Practicing Theory :: essays research papers

Putting Theories into Practice In politics, humans seem to be very contradictory towards one another. Many situations allot for disagreement as well as interesting discussions and conversations. I was watching the presidential debate when my girlfriend started shedding her opinion, which I didn’t quite agree with. It was as if she ignored what one candidate said and believed the other because there was a bias in her thinking. That, along with what each candidate was saying was causing sway in my opinion and I felt discomfort. I chose Cognitive Dissonance Theory for this incident due to the conflicting ideas going on in my head during this situation. When she started making biased comments about whatever a particular candidate said, I had conflicting thoughts that go right along with the dissonant relationship aspect of the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. I thought that in order to make a decision you need to know everything that happens not just bits and pieces of it, but what conflicted with this thought was her biased comment that was based solely on one statement. What I was after to make my own thoughts and judgments agreeable was to arrive at some level of consistent thoughts within myself as to how I can alleviate the tension. The reason for this dissonance was because of outside sources that led me to take action that caused an effect. But after the discussion with the other person I found myself trying to achieve consonance and reduce dissonance because of my discomfort. In essence I was trying to co nvince myself that I should try and find some compromise with what she was saying so the conflict would cease to exist. In order for the conflict to stop and cope with the dissonance my attitude had to change, which led me after the conversation to seek out selective exposure. This meant I had to seek information not present at that time to help reduce the dissonance within myself and stop the arguing between her and myself. From what she was saying I also sought out a different type of perception, selective interpretation. From the ambiguous information she offered I tried to compromise and make some of it consistent to my own thoughts that could help further to end the dissonance. The ultimate tactic I used that I wasn’t even aware of until I saw this term was minimal justification. The minimal incentive given in this case was just me saying, â€Å"I’m not saying you are wrong, I just want you to see the whole picture before you pass judgment.

The Role of Religion in Italian, Greek, and Turkish Politics Essay exam

The Role of Religion in Italian, Greek, and Turkish Politics Problems with format Italy ?Prior to the mid-20th century, Catholicism was Italy's state religion; however, a new Constitution in 1947 changed this (2).? Article 7 of this Italian Constitution declares that the "State and Catholic Church are, each within their own reign, independent and sovereign" (9).? Articles 8 and 19 later provide freedom of religion for all Italian citizens (9).? However, most Italians continue to align themselves with the Catholic Church, as an estimated 85 percent are nominally Roman Catholic (2).? The country's second largest religion has just recently become Muslim with an estimated 700,000 people aligning themselves with this religion (2).? Other major religions recognized in Italy include Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Scientologists, Waldensians, Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and small numbers of Jewish and Protestant communities (2).? ?Although there is a distinct separation of church and state in the Italian Government, the lines are slightly more blurred than they are in the United States.? The Catholic Church is still indirectly involved in Italian politics.? Pope John Paul II and the Vatican's presence are felt throughout the entire nation.? For example, when the European Union was trying to create a constitution in 2002, the nations struggled with whether or not God and religion should be included in the draft.? The pope addressed the Italian Parliament for the first time in history.? In his 45-minute speech, he encouraged the legislature "to make sure that the expansion of the European Union did no diminish the role and importance of Christianity on the Continent."? He also said, "Italy's social... .../law/icl/gr00t_.html. 9. http://www.oefre.unibe.ch/law/icl/it00000_.html. 10. http://www,tbmm.gov.tr/anayasa/constitution.htm. 11. Masci, David.? "Can democracy flourish in strict Islamic states?"? CQ Researcher.? 24 March 2000. 12. "Minus a minaret."? The Economist.? 22 November, 2003.? 13. Morris, Chris.? "Turkey high court keeps religion at arms length on Friday, the Turkish High court banned the Islamist-led Virtue Party for allegedly encouraging Radical Islam."? Christian Science Monitor.? 25 June 2001. 14. Narili, Nilufer.? "The rise of the Islamist movement in Turkey."? Middle East Review Of International Affairs.? September 1999. http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/meria/journal/1999/issue3/ju3n3a4.html. 15.Williams, Daniel.? "Italian Judge Bans Crucifix from School; Anger greets order in Muslims case."? Washington Post.? 27 October 2003. The Role of Religion in Italian, Greek, and Turkish Politics Essay exam The Role of Religion in Italian, Greek, and Turkish Politics Problems with format Italy ?Prior to the mid-20th century, Catholicism was Italy's state religion; however, a new Constitution in 1947 changed this (2).? Article 7 of this Italian Constitution declares that the "State and Catholic Church are, each within their own reign, independent and sovereign" (9).? Articles 8 and 19 later provide freedom of religion for all Italian citizens (9).? However, most Italians continue to align themselves with the Catholic Church, as an estimated 85 percent are nominally Roman Catholic (2).? The country's second largest religion has just recently become Muslim with an estimated 700,000 people aligning themselves with this religion (2).? Other major religions recognized in Italy include Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Scientologists, Waldensians, Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and small numbers of Jewish and Protestant communities (2).? ?Although there is a distinct separation of church and state in the Italian Government, the lines are slightly more blurred than they are in the United States.? The Catholic Church is still indirectly involved in Italian politics.? Pope John Paul II and the Vatican's presence are felt throughout the entire nation.? For example, when the European Union was trying to create a constitution in 2002, the nations struggled with whether or not God and religion should be included in the draft.? The pope addressed the Italian Parliament for the first time in history.? In his 45-minute speech, he encouraged the legislature "to make sure that the expansion of the European Union did no diminish the role and importance of Christianity on the Continent."? He also said, "Italy's social... .../law/icl/gr00t_.html. 9. http://www.oefre.unibe.ch/law/icl/it00000_.html. 10. http://www,tbmm.gov.tr/anayasa/constitution.htm. 11. Masci, David.? "Can democracy flourish in strict Islamic states?"? CQ Researcher.? 24 March 2000. 12. "Minus a minaret."? The Economist.? 22 November, 2003.? 13. Morris, Chris.? "Turkey high court keeps religion at arms length on Friday, the Turkish High court banned the Islamist-led Virtue Party for allegedly encouraging Radical Islam."? Christian Science Monitor.? 25 June 2001. 14. Narili, Nilufer.? "The rise of the Islamist movement in Turkey."? Middle East Review Of International Affairs.? September 1999. http://www.biu.ac.il/SOC/besa/meria/journal/1999/issue3/ju3n3a4.html. 15.Williams, Daniel.? "Italian Judge Bans Crucifix from School; Anger greets order in Muslims case."? Washington Post.? 27 October 2003.

