnecessary delay in the nurses involving these other professions in her treatment for this particular problem, which led to unnecessary suffering and pain for the patient. I referred to this incident on the CIPP group discussion board (see appendix 2) and found that this concern as to the lengt h of time it can sometimes take to involve other professions was shared. Therefore, it is worth noting that even when communication is good between professions the quality of patient care will still suffer if there are delays in bringing about their collaboration. The ability to reflect on incidents such as these is an essential component of nursing as it enables us to analyse what we did, if we did it well or if it we could have done it better, and then how we can develop our skills further to do better in the future (Brooker and Nicol 2003). When considering that nurses are expected to make certain decisions as to the care of a patient the benefits of reflective practice become apparent, reflecting on past mistakes can help greatly when deciding what action should be taken in the care of patient, particularly when it is a situation that one has previously experienced and thus gained knowledge from (Brooker and Nicol 2003). I feel that although I have made significant progress in my ability to reflect over the last year there is still much room for improvement, something which I have referred to in my action plan for the formative assignment (see appendix 3). I listed the priority of this ‘action point’ as being medium to high as although it is to be achieved throughout my career, as part of my lifelong learning, I feel that it is also an essential skill whilst being a student as it will my greatly aide my learning at present as well as in the future when qualified. Being self-aware is vital to the reflective process as it is through our knowledge of ourselves that we are able to recognise our strengths and weaknesses and identify areas where more learning is required (Burns and Bulman 2000). Self-awareness is to be conscious of who we are, to be aware of our own values, beliefs and strengths and weaknesses (Burns and Bulman 2000). Being self-aware is essential to nursing as not only does it form the basis upon which reflection is built but it also contributes to how we communicate with others and aides our interpersonal development with our colleagues, as well as enabling us to build and maintain positive relationships with our patients (Bulman and Schutz 2004). When reflecting upon my own strengths and weaknesses, in relation to my collaborative skills, I feel that whilst I am beginning to acquire an in depth understanding of the role of the nurse in the care of the patient I feel that I lack substantial knowledge of the roles of the other healthcare professionals that I work alongside in the care of these same patients. This point is also referred to in my action plan for the formative assessment (see appendix 3) and I listed the priority of this as being medium to high as I feel that it is not possible to become an effective collaborative healthcare professional without having an understanding of the roles of others with whom you are working alongside. If there is a lack of understanding of the roles of others I feel that it would be difficult to see why they are involved in the care of my patient, or even when it is appropriate to involve other healthcare professionals, inevitably leading to the quality of the care for the patient to suf fer. As we have identified the importance of Interprofessional collaboration in the provision of effective patient centred care and satisfaction within the hospital environment it is important to look at methodologies which can be utilised in order to improve the interactions and communication between members of each multidisciplinary team within the healthcare setting. Buchan and May (2007) describe how the process of skill mix; can be used to as a method of organisational change within a healthcare team and it has a role to play in improving the effectiveness of the organisation and quality of care. The four stages of a skill mix cycle are the evaluation of the need for change, the identification of opportunities and barriers for change, the planning for change and finally making the change happen (Buchanan and May 2007: 1) Therefore, we can see that the methodology of skill mix is one option available to healthcare managers when they are aiming to improve the Interprofessional collabor ation between members of their healthcare teams, the method does however require careful planning. Furthermore, it is important to realise that skill mix is more than just a technical exercise, as it is also a method of achieving organisational change which requires careful planning, communication, implementation and evaluation if it is to achieve its main objectives (Buchanan and O’May 2007: 1). Sibbald, Shen and McBride (2004) value the strategy of changing the skill mix of the healthcare workforce and highlight that factors promoting success in the improvement of the patient care service and the interactions and collaborations of members of the healthcare interdisciplinary teams include: introducing treatments of proven efficacy, appropriate staff education and training; removal of unhelpful boundary demarcations between staff or service sectors; appropriate pay and reward systems; and good strategic planning and human resource management (Sibbald, Shen and McBride, 2004 : 28). It is important to identify the areas which can help to improve staff communication because this will help with the planning and implementation of change and improvements within the healthcare setting. Education and training opportunities appear to be beneficial in two ways, firstly they provide a method for improving the staff morale and self-respect as they feel more satisfied and qualified to hel p others and thus communicate with other members of the healthcare team and additionally the training will provide opportunities for members of staff to become acquainted with other employees and to interact (Sibbald, Shen and McBride 2004). This may then help in the collaboration in the work place. Education and training strategies which could train doctors and nurses simultaneously would be beneficial in reducing the hierarchical boundaries between these disciplines (Freeth, 2005 and Dominelli, 2002). The subject of this essay is increasingly significant at present due to the recent changes observed within the structure and function of the National Health Service (NHS) and the demands placed upon it to reduce the waiting times of patients and increase patient centred care, whilst at the same time cutting the costs and expenditure within the NHS (The Department of Health 2000). This puts pressure on medical staff, not only to increase their efficiency of treatment, but also to cope with and adapt to changes which are being made within their departments (The department of Health 2000). One of these changes which may be difficult for medical staff to adapt to in particular is the replacement of doctors with nursing staff in the carrying out of some of the duties and roles which were previously associated solely with the doctor. As the primary aim of the NHS is to provide the best healthcare possible for each patient, it is important that the staff employed to take over some of the du ties and responsibilities previously associated with the doctors we must ensure that the nursing staff are fully trained and able to perform the tasks to the required standard and in order to do this it is important that there is an effective level of collaboration between the doctors and nursing staff and that the doctors provide a support network, to which members of the nursing team can turn to and ask advice when and wherever appropriate. However, as there may be negative feelings towards this change, perhaps felt more so by the doctors, this may prove to be difficult. Hence, it is necessary to enhance the levels of cooperation and team spirit in order to work more efficiently and make the most of the skills of all the professionals in the NHS workforce (The Department of Health 2000). In conclusion, it is clearly apparent that the effective collaboration and consequentially the communication between members of a healthcare team is of vital importance when considering the accuracy and efficiency in which care can be provided to patients in a patient focused manner, and as this is an important aim of the NHS plan to reform, plans must be put into action to ensure that the levels of communication between members of the healthcare team are achieved to enable the goals made by government bodies to be reached and to aid staff moral in the workplace. Reference List Barrett, G, Sellman, D and Thomas, J (2005) Interprofessional working in health and social care. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan Brooker, C., Nicol, M (2003) Nursing Adults, the Practice of Caring. London, Mosby Buchan. J, O’May. F (2007) Determining Skill Mix: Practical Guidelines for Managers and Health Professionals [online] last accessed on 16th December 2007 at: http://www.who.int/hrh/en/HRDJ_4_2_07.pdf Bulman, C., Schutz, S (2004) Reflective Practice in Nursing. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing Burns, S and Bulman, C (2000) Reflective practice in nursing: the growth of the reflective practitioner (2nd Edition) Oxford, Blackwell Science Department of Health (2000) The NHS Plan: a plan for investment, a plan for reform [online] last accessed 16th December 2007 at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4002960 Department of Health (2001) The expert patient: a new approach to chronic disease management for the 21st century [online] last accessed on 15 December 2007 at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4006801 Dominelli, L (2002) Anti-oppressive social work theory and practice. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan Freeth, D (2005) Effective interprofessional education: development, delivery and evaluation. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing Kinley et al (2001) Extended scope of nursing practice: a multicentre randomised controlled trial of appropriately trained nurses and pre-registration house officers in pre-operative assessment in elective general surgery Health Technology Assessment. Vol 5: No 20 Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004) The NMC code of professional conduct: standards for conduct, performance and ethics, London, Nursing and Midwifery Council Sibbald,B, Shen, J and McBride, A (2004). Changing the skill-mix of the health care workforce. Journal of Health Service Research and Policy 9(1), 28-38.