Kimura K. K. Can this customer be saved? Essay

1. What seems to be Pramtex’s strategy? Pramtex’s strategy: Pramtex is pursuing the goal of being the technology leader in the sector. It has chosen product differentiation over cost leadership. In pursuing this goal, it seems to have fallen behind in the maintaining adequate service standards. Its strategy involves close cooperation with the lead user customers to get a presence in the developing standards of the industry. Overall, it seems to be focusing on the high-end premium segment of the market. This is also supported by the fact that whereas it’s overall share is only 3% of the market, its share of the premium segment is 8%. 2. What is the â€Å"Perceived value† for a customer like Kimura? Perceived Value: â€Å"Perceived value† is different for different customers. Out of its various elements, such as buyer’s image, trustworthiness, customer support etc, different customers give different weightage to different elements. Out of these, a customer like Kimura k. k. falls under the category of price buyer. For such a customer, companies need to offer stripped down products and reduced services. 3. Who are the key players at Kimura in the purchasing decision? The key players in the purchasing decision at Kimura are: Senior R&D advisor: Dr. Nomura, Chief of production: Dr. Komuda, Company President: Dr. Kimura, Finance Director: Dr. Eiji Hashimoto. 4. What are their respective roles and interests? Initiator: Dr. Nomura. His interest is in recommending the best technology product while taking into consideration the strategy of the company. End-User: Dr. Komuda. His interest was to ensure that the machine would satisfy his technical specifications. It should also meet maintenance requirements. The learning curve should not be too steep. And the downtime should be minimum. Decision-maker: Dr. Kimura. His interest is in choosing the machine that offers the best value proposition for the company. Influencer: Dr. Eiji Hashimoto. His interest was in choosing the cheapest machine, which would meet the technical specifications, required by the production department. HE would also take into consideration the maintenance costs of the product. 5. Why did Pramtex fail in Japan? What could /should it have done differently? Pramtex failed in Japan because it was making the wrong value proposition to the customers. It was intent on providing the best technology solution. The Japanese customers wanted one, which would provide them with the cheapest product meeting their requirements. They also laid a lot of emphasis on after-sales support which area was unfortunately not much stressed upon within Pramtex. Also, it did not have any significant physical presence in the country. Local competitors had the advantage of quicker response in case of breakdowns, better warehouse access. Also, the service support level maintained by the company was less than satisfactory. It seems to believe that a superior product is sufficient for it to maintain market leadership. What it should have done was get some presence in the country, get some local warehouses, open one or two service centers. This would go a long way in alleviating the customers’ worries about after-sales support. Also, it needs drastic in its after-sales support quality. 6. Can this customer be saved? Short-term? Mid-term to long-term? Why? Why not? Short-term: Possibly not. Nothing much can be done in the short-term in terms of improved customer-support in the shot-term, which is the primary concern of the Kimura. Mid-to-long-term: Yes They will have to be convinced of the company’s commitment to the Japanese market. This assurance should be backed by concrete actions such as getting physical presence in the country in the form of service centers and warehouses for spares inventory. Also, the company must customize its product to suit the needs of the customer.