Concept Of E Commerce It Information Technology Essay

Concept Of E Commerce It Information Technology Essay You are required to choose an E-commerce website and asses it in terms of seven unique features. Which of the features does the site implement well and which feature poorly in your opinion. Provide your detailed findings and suggestion for improvement? Assume that, you had bought two products through online. Explain why you choose to buy that product through online, pros and cons of online purchase. Table of content Introduction Nowadays most of the peoples in this generation will spend most of the time sitting in front of computer and online. At this moment, most of the peoples will use e-commerce website purchase things rather than go shopping mall and purchases things. In this question , students are required to choose an E-commerce website and assess it in term of seven unique features and explain in details which are the features are implement well and which features poorly in our own opinion, not only that, there are also required to give suggestion the improvement for the poorly features. The seven features of e-commerce such as, Ubiquity, Global Reach, Universal Standards, Richness, Interactivity, Information Density, Personalization and customization. Most of the e-commerce website will include those seven unique features, just a problem between which is good and bad. In order to have a successful e-commerce website, these seven unique features are important. Main body Question 1 From the early and humble beginnings, where peoples are still using the traditional transaction and most of the companies does not have their own website, but nowadays e-commerce sees billions traded annually and not only small companies, even large companies also could not afford without a website. Indeed, for many companies, their presence on the Internet is their window to the world and they are also considering as e-commerce businesses. Actually what is e-commerce? E-commerce also called as Electronic Commerce. E-commerce is a type of industry where purchasing and selling of products or services are conducted through over the internet and other computer network. E-commerce are involves digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals. There are two categories e-commerce which are classified by nature of market relationship and classified by type of technologies used. In classified by nature of market relationship are included B2C (Business -to-Consumer), B2B (Business-to-Business) and C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer). Classified by type of technologies used are included P2P (Peer-to-Peer) and M-Commerce (Mobile Commerce). Require having a successful e-commerce website, these are the seven unique features for the e-commerce website is needed. These are the seven unique features for e-commerce, Ubiquity, Global Reach, Universal Standards, Richness, Interactivity, Information Density, Personalization and customization. Ubiquity It is available everywhere such as work, home and any other places via mobile device. When anytime Marketplace is created or extended beyond traditional boundaries and removed from a geographic location. Shopping can take place anywhere. It can reduce costs and save time such as parking fees and wasting time purposely go to the shopping mall and spend time to search for the items. It can make more convenience for customer. Global reach Total numbers of consumers or users an e-commerce business can have. Technology Dimension Business Significance Technology reaches beyond national boundaries Commerce is enabled across cultural and national boundaries seamlessly and without modification. Marketplace includes potentially billions of consumers and millions of businesses worldwide. The next one is universal standard. Universal standard Universal standard is about to lowers market entry for merchants and search costs for consumers. It can reduce product search cost and by creating a single, one world market place, where price discovery becomes faster, simpler and more accurate. Easily to get the information about all the suppliers, prices, and delivery terms of a specific product anywhere in the world. Richness It can provide information richness which is more powerful selling environment for consumers. E-Commerce technologies have changed the traditional tradeoff between reach and richness with audio, video and text message. Instead of using traditional technologies like TV, radio and magazines, most of the peoples will rather use Internet and web get the marketing messages. In the internet and web are able to provide millions rich marketing messages for audiences. Interactivity Consumers or users can be interacted the content in a dialogue that dynamically adjusts the experience to the individual, and make the consumer a co- participant in the process of delivering goods to the market. It is quite similar to face-to-face experience. Comparing to the TV or radio, it is on a massive global scale. Information density Information density amount and quality of information available to all market participants, it can reduces information cost and raises quality Information processing, storage and communication costs drop dramatically while accuracy and timeliness improve greatly. Information becomes plentiful, cheap and accurate. For example, price discrimination in which a merchant can sell the same goods to different targeted market with a different price. Personalization or customization In this features are allow consumers personalized messages to be delivered to individuals as well as groups personalization of marketing messages and also allow consumers customize the products and services based on individual characteristics and consumers needed. In this question are required to choose an e-commerce website, the e-commerce website that are going to choose will be www.ebay.com.my. What is eBay? EBay was founded since 1995 which is an American multinational internet consumer-to-consumer corporation, headquartered in San Jose, California. It was started as a place to trade collectables and hard-to-find items. Today eBay is a global marketplace where businesses and individuals can buy and sell practically anything, but mostly eBay is more on a type of e-commerce which is consumer-to-consumer. Peoples can get information without register in the website, need to register only when peoples wants to buy or sell the products. Peoples can buy what they want in eBay, it is because for everyone. They can buy the things that they want with a great price. These are the example items can found in eBay, electronics, designer fashion, your favorite toy, rare antiques, new cars and furniture. When peoples are looking for those items, they will look for eBay website. eBay also is a best place for peoples to sell things, millions of peoples in this world will just sell things on eBay every day for make some extra money, clear up clutter around the house, start