Quality Associates Essay

Quality Associates, a consulting firm, advises its clients about sampling and statistical procedures that can be used to control their manufacturing processes. In particular application, a client gave Quality Associates a sample of 800 observations taken during a time in which that client’s process was operating satisfactorily. The sample standard deviation for these data was 0.21; hence with so much data, the population standard deviation was assumed to be 0.21. Quality Associates then suggested that random samples of size 30 be taken periodically to monitor the process on an ongoing basis. By analyzing news samples, the client could quickly learn whether the process was operation satisfactorily. When the process was not operation satisfactorily, corrective action could be taken to eliminate the problem. The design specification indicated the mean for the process should be 12. The hypothesis test suggested by Quality Associates follows. : : Corrective action will be taken any time is rejected. The dataset â€Å"Quality.sav† contains each of four samples, each of size 30, collected at hourly intervals during the first day of operation of the new statistical control procedure. Managerial report 1. Conduct a hypothesis test for each sample at the 0.01 level of significance and determine what action, if any, should be taken. Provide the test statistic and the p-value for each test. 2. Compute the standard deviation for each of the four samples. Does the assumption of 0.21 for the standard deviation appear reasonable? 3. Compute limits for the sample mean Ì… around such that, as long as, a new sample mean is within those limits, the process will be considered to be operation satisfactorily. If Ì… exceeds the upper limit or if below lower limit, corrective action will be taken. These limits are referred to as upper and lower control limits for quality purposes. 4. Discuss the implications of changing the level of significance (ÃŽ ±) to a larger value. What mistakes or error (type I or type II error) could increase if the level of significance is increased?

Elizabeth Bishop

Personal Response to Texts Essay Format English Language Arts In a personal response to text essay the writer may choose to keep the format of the essay critical, in which the pieces of literature presented are analyzed. The writer will also relate their own experience as it relates to the material provided using emotional and sensory detail. The important thing to remember is that this format of an essay, unlike the critical/analytical response, allows you to use personal pronouns (except the word ‘you’) I.INTRODUCTION a. GENERAL STATEMENT to introduce the topic in the question. b. FOCUS into answering the question; you should also mention the literature and/or other materials and situations you will be referring to here. You may use a phrase such as: â€Å"In life, as in literature, people . . . † Follow this statement with the introduction of the materials you will be discussing in your essay. Do not talk about yourself or your experience yet because you want t o build a bridge of common knowledge with your readers first. . CONTROLLING IDEA/THESIS STATEMENT: This is where you answer the question being asked. You answer what is conveyed about people and set up what you will explain/support/prove in your body paragraphs. (You can have one point supported by all paragraphs, or one for each paragraph – the choice is yours: look at your examples and what they will support before writing your thesis. ) II. BODY PARAGRAPHS (please note that c and d are reversible; order does not matter, as long as both are present.Likewise, you may choose to have one paragraph deal with the text entirely and then your second paragraph would explain/develop your personal connection to the text) (Minimum 2 paragraphs) a. TOPIC SENTENCE: a general statement; the point from the thesis you will be addressing/supporting/proving in this paragraph. b. EXPLAIN more about the paragraph topic in your own words. c. PERSONAL ANECDOTE: Give an example from your own life , or from reality, that proves your topic sentence true; that is, the real example you give shows that people do the thing your topic sentence says they do.THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE IN YOUR PAPER THAT YOU MAY USE PERSONAL PRONOUNS: I, MY, ME, ETC.. OTHERWISE IT IS A FORMAL PAPER AND SHOULD BE WRITTEN AS SUCH. d. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE from the Texts: find an example you can explain and/or quote from the text or other materials you’ve been provided with, which supports the topic sentence and proves it true. State the situation from the piece of literature or describe the visual, what happens/how the situation is addressed, and what the outcome of the situation is to adequately prove your point. . III. CLINCHER SENTENCE: Sum up your paragraph’s point/argument in a general sentence; restate your topic sentence more specifically. CONCLUSION a. SUMMARIZE your main points; restate your thesis (look at your clincher sentences to help you). b. FINAL THOUGHTS: End with a thought provoki ng statement that will leave your reader thinking about and with an impression of your overall argument – this should be a strong statement that sums up your overall argument. English Language Arts -1- George McDougall High School

Human Factors Engineering †Geriatrics Essay

Professionals in gerontology and geriatrics estimate that by the middle of the 21st century, more than 60 million of people in the United States will be older than 65. Many of these people will cross the 85-age-line (Schulz, 2007). In this context, old people do not simply live longer, but remain active and productive and strive to preserve their individual independence even in older age. Obviously, these demographic shifts are extremely challenging to society. As long as the process of aging is associated with biological, psychological, physiological, and cognitive changes, older people face a whole set of issues, when trying to preserve stability of their links with the real-world environments. These are often impossible without using technologies. Human factors engineering is expected to make valuable contribution in geriatrics, making aging population less vulnerable to the abovementioned changes, and enhancing the quality of life among older adults. As a multidisciplinary science, human factors engineering is about numerous issues, but in this work special attention will be given to home and work activities (social aspects of human factors engineering), as well as the problems older people may experience with vision and hearing (individual aspects of human factors engineering). To begin with, â€Å"human factors engineering is the study of human beings and their interactions with products, environments, and equipment in the performance of tasks and activities† (Schulz, 2007). It is a multidisciplinary field in that it encompasses the disciplines of psychology, physiology, engineering, biomechanics, and computer science. Regardless of whether in aging, in pediatrics, or in adulthood, human factors engineering seeks to identify specific human capabilities, their limitations associated with age, the impact of these limitations on individuals’ interactions with the real-world environments, and the ways of improving these interactions. When it comes to geriatrics as the science of aging, human factors engineering is to address the four essential aspects, which actually shape an older person’s reality: work, home, transportation, and product design (Schulz, 2007). Some authors also include communication, safety and security, and leisure into the list of critical human factors engineering elements in aging (Czaja, 1990). Certainly, home and home activities present the greatest challenges to older people. Against a common belief, many older people live alone and have to cope (or even to fight) with a whole set of home activities. Apart from living alone, many older people are likely to spend most of their time at home, and many of them will also face a difficulty in performing even simple tasks like bathing, cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. The most common home traumas include falls, burns (e. g. from cooking), and poisoning from gases and vapors (Czaja, 1990). Given that to live alone for older people means to preserve their individuality, and that performing their home tasks without external assistance works to enhance their self-esteem, several technological and social solutions can help older people cope with these challenges. First of all, appropriate home design may substantially reduce the risk of traumas; convenient stairways, better lighting, handrails – all these can successfully remedy human factors issues in geriatrics (Schulz, 2007). Second, when it comes to household chores, a range of in-home services including delivered meals and home health visits can â€Å"extend the ability of the elderly to live independently† (Czaja, 1990). However, older people’s striving to independence is not limited to home activities. Work remains one of the critical factors of social and individual success later in life. Objectively, and in the light of the current demographic trends, businesses are no longer able to design work environments in a way that fits both younger and older workers; â€Å"clearly, most businesses and industries now need to develop strategies to accommodate an aging workforce† (Schulz, 2007). In this context, the two essential individual factors of aging come into place. First, business owners face a challenge of compensating for age-related visual deficits. Second, they are also bound to comply and cope with hearing issues in older workers. These two aspects are fairly regarded as the two most important human engineering factors of aging (Charness & Schaie, 2003). It is difficult to deny the fact that the changes in peripheral vision, color perceptions, motion perceptions, as well as anatomical changes in hearing, the loss of frequency and intensity of sound perceptions, as well as distorted sound localization may significantly reduce and even discriminate against the older worker’s desire and ability to work. At the same time, more and more older people remain in the workforce; many of them undertake part-time jobs. Not only does work help older people preserve their individuality and independence, but it also relieves the social and unemployment burden at the state and federal levels (Czaja, 1990). That is why businesses do not have any other choice but to seek effective human factors engineering solutions to cope with the discussed issues. Unfortunately, although the amount of information about aging is affluent, the data on the implications of aging for work is rather scarce. Generally, books on human factors engineering refer to ergonomic considerations (better workplace design, accommodation, and possible use of assistive technologies), equipment redesign, and possible training needs (Schulz, 2007). These, however, do not address such factors of aging in work environments as absenteeism and turnover (Czaja, 1990). As a result, when it comes to work environments, jobs for older people should be designed to help them preserve their productivity and remain a part of the workforce, even when the need to be absent from work arises. For example, the use of computer technologies could help older people take jobs that do not require leaving their homes. When it comes to vision and hearing issues, a range of information processing computer software could be utilized to enhance the quality of older people’s interactions with the real world (Charness & Schaie, 2003). In similar ways, technology can be successfully used to help older people train their memory, cognitive skills, and attention. For example, older people can be trained to use computer technologies as a part of their attention and memory improvement strategies. Similar recommendations can also cover the areas of communication, transportation, and leisure. Unfortunately, professional human factors engineering research is only at the initial stage of its evolution, and whether older people are given a chance to participate in the major life activities also depends on how well human factors engineering professionals will perform in terms of empirical and practical research. Also, how well businesses and authorities use and implement recommendations and requirements presented as a result of human factors engineering research will predetermine older’ people success in socialization, work, communication and other life activities. Conclusion Human factors engineering is a multidisciplinary science that studies the ways in which humans interact with different environments. When it comes to geriatrics, human factors engineering is expected to study older people’s work and personal capabilities, their limitations, and the ways of addressing and overcoming them. Given that more and more older people live alone and strive to keep their jobs as a matter of better self-esteem and independence, many of them may face serious challenges associated with inevitable physiological biological, cognitive, and mechanical changes. Although the data regarding possible human factors solutions is rather limited, it is very probable that the nearest decade will give older people broader opportunities for self-realization in various social domains, from work to leisure and communication.