their own business and jump-start holiday savings. At the same time, people s are no need to worry about the products that had been sold will go wrong, eBay will have many programs in place to help you trade with peace of mind, such as feedback system, buyer protection program and dedicated security center. EBay is one of the e-commerce website including all the seven unique features of e-commerce technology and significance. But eBay are not perfectly can do well with all the seven unique features; it has great and poor too. These are the seven unique features of e-commerce will list in sequence from greatest to the poorest. Ubiquity will be the greatest for eBay; it is because eBay are available to everywhere as long as you can online then you can get the information of the products that you looking for. The second will be global reach; eBay is available for everyone in the world, so the number of the users or consumers will be a lot, it is under a global reach level, but there might be some problem that can be reconsider is the users or consumers will be too many and it is hard to be maintain the users or consumers, the marketplace is too wide. Thirdly, universal standard, peoples can get lower cost on eBay and easily to find supplier on eBay, but the price is not fixed and some more consumers have to pay more for the eBay commission. Richness will be in the middle, eBay will just provide information with text and photos, the information sometime will not be so accurate, in order to improve the richness in eBay, it should require sellers to provide a video for their products to make the products information more accurate and clear. EBay quite poor in interactivity, it is hard to have a contact with the sellers; eBay should prepare a more convenience program that allow consumers to contact sellers instead of just reach messages to the sellers. EBay very poor in personalization and customization, it is because eBay is consumer-to-consumer method, so the products sell in eBay mostly is second hand, it is very hard to customize the products for the consumers, they should prepare a form in the website for consumers to write down what they want to change for the products. Lastly, this is the poorest features for the eBay, information density, better do not expect the products will be quality, the items that sell in eBay most probably are second hand or third hand or even more, eBay should compulsory to the seller to have warranty for their products, and improve the limitation, set limited years for the products, for example, if a products that had been more than 10years, do not allow the seller to put in the eBay and sell it. In my opinion, the most important is about the information density feature for eBay, if they can give warrantee for the quality of the products, this warrantee will enroll more peoples use eBay to sell or buy things. Conclusion In conclusion, nothing is perfect in this world, so every e-commerce website will have well and bad, does not have any e-commerce website can fully do well for all the seven unique features. They can only do is keep ask for feedback and suggestion from the consumers or users and keep try to improve the weakness to be better and better, to have a better quality of the website, the more users and consumers only will be enrolled. Especially, eBay is one of the e-commerce website that for the whole world with consumer-to-consumer method to serve consumers, although it is quite convenience to get the products information for peoples needed, but peoples who going to buy products from eBay better do not give too much expectation for the products quality, must be aware of it, it is because the products might not be exactly look as better as the photo provided in the website. Introduction In this question I am required to assume myself is a consumer of online purchase. I had bought two products through the online purchasing website. Why I want to buy those products through online? Why I dont want to go to the shop and buy those products? In this generation online purchase are very common. In this question I do not only have to explain the reason why I want to buy those products from website, I also have to explain in details about the pros and cons of online purchase, which is the advantages and disadvantages of online purchases. Actually, there are not only advantages for online purchase, behind every advantage will also have disadvantage. Although nowadays online purchase are very convenience and more save cost, but there are also certain issues happens we have to be aware, maybe those issues happen will make our money lost and our privacy will be leak out. The answer will telling about we should aware and how to avoid our privacy information and how the hacker get our information and where they get from. Main body Question 2 The two products that I will choose to buy through online are desktop computer and mobile phone. Why choose online purchasing? It is quite convenience comparing to go to the shopping mall or those device shop for research, their prices and the equipment. First of all is about why I will choose to buy desktop computer through online purchasing. Buy a desktop computer with a reasonable and even cheaper price and also specialist for games is not that easy, have to do search for many information and price list. If buying through online, no need to waste my time go to the shopping mall and computer center look for the information and prices, it makes me save time so I can take more time to check for the other brands of the desktop computer price and save cost, I no need to pay the extra parking fees at the computer shops and shopping mall, can just take the money that had saved to assembly more equipment for my desktop computer in order to make it run more faster because it is buy for gaming. Through the online purchasing website can get all the information about the desktop computer including prices. For example, buying a dell desktop, I can just go to a e-commerce website which is sell dells devices and see which of the desktop computer are most suitable for gaming, I can check for the price in the website and try to customize that what I want for my desktop computer such as from 4GB RAM upgrade to 8GB RAM and 500GB hard disk space upgrade to 1TB hard disk space. Not only has that, buying mobile phoned also same, we able to check what the market price for the phone are, and the details for the phone that we looking for, see is it whether the phone really suitable for me or can get even better than that with the reasonable price, can have some packages through the online purchasing website and more convenience. This is why I will choose to buy desktop computer and mobile phone through online purchasing. There are many pros and cons for online purchasing. pros is something similar like advantages of online purchasing and cons is something similar like disadvantages of online purchasing. Pros of online purchasing First of all, it is quite easy to shop through online purchasing. Peoples just needed to have an average internet connection and also some basic knowledge about how to use internet browser to run the e-commerce website. We can just type in their web domain name to browse their website, so that we can get the information about what they are offering, read reviews, make rational buying decision and make comparison with the product from the same categories. Would it be nice to get everything delivered at your doorsteps without you even stepping outside your homes? Purchasing products through online we can get buying our grocery just sitting on our comfortable sofa and watch our favorite TV shows. We also can have some comparisons, read reviews, view user ratings and make uniform and rational buying decisions in online purchasing web. It is much more convenience for us to do quick comparisons, so that we can get a chance to search the entire positive and negatives of a certain product or service. Can we have discount through the online purchasing? Yes! Since there are many online shopping website exists, of course there will be many competition on internet between different shopping websites, but customers always the first, so many websites will offers many kind of promotions for customer such as, gift certificates, shopping points, discount and cash back benefits. Who will be the people who win those offers? We are the persons can won it. No hard cash for online purchasing, its mean buying products without paying cash. We can get the products that we wanted without paying anything in cash. Everything will be handled by our credit card or PayPal account. Especially, those electronic products like plasma television. Cons of online purchasing While shopping on the Internet can be a pleasing and rewarding experience, the negatives or disadvantages associated with Internet shopping cannot be neglected. Let us take a look at some of the disadvantages of online shopping. Firstly, online shopping actually we do not physically seen the items, which mean we can only see the items through the photo provided on e-commerce website, we could not see the items that we bought until it arrive. Normally the photo of items that we see will be much better than once we have the item in front of us. Secondly, online security is quite weak, although online payments are safe but not always, there might have some of the e-commerce websites are not secure enough or do not encrypt our personal credit card date, if hacker has break into the sites system, our credit card data and information will be leak out. Thirdly, certain peoples computer might have spyware on their computer, if we using this computer to purchasing items through online purchasing, it is a risk of our credit card information and personal data been stolen by our own computer. Fourthly, it can cause spam issues on our email, when we bought something through the website such as, a digital camera. We are happy when we receive it, but days pass we will suddenly receiving a hoard of emails offering discounts, special schemes, promotions and so on from the website. When every time they have any special promotions or disco unt, the website will keep sending messages to our email, it is because after we bought products from their website, the website may do have a clause in their privacy policy document that our email able to share with third parties to send us relevant offers, it is quite annoying. Lastly, sometime it may cause online connection issues, due to the internet connection unstable, or sometime there will be a time too many visit the website will cause internet connection problems, when we add items to our online shopping cart, after entering credit card information and submit it, at this moment the internet connection error, we may not know is it the order went through correctly or not. After refresh the screen it may cause double billing or double ordering. Conclusion In conclusion, buying desktop computer and mobile phone from website really very convenience for me, I can get more information not only for the brand that I looking for, at the same time I can also have more information about the other brand of the desktop computer and mobile phone, might be I can found there is another brands products price and features also reasonable than what I looking for. Beside this, the pros and cons given in the question I had learnt a lesson about how to safety buy products from online website. Before buying items through online, make sure our connectivity are going smooth and double check the whole computer it is any spyware in my computer, make sure the whole computer is clear and connection is smooth, only confirm the products that had picked and key in the information that are required that the website asking for. Choose the website that are most people use also very important, dont choose the website that not common without confidentially and nobodys know, or else our money also might gone without anybodys knowing. So choose the website with high confidentially and most people know.

Vonneguts Cats Cradle :: Vonnegut Cats Cradle Essays

Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle Vonnegut deals a lot with fantasy in his book, Cat's Cradle. From the beginning, he talks about the religion that he follows: Bokonism. This is not a real religion, however he has rules, songs, scriptures, and opinions of a person that practices this fantasy religion. Within his description of this religion however is black humor as well. I think that by him making up this whole religion and an entire island of people who follow it, is in a way mocking today's religion and the way that people are dedicated to their beliefs. This Bokonism is basically telling the religious believer that everything that they read or hear is a lie, and that they need to think for themselves. I think one of the greatest parts that shows black humor is on page 77, where Bokonon (like Adam) arrives on land, completely naked, and has a revelation. "A fish pitched up By the angry sea, I gasped on land, And I became me." Also I found it very interesting how it was illegal to practice Bokonism, yet everyone on the island, including Papa practices it. It's almost as if Vonnegut is trying to tell us how other religions are. . . and if any religion is a true and honest religion. I think that Vonnegut also deals a lot with surrealism. I just really thought it was funny how everything in his life sort of just fit together, like it was meant to happen. Like the Bokonon worshipers, they believed that everyone fit in a karass and all followed a similar life plan, rotated in, out, and around each other. For example, I thought that it was so interesting how everyone fit together. Jonah went on a plan to find Frank Hoenikker, and who does he sit next to, but the senator, who is reading a book, written by the man who owns the hotel where Jonah stays, was in love with the woman who Jonah is in love with, who is marrying Frank.