Case : Trader Joe’s Essay

– What are the key sources of Trader Joe’s competitive advantage? Is their advantage sustainable? Unlike another retail stores, Trader Joe’s aims to provide an extraordinary shopping experience unable to be found anywhere else in the perspectives of the following key sources. Store operations: The Stores are small in old strip malls in suburban locations. There are no self-out checkout lanes so the customers had opportunity to talk to employees. Merchandising: It sold mostly private label goods at reasonable price by stocking fewer items, but more line-ups with dynamic mix compared to typical retail channels. Also, it doesn’t follow trends, but tried to sell new products that customers had not experienced previously. Customers: Trader Joe’s had been targeting clearly and not doing one-way communication. Trader Joe’s really understands the characteristics of customers so it enjoyed a cult-like following. Many customers created Facebook fan pages, wrote cookbooks featuring meals prepared with the firm’s products, and waited in line for hours before a new store opens. The company has made consumers so loyal to it. Marketing: Rather than offering any discount coupons, Trader Joe’s distributed a customer newsletter to provide information on certain products. Trader Joe’s doesn’t have its company-led social media strategy. Instead, the company finds a great deal of content generated by fans of the company. Therefore, credibility of customers has become very high because of such a fan base marketing. People: Trader Joe’s has paid staffs more than they might expect at rival grocers whereas typical grocery stores have cut-off wages of their staff due to its decreased margin under strong competition. Also, the company wants  its employees to become familiar with the company’s products so it provides funds to sample new food. Additionally, the company makes employees not bored about their job by letting employees rotate their jobs not only from day to day, but hour by hour. As the employees are satisfied with company, they always provide best service with customers so customers usually have good experience while shopping. Trader Joe’s will thrive in success for the many years to come because it truly values its consumers. The importance of consumerism is in the â€Å"Frequent Newsletter† and the employees’ dedication to the consumer. Consumers will return to a store in which they feel valued and appreciated. Then, they continue to create a lot of fan sites to have a good impact on brand equity and reputation of Trader Joe’s. I think that there would be virtuous circle on this business for the